What breaks most · 2004 to 2006 model years
Pontiac GTO problems by year
Owners have filed 615 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Pontiac GTO across model years 2004 to 2006. Three years stand out: 2004 for suspension complaints, 2006 for suspension complaints and 2005 for suspension complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2006, 2005
- Complaints on file
- 6152004 to 2006, all trims
- Worst year
- 2004245 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 143 fires · 17 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 16kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245 | 7 | 0 | Suspension (169) | |
| 154 | 4 | 0 | Suspension (100) | |
| 216 | 3 | 0 | Suspension (191) |
What fails on the 2004 Pontiac GTO
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 69% |
169 | 2 | Shop suspension parts for the 2004 Pontiac GTO |
| Tires | 27% |
65 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
17 | 2 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2004 Pontiac GTO |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
14 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2004 Pontiac GTO |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 2% |
6 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2004 Pontiac GTO |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 2% |
6 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2004 Pontiac GTO |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 2% |
6 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2004 Pontiac GTO |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 2% |
6 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2004 Pontiac GTO |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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2004 pontiac gto, strut rub. The tires rub the front tires and were right threw the tires, went to the dealer, and said i need a alignment and that's what they did, know my tires are worn down on the out side of the tires, was told the bushings are all bad by other gto owners.
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I wish to know why NHTSA did not have a recall of pontiac gto's for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006..when 200+ complaints were filed about front suspension and extreme tire wear..
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My 2005 pontiac gto was purchased with 53000 miles and manufactured with 245mm tires that are too wide and rub on the front strut. This has caused excessive tire wear. Other 04-05 gtos have has the same problem. This has caused tire failure and accidents in other gtos. *js
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Pontiac GTO years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2006, 2005 carry the most filings on the Pontiac GTO. The 2004 alone has 245 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Pontiac GTO problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 169 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Pontiac GTO problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Pontiac GTO complaints that include mileage is about 16,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.