Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
460–25K
3825–50K
7850–75K
5575–100K
21100–150K
4150K+
242 reports with mileage · 151 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
Exterior Lighting. Review the 217 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
15 crash reports5 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
393 reports
Mileage unknown · Feb 9, 2023
Exterior Lighting
Low beam headlights are so dim it is extremely dangerous to operate during dark hours. Purchased this car this date from Charlottesville Mercedes Benz. The contact stated that there was a previous recall for the headlight issue but it expired in June 2022. Although the low beam headlights are too dim, the vehicle somehow stil…
Read full complaint
Low beam headlights are so dim it is extremely dangerous to operate during dark hours. Purchased this car this date from Charlottesville Mercedes Benz. The contact stated that there was a previous recall for the headlight issue but it expired in June 2022. Although the low beam headlights are too dim, the vehicle somehow still passed state inspections.
NHTSA ODI #11506525
80,000 miles · Feb 3, 2023
Exterior Lighting
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the low beam headlights failed to produce adequate illumination to see the roadway while driving. The contact was unable to drive the vehicle at night. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and dete…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the low beam headlights failed to produce adequate illumination to see the roadway while driving. The contact was unable to drive the vehicle at night. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
NHTSA ODI #11505428
106,000 miles · Feb 2, 2023
Air BagsCrashInjury
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH the driver suffered a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle causing the vehicle to crash into a fence. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was damaged but the airbags did not deploy. The driver sustained a frac…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH the driver suffered a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle causing the vehicle to crash into a fence. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was damaged but the airbags did not deploy. The driver sustained a fractured jaw and fractured thoracic vertebrae. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed to the vehicle holding facility. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 106,000.
NHTSA ODI #11505207
Mileage unknown · Dec 27, 2022
Exterior Lighting
Back in 2020 I believe there was a known headlight issue with Cadillac vehicles. Communication was sent out to owners for a headlight reimbursement program. We unfortunately didn't receive any communication regarding this. Back in March 2022 my husband had a work trip which required him to travel hours away and during the even…
Read full complaint
Back in 2020 I believe there was a known headlight issue with Cadillac vehicles. Communication was sent out to owners for a headlight reimbursement program. We unfortunately didn't receive any communication regarding this. Back in March 2022 my husband had a work trip which required him to travel hours away and during the evening. This is what prompted me to call the Cadillac Customer Service number regarding the headlights, and the headlight program once I discovered it searching the internet. Spoke to someone and a ticket was issued. Missed a call, called back and was told I could only speak that same person. So I called again, received a couple of emails, and was eventually ghosted. A week or so ago I seen on the evening news that once again Cadillac had a re-call of sorts with their headlights. This was so frustrating, Once again my husband had to travel for work and the same issue arises and his safety was in jeopardy. So this past Monday called again and spoke to someone regarding his dim headlights. Received a call back today and was told the GMC dealership (the dealership we get all work done) isn't an "official" Cadillac dealership and there's isn't anything they could do. We could go to a Cadillac dealership, but there's no guarantee they would fix the issue. The dealership that we bring our vehicle to (GMC) had told my husband a few times now that it would be cheaper to purchase the new headlights online, because they would cost him over $1000 each through the dealership. This information was also relayed to the customer service rep with Cadillac customer services. The Cadillac customer service rep then turned around and offered us a $100 gift card to use towards our future dealership services. I think this is absurd given the fact this is a known issue and had been made public twice that I know of. I would like them to honor the $1600 headlight reimbersburtment that they originally offered and we never received or was notified of.
NHTSA ODI #11499021
Mileage unknown · Dec 21, 2022
Exterior Lighting
The headlamps do not shine as brightly as needed to illuminate the road. Affects driving safety not to be able to see on unlit roads at night.
NHTSA ODI #11498424
Mileage unknown · Dec 13, 2022
Exterior Lighting
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at night, the headlights were not illuminating sufficiently to see the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that her husband replaced both headlights; however, the failure recurred, and she was only able to see the road while usin…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at night, the headlights were not illuminating sufficiently to see the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that her husband replaced both headlights; however, the failure recurred, and she was only able to see the road while using the high-beam headlights. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it remained awaiting the repair. The contact was made aware of an unknown headlight recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA ODI #11497317
Mileage unknown · Dec 12, 2022
Seats
The contact’s customer owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while the valet driver was driving, the front driver’s side seat inadvertently retracted back along the track bracket without warning. As a result, the contact stated that the valet driver was trapped in the vehicle. The dealer was not notified of the failu…
Read full complaint
The contact’s customer owns a 2013 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while the valet driver was driving, the front driver’s side seat inadvertently retracted back along the track bracket without warning. As a result, the contact stated that the valet driver was trapped in the vehicle. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V804000 (Seats). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was unavailable.
