help! What caused this to happen to my car?

Hello everyone,

I went to get my state inspection (NC) done today. The put my car on the lift to check for play in the wheel bearings. The tech told me he couldn't pass my car because both wheel bearings and tie rods were worn and had too much play in them. My gp is a 2000 model with 31,000 miles. These things shouldn't be worn out in only 31,000 miles. Has anyone else had this problem? Luckily it is still under warranty. I am still trying to get a hold of the pontiac dealer to schedule an appointment to have them look at it. I don't have a regular mechanic that i go to as I have had 2 grand prixs since I've lived in town and never had mechanical problems that needed to be fixed. Can someone help me figure out what's going on with my car, Why they would have worn out so quickly.

TIA,

Are you running aftermarket wheels + tires? If you are still running stockers and the tires are getting even wear (i.e. you have a good true alignment), then yes that is premature.

I don't have an explanation for it other than that, but at least you can replace everything under warranty!

Good luck.

yes I am still running stock tires and wheels. My tires are wearing but they are wearing pretty evenly.

I would take the failure notice to your dealer and ask them to either replace it under warranty or explain in writting why it doesnt need to be. Is your state one where licensed private garages can do inspections? Go to a mechanic that you trust if you can. Maybe try another inspection facility and see what happens there.