NHTSA Complaint #10162535 — 2006 PONTIAC GTO

MY 2006 PONTIAC GTO BLEW 2 FRONT MACPHERSON STRUTS SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 6-6-06. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO ACQUIRE NEW STRUTS BECAUSE THEY WERE ON BACKORDER. THEREFORE, THE DEALERSHIP PULLED STRUTS OUT OF A NEW GTO ON THE LOT AND INSTALLED THEM IN MY CAR. ONE WEEK LATER THEY BLEW OUT AS WELL. DURING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET FORUMS, I HAVE FOUND MANY MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BLOWN FRONT STRUTS IN THEIR 2006 GTO' S. THEY HAVE ALL BEEN GTO'S THAT HAVE A COMPLETION DATE OF EITHER JANUARY OR FEBRUARY 2006. THE DEALERSHIP THAT I BOUGHT MY CAR FROM HAS CONTACTED GM TO FIND OUT IF THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM AND THEIR RESPONSE HAS BEEN TO SEE HOW HARD AM I DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER SAID THEY ARE NOT ADMITTING A PROBLEM WITH THEIR STRUTS. THIS IS A PERFORMANCE CAR AND AS SUCH PEOPLE WILL DRIVE THEM LIKE A PERFORMANCE CAR AND IF THEY HAPPEN TO BLOW A STRUT DURING A RACING MANEUVER IT COULD BE DEADLY. I FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD ALERT THE CONSUMER OF THESES VEHICLES WITH A SERVICE BULLETIN TO INSPECT THESE JANUARY AND FEBRUARY VEHICLES. ALL THAT IS NEEDED IS TO GO TO A GTO FORUM ONLINE TO SEE PEOPLES RESPONSES I.E. LS2GTO.COM OR NEWAGEGTO.COM ARE A COUPLE. FOR GM NOT TO ADMIT A PROBLEM WITH THESE STRUTS IS AGGRAVATING. YOU DON'T HAVE A NATIONAL BACKORDER FOR NO REASON AT ALL. IT TOOK 2 1/2 WEEKS FOR BRAND NEW STRUTS TO COME IN FOR MY GTO. I ALSO HAD TO WAIT FOR OTHER PARTS THAT WERE BACK ORDERED BECAUSE OF ALL THE OIL THAT LEAKS OUT OF THE STRUTS CAUSES PROBLEMS WITH THESE OTHER PARTS. YOU SPEND $40000 ON A VEHICLE AND TO HAVE SOMEONE SAY THAT MAYBE IT IS THE WAY I'M DRIVING THE VEHICLE IS INSULTING. TO BLOW 2 SETS OF FRONT STRUTS OUT IN A PERFORMANCE CAR IN UNDER 500 MILES IS A LITTLE EXTREME. I JUST HOPE TO RAISE AWARENESS TO GM SO THEY SATISFY THE CUSTOMER BEFORE SOMETHING BAD COULD HAPPEN. *JB