The vehicle lights are dangerously dim. Changing the bulbs hasn’t fixed the problem. The headlights as a whole weren’t sealed properly allowing moisture in.
2012 Cadillac Srx
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Srx years
Owner complaints for the 2012 Cadillac Srx are substantially higher than the model-year median of 192.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Srx years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
270 reports with mileage · 146 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 233 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
416 reports2012 CADILLAC SRX. CONSUMER IS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS MADE RELATED TO A NHSTA SAFETY RECALL.
headlamp replacement... second one i had to do on my SRX. I know it never made it to recall but you were reimbursing owners now your not. i called gm they said they would help me then i get it fixed and he calls back and says no
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the recall repair w…
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The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the recall repair was not being completed, it caused the inner sidewalls of the rear tires to wear down prematurely. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure and scheduled an appointment for 2/3/2022. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
The recall was performed on my Cadillac SRX back in November. The recall fix that GM put out has now cause more problems than there was before the fix. What has happened is that the solid toe link is to long and has put my cars alliagnment way out to the point that the car is not safe to drive. I had new struts, shocks and front…
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The recall was performed on my Cadillac SRX back in November. The recall fix that GM put out has now cause more problems than there was before the fix. What has happened is that the solid toe link is to long and has put my cars alliagnment way out to the point that the car is not safe to drive. I had new struts, shocks and front toe links put on just before the recall fix and there was nothing wrong until the fix. Now the reallaignment can not be done because of the fix. GM needs to recall the recall. I am taking it back to the dealer that performed the recall fix and telling them that I am not paying to have it corrected. My mechanic stated that in order to correct the problem that GM created is now going to cost over $500 a cost that I should not have occurred.
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the headlights appeared too dim obstructing the view to the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the headlights needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had authorized a recall for the hea…
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The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the headlights appeared too dim obstructing the view to the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the headlights needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had authorized a recall for the headlights however, the recall had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
UNKNOWN- Took my vehicle in for the recall listed above, to then be told that my Timing Cover Gasket: timing cover gasket leaking. Service advisor indicated that this is a known issue with SRX's. I did search for a recall on all years, but not on the 2012's. Not sure why they were not included. I was informed at the price of…
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UNKNOWN- Took my vehicle in for the recall listed above, to then be told that my Timing Cover Gasket: timing cover gasket leaking. Service advisor indicated that this is a known issue with SRX's. I did search for a recall on all years, but not on the 2012's. Not sure why they were not included. I was informed at the price of $2134.53 it could be repaired. I only have 87 plus miles on this vehicle. While I have not had any warning lamps or messages appear, or leaking, why is this. I whole heartedly believe that this should be inspected and a recall should occur for this years make and model.
While driving on the highway my car suddenly went sideways five times. I had no control over my vehicle and luckily did not hit another vehicle. Once I was safely on the shoulder, I saw that my rear driverside wheel was sticking out. I had it towed to the dealership and then found out that there was a recall on the rear toe end …
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While driving on the highway my car suddenly went sideways five times. I had no control over my vehicle and luckily did not hit another vehicle. Once I was safely on the shoulder, I saw that my rear driverside wheel was sticking out. I had it towed to the dealership and then found out that there was a recall on the rear toe end link adjuster. They kept my car for weeks and kept sending me assessments of damage and assuring me it would be good as new when returned. After I declined their offer to fix my front struts for about $4,000 they said it was ready, but still needed to be aligned. I drove it home and immediately called bc it was not fixed and swayed dangerously on the road. They said bring it Monday (this was a Friday) it sat in my driveway then I noticed all the oil that leaked. I took it back (couple more weeks) they said oil changed (cost to them) leak caused by gasket not sealed properly. Also the washer fluid kept just pouring out and they had to fix that which they said was my fault but I'd never had trouble before. Then they said my car was ready and they had fixed the recall by making the adjuster NON adjustable. My car still swayed all over the road and now makes a loud clanking noise in the front. After a month my rear tires both on the inside of the tire closest together are wore out showing wires. I paid for two used tired. Two weeks later it's happening again. Another shop checks the tires and is amazed that I made it to have him check the tires because the toe link but was so loose that my wheel was about to fall off again! He tightened the nut that IS undoubtedly ADJUSTABLE. My tires are now wearing out again and I've yet to receive any news on how to get the national recall fixed. No concern for safety at all.
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that moisture was accumulating inside the headlight housing causing the illumination to be very dim. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the headlight housings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The man…
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The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that moisture was accumulating inside the headlight housing causing the illumination to be very dim. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the headlight housings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Low beam headlights became really dim making it hard to drive after dark. Headlights show water intrusion (water droplets, fogging) at times. Replacing the headlight bulbs with brighter LED bulbs did not improve the visibility. Necessity to use high beam often is a risk to opposing traffic.
Official recalls
321V473000 · Suspension:rear
Jun 24, 2021
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.
14V571000 · Suspension:rear
Sep 19, 2014
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.
14V447000 · Seats:front Assembly:power Adjust
Jul 23, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.
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
1PE20019 · 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.
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