NHTSA ODI #11497034
Mileage unknown · Dec 2, 2022
Exterior Lighting
Low beam headlights are very dim . Changed bulbs with no improvement. This is dangerous to occupants in my vehicle and oncoming traffic because we have to use high beams all the time at night.this was seen by dealer and I was told there was no problem.
NHTSA ODI #11495796
Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2022
Exterior Lighting
headlamps fogging up inside , useless for Nite driving. can not see without high beams..
NHTSA ODI #11494449
Mileage unknown · Oct 31, 2022
Unknown Or Other
My suv has a noticeable sometimes unsafe lag in the transmission Sometimes 3-4 sec lag Had in dealership shop 2-3 times they cannot reproduce they say. There was a recall for this very issue in 2014. Says recall was performed but obviously did not fix it. It is now out of Warrenty and still lagging
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2016 Cadillac SRX and 2011-2012 Saab 9-4X vehicles. The rear suspension toe link adjuster may not have been tightened properly, which could result in a loose toe link.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loose toe link can separate and cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Owners are advised to not drive their vehicle if they experience certain Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) warnings or other issues, such as unusual steering behavior, while driving. Please see the Part 573 report for the full list of warnings. Dealers will replace the adjustable toe link with a non-adjustable one, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed August 6, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 25, 2021. Cadillac and Saab customers may direct questions to Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. GM's number for this recall is N212340980.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured April 14, 2009, to September 1, 2014, and 2011-2012 Saab 9-4X vehicles manufactured February 1, 2011, to September 13, 2011. On the affected vehicles, the jam nut in the rear suspension toe adjuster link may not be torqued to the proper specification. A loose toe adjuster link can cause the vehicle to sway or wander at highway speeds. A loose toe adjuster link may lead to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the toe adjuster link will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure of the toe adjuster link could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the torque of the left and right rear toe link adjuster lock nuts, and replace the parts if there is evidence of damage or a loose link, free of charge. The The recall began November 11, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007. GM's number for this recall is 14457.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured May 29, 2012, through June 26, 2013, and equipped with 3.6L engines. In the affected vehicles, in certain driving situations, there may be a three to four second lag in acceleration due to the transmission control module (TCM) programming.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A three to four second lag in acceleration may increase the risk of crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module, free of charge. The recall began on June 3, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. General Motors' number for this recall is 14132.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured January 31, 2012, through March 18, 2013, and equipped with 18 inch wheels. On the affected vehicles, the wheel lug nuts may loosen.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the lug nuts loosen, they may fall off or cause the wheel studs to fracture. Either condition would allow the wheel to separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove and reinstall the wheel nuts by performing a tire rotation, free of charge. The recall began on June 3, 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13116.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick LaCrosse vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured between May 29, 2012, through February 18, 2013 for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." A software problem may cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode removing any transmission-related engine braking effect.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2013. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. Buick owners may call 1-866-694-6546.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Electrical System:software
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick LaCrosse vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured between May 29, 2012, through February 18, 2013 for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." A software problem may cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode removing any transmission-related engine braking effect.
Consequence: If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2013. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. Buick owners may call 1-866-694-6546.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick LaCrosse vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured between May 29, 2012, through February 18, 2013 for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." A software problem may cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode removing any transmission-related engine braking effect.
Consequence: If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2013. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. Buick owners may call 1-866-694-6546.
Power Train:automatic Transmission
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick LaCrosse vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured between May 29, 2012, through February 18, 2013 for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." A software problem may cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode removing any transmission-related engine braking effect.
