2006 Pontiac Grand Prix Suspension Problems

TWICE, MY 2006 GRAND PRIX GXP HAS WORN OUT BOTH FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. THE FIRST INCIDENT SOCKED ME TO THE TUNE OF ALMOST $700! THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS WITH FEWER THAN 13KMILES ON THE CAR. THIS TIME, I AM AT JUST OVER 30KMILES AND HAVE NOT YET APPROACHED MY DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM! NEITHER TIME WAS THERE EVER A BRAKE-WEAR SENSOR INDICATOR NOISE; BY THE TIME ANY NOISE WAS HEARD, THE ROTORS WERE DESTROYED! I HAVE READ OTHER GRAND PRIX GXP OWNERS SAYING THE EXACT, SAME THING ON MANY AUTOMOTIVE-RELATED WEBSITES/BLOGS. PONTIAC DIVISION OF GENERAL MOTORS HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY NO HELP WITH THIS UNACCEPTABLY POOR PERFORMANCE!!! I FEEL THAT THIS IS LESS OF A BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEM AND MORE OF A FRONT SUSPENSION DEFECT; TAKING PARTICULAR NOTE THIS TIME, THE ONLY NOISE IS MADE WHEN I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL EVEN SLIGHTLY AND I GET THAT AWFUL, SICKENING METAL-TO-METAL GRINDING NOISE!!!!!!! *TR UPDATED 2-3-09: WEB USER COMMENTS: PLEASE NOTE THAT SINCE I FILED MY COMPLAINT WITH YOU ON THE ROTORS AND PADS ON MY GRAND PRIX GXP, I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE PONTIAC DEALERSHIP WHERE I LEASED THE CAR. THIS TIME, THERE WAS BARELY ENOUGH THICKNESS LEFT ON THE ROTORS FOR THEM TO BE TURNED, BUT I HAD TO HAVE THE ROTORS AT ALL 4 CORNERS DONE AND HAD TO REPLACE THE ASSOCIATED BRAKE PADS! FURTHERMORE, THE REPAIR TECH NOTED ON THE RO THAT MY GXP WAS MISSING 3 HUB BOLTS ON THE FRONT SUSPENSION! THIS IS NOT GOOD! I COMPLAINED, ONCE AGAIN, TO THE SERVICE WRITER AND, THIS TIME, TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE'D CONTACT PONTIAC MOTOR DIVISION TO SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THE COST OF THIS DANGEROUS, REPEATING PROBLEM. ALAS, PONTIAC REFUSED! I PLAN TO CONTACT PMD MYSELF, AS I DID IN OCTOBER 2007, AND OPEN UP ANOTHER FILE ON MY CAR. IF I DON'T GET ANY HELP THIS TIME, I'LL HAVE MY ATTORNEY DRAFT A LETTER AND GO FROM THERE.

THIS IS A CUMULATIVE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND FAILURE MODES ARE IDENTICAL TO THE GTO FAILURE CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE07010. MAKE: PONTIAC, MODEL GTO , 2006. COMPONENT : SUSPENSION:FRONT: MCPHERSON STRUT. TIRES:SIDEWALL. DATE INVESTIGATION OPENED : FEBRUARY 16, 2007 AND STILL OPEN. ODI RECEIVED 69 COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGED A FRONT STRUT TO TIRE INTERFERENCE CONDITION IN MODEL YEAR 2004 THROUGH 2006 PONTIAC GTO VEHICLES. THE COMPLAINTS INDICATED THAT THE CONDITION CAUSED INNER SIDEWALL WEAR TO THE TIRES. SEVEN OF THE COMPLAINANTS ALLEGED TIRE FAILURE CAUSED BY THE INTERFERENCE CONDITION OF THE STRUT TO THE ADJACENT TIRE. FOUR OF THESE COMPLAINANTS CLAIMED THEY WERE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER WHEN THE TIRE FAILED. ONE OF THESE COMPLAINANTS ALSO STATED THE TIRE FAILURE CAUSED A CRASH. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WAS OPENED TO ASSESS THE FREQUENCY, SCOPE, AND POTENTIAL SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT. *AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSIDE TREAD OF THE VEHICLE'S TIRES WERE PREMATURELY WORN. AS RESULT, THE TIRE PENETRATED THE STRUT MOUNTS WHEN THE VEHICLE STRUCK A BUMP IN THE ROAD WHILE TRAVELING 15 MPH. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE RUBBER DEBRIS ON THE STRUT MOUNTS. THE CONTACT REFERENCED SERVICE # 010232001 ON THE SERVICE BULLETIN, NHTSA ITEM # 618086. THE DAMAGED TIRES TREAD DEPTH WAS 1/4 INCH. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 15,700. THE CONSUMER STATED INFORMATION ABOVE IS INCORRECT, ODI HAS RECEIVED 69 COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGE A FRONT TIRE TO FRONT TIRE INTERFERENCE IN 2004 TO 2006 MODELS. THE COMPLAINTS INCLUDE TIRE SIDEWALL WEAR, TIRE FAILURE TO STRUTS, TIRE FAILED AT 40MPH OR MORE, AND ONE CRASH. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE DEFECT IS MACPHERSON STRUTS AND NOT THE ACTUAL TIRE. UPDATED 06/08/07 *TR