Verdict
2010 Cadillac SRX: Complaints, Recalls & Known Issues
What the public record actually says about the 2010 Cadillac SRX — every figure below is a NHTSA or EPA number, not an opinion.
The read
More reported complaints than most SUV.
Owners filed 474 NHTSA complaints — more complaints than 89% of 2010 SUVs. Exterior Lighting leads the reports (42%). 6 safety recall campaigns on record — check the VIN and remedy terms with a dealer.
Based on NHTSA complaint volume against 2010 SUVs, not adjusted for how many were sold. It describes the model year, not the individual car you are looking at.
Complaints filed
474
Reports to NHTSA, 2010
Safety recalls
6
NHTSA campaigns on record
NHTSA crash test
Not rated
Overall NCAP rating
Combined MPG
19
EPA estimate
Complaint volume vs. segment peers
More complaints than 89% of 2010 SUVs
The bar is this car's percentile among 2010 SUVs by complaint volume — a full bar means the fewest complaints in its class. Not adjusted for sales.
Known issues
Exterior Lighting issues lead owner complaints (42% of 474 reports), followed by electrical system (12%).
+ 15 more component categories with fewer reports.
Share of all 474 NHTSA complaints for this model year, grouped by the component owners named. Bars are scaled to the largest category. Examples: ODI 11429406, ODI 11079892, ODI 10984680, ODI 10966096, ODI 10851729.
Recalls(6)
Open a recall to read what NHTSA says is wrong, what can happen, and how it gets fixed. Check the VIN and remedy eligibility with a dealer; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though a manufacturer may offer more coverage.
Engine And Engine Cooling · 10V223000Details +Close −
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 CADILLAC SRX EQUIPPED WITH A 2.8L V6 ENGINE. IF LOW OCTANE (REGULAR) FUEL IS USED IN THE VEHICLE INSTEAD OF THE REQUIRED HIGH OCTANE (PREMIUM) FUEL AS STATED IN THE OWNER MANUAL AND ON THE FUEL FILLER DOOR, THE COMBINATION OF REGULAR FUEL USAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING MANEUVERS MAY INDUCE PRE-IGNITION. IF PRE-IGNITION OCCURS, YOU MAY HEAR A PINGING OR KNOCKING SOUND FROM THE ENGINE.
Risk: IF THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BE DRIVEN AFTER THE ONSET OF THIS NOISE, A CONNECTING ROD OR PISTON MAY BREAK, RESULTING IN ENGINE DAMAGE, AND PERHAPS ENGINE FAILURE, WHICH WOULD DISABLE THE VEHICLE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE CADILLAC CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-866-982-2339 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Steering · 10V450000Details +Close −
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 CADILLAC SRX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.8L GAS ENGINES (LAU) OR 3.0L GAS ENGINES (LF1). SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH PROCESSING OF THE CRIMP DURING MANUFACTURE OF THE POWER STEERING PRESSURE LINE MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE LINE. IF THE LINE WAS DAMAGED, A POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK MAY DEVELOP. IF THERE IS A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FLUID LOSS, THE DRIVER WILL HEAR NOISE FROM THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND INCREASED EFFORT MAY BE REQUIRED FOR STEERING.
Risk: IF POWER STEERING FLUID SPRAYS ONTO HOT ENGINE PARTS, AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE POWER STEERING LINE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
Power Train · 11V595000Details +Close −
GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 CADILLAC SRX VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 26, 2008, THROUGH JUNE 23, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 114, THEFT PROTECTION. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE THAT WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED AND MAY COME OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION BRACKET.
Risk: THE DRIVER MAY BE UNABLE TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF GEAR, RESULTING IN NO MOTION OR THE SHIFTER MAY INACCURATELY INDICATE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS IN PARK WHEN IT IS NOT, ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO ROLL AWAY AND CAUSE A POSSIBLE CRASH.
Remedy: GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL ENSURE THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE IS PROPERLY ROUTED AND SEATED IN THE TRANSMISSION CABLE BRACKET. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
Seats · 14V447000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: 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.
Suspension · 14V571000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: 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.
Suspension · 21V473000Details +Close −
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.
Risk: 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.
A campaign can apply to this model year without being incomplete on a specific vehicle. Check the VIN with NHTSA or a dealer to confirm whether a particular car needs repair.
Investigations
1 NHTSA investigation on record
Investigations are agency reviews, not findings that a vehicle is defective.
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.
Crash-test ratings
2010 Cadillac SRX 4-DR. w/SAB NHTSA source
- Overall
- Not rated
- Frontal
- Not rated
- Side
- Not rated
- Rollover
Fuel economy by trim
| Trim | Engine | Drivetrain | Transmission | City | Hwy | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRX 2WD | 3.0L 6-cyl | Front-Wheel Drive | Automatic (S6) | 18 | 25 | 21 |
| SRX AWD | 3.0L 6-cyl | All-Wheel Drive | Automatic (S6) | 17 | 23 | 19 |
| SRX AWD | 2.8L 6-cyl | All-Wheel Drive | Automatic (S6) | 15 | 22 | 18 |
EPA laboratory estimates by trim and engine. Actual mileage varies with driving, weather, load, and maintenance. EPA source.
Before you buy
Useful next checks
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Compare model years
"Fewest reports" and "most complained" describe raw NHTSA complaint totals, not vehicle reliability. The last few model years are left unlabelled because they have had less road time.
2010 Cadillac SRX: frequently asked
What does the complaint record show for the 2010 Cadillac SRX?
Owners filed 474 NHTSA complaints about the 2010 Cadillac SRX — more complaints than 89% of comparable 2010 SUVs, so it sits toward the weaker end of its class. That's a signal, not a guarantee about any single car.
What are the most common problems on the 2010 Cadillac SRX?
The most-reported problem areas are Exterior Lighting (42% of complaints) and electrical system (12%).
How many recalls does the 2010 Cadillac SRX have?
6 recalls have been issued that affect the 2010 Cadillac SRX, covering components such as engine and engine cooling. Check the VIN with NHTSA and ask a dealer to confirm remedy eligibility; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though manufacturers may offer more coverage.
What gas mileage does the 2010 Cadillac SRX get?
The EPA rates the 2010 Cadillac SRX between 18 and 21 mpg combined, depending on trim and drivetrain.