Consequence: If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2013. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. Buick owners may call 1-866-694-6546.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1
PE20019 · Rear Toe Link Adjuster Separation
Opened Nov 6, 2020 · Closed Dec 23, 2021
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Suspension; Suspension:rear
On November 06, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE20-019) to assess the remedy and scope of General Motors (GM) recall 14V-571. ODI had received a total of 9 complaints with allegations of rear toe links separating while the vehicle was in motion. There were 4 complainants indicating that the remedy for recall 14V-571 had been performed on their vehicle. The other 5 complaints were outside the original recall scope but exhibited the same failure mode as addressed by recall 14V-571 and reported uncontrolled swaying while driving.ODI's review focused on all 2010-2015 Cadillac SRX vehicles that experienced a rear toe link failure while the vehicle was in motion under various driving conditions. The failures were the same or similar to those addressed by the remedy associated with recall 14V-571. The remedy for recall 14V-571 was to inspect the rear toe link adjusters and replace them if necessary as well as tighten both jam nuts to a manufacturer specified torque. The remedy can be reversed when the vehicle gets a rear alignment adjustment and the jam nuts are not properly re-torqued to the manufacturer's specification. ODI's data review confirmed a high toe link failure rate in vehicles that either had and had not received the remedy associated with recall 14V-571. On June 24, 2021, GM filed a defect information report recalling all 2010-2016 Cadillac SRX and 2011-2012 Saab 9-4X vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the rear toe link adjuster while driving. The remedy replaces adjustable toe links with non-adjustable toe links. The recall (21V-473) includes vehicles that were remedied under 14V-571. In view of the recall action being taken by GM, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov.The ODI identification numbers for the complaints cited above can be found in a separate document attached to this closing resume.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Suspension
On November 06, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE20-019) to assess the remedy and scope of General Motors (GM) recall 14V-571. ODI had received a total of 9 complaints with allegations of rear toe links separating while the vehicle was in motion. There were 4 complainants indicating that the remedy for recall 14V-571 had been performed on their vehicle. The other 5 complaints were outside the original recall scope but exhibited the same failure mode as addressed by recall 14V-571 and reported uncontrolled swaying while driving.ODI's review focused on all 2010-2015 Cadillac SRX vehicles that experienced a rear toe link failure while the vehicle was in motion under various driving conditions. The failures were the same or similar to those addressed by the remedy associated with recall 14V-571. The remedy for recall 14V-571 was to inspect the rear toe link adjusters and replace them if necessary as well as tighten both jam nuts to a manufacturer specified torque. The remedy can be reversed when the vehicle gets a rear alignment adjustment and the jam nuts are not properly re-torqued to the manufacturer's specification. ODI's data review confirmed a high toe link failure rate in vehicles that either had and had not received the remedy associated with recall 14V-571. On June 24, 2021, GM filed a defect information report recalling all 2010-2016 Cadillac SRX and 2011-2012 Saab 9-4X vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the rear toe link adjuster while driving. The remedy replaces adjustable toe links with non-adjustable toe links. The recall (21V-473) includes vehicles that were remedied under 14V-571. In view of the recall action being taken by GM, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov.The ODI identification numbers for the complaints cited above can be found in a separate document attached to this closing resume.
Suspension:rear
On November 06, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE20-019) to assess the remedy and scope of General Motors (GM) recall 14V-571. ODI had received a total of 9 complaints with allegations of rear toe links separating while the vehicle was in motion. There were 4 complainants indicating that the remedy for recall 14V-571 had been performed on their vehicle. The other 5 complaints were outside the original recall scope but exhibited the same failure mode as addressed by recall 14V-571 and reported uncontrolled swaying while driving.ODI's review focused on all 2010-2015 Cadillac SRX vehicles that experienced a rear toe link failure while the vehicle was in motion under various driving conditions. The failures were the same or similar to those addressed by the remedy associated with recall 14V-571. The remedy for recall 14V-571 was to inspect the rear toe link adjusters and replace them if necessary as well as tighten both jam nuts to a manufacturer specified torque. The remedy can be reversed when the vehicle gets a rear alignment adjustment and the jam nuts are not properly re-torqued to the manufacturer's specification. ODI's data review confirmed a high toe link failure rate in vehicles that either had and had not received the remedy associated with recall 14V-571. On June 24, 2021, GM filed a defect information report recalling all 2010-2016 Cadillac SRX and 2011-2012 Saab 9-4X vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the rear toe link adjuster while driving. The remedy replaces adjustable toe links with non-adjustable toe links. The recall (21V-473) includes vehicles that were remedied under 14V-571. In view of the recall action being taken by GM, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov.The ODI identification numbers for the complaints cited above can be found in a separate document attached to this closing resume.
2013 Cadillac Srx Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year
Illustration