KnownCarProblems2013 Cadillac Srx Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 393 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Cadillac Srx, most often about the lights (55% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is 5th of 14 Srx model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2013 Cadillac Srx problems
Lights
217 complaints · 55%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, fog lights.
The low beam headlights on our 2013 Cadillac Srx, which we purchased new in november, 2012, are practically unusable for night time driving. The light output is extremely low even after replacing the bulbs with sylvania zxe bulbs and then, after these were ineffective, LED replacements. Driving this vehicle in low…
Headlights are very dim resulting in very poor visibility when driving at night and forcing the excessive use of high beams in order to see. Vin is not available
Electrical
52 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 55,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, instrument panel.
The seat warmer in my vehicle malfunctioned and caused a fire in my driver's seat. I was not driving my vehicle at the time. I used the auto start feature to turn on the car so I could clear the snow from my car. When I got in my vehicle, I sat down and could smell something burning. It took me a minute to realize…
Cue system froze. Unable to control radio, navigation system, heater, A/C, hands free phone, etc. Went on a Cadillac forum and was able to reset it one time and then quit working again after a few. I was unable to reset it a second time. Unfortunately, this all happened at 52,000 miles 2,000 miles after the warranty…
Other or unspecified
37 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles.
2013 Cadillac Srx front headlamps do not put out light. Cant drive it at night. Cadillac suggested after market bulbs, also didn't work. Have now installed flood lights to use for driving. Have spent over $600. Cadillac says they have never heard of this happening. Can't guarantee putting new ones in will help and it…
I bought my vehicle 6 months ago. I never owned a Cadillac and I really love it but there isn't alot of leg room in the back seat and its hard to see the turn signal lights being 6'4 the way the window is shaped I have to hunch to the side and look up. My main problem is the touch screen from the cue applications. It…
Transmission
31 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
I purchased a 2013 Srx used in january of 2017 and on several occasions today being the latest, after coming to a complete stop at 4-way intersections, when I try to press the gas pedal and move into the intersection the car coasts without power and leaves me stranded for a few seconds. With the gas pedal pressed all…
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac Srx. While driving approximately 13 MPH, the vehicle started to jerk and the electric seats and GPS did not work. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (king o'rourke gmc buick, Cadillac in smithtown, ny, [phone]) where the failures were…
Speed control
25 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 9,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
Twice I have been stopped at a stop light . . . When it was time to go, I pushed the gas, it went a little ways (a few hundred feet) and then it lost power (for lack of a better term) . . . I had the gas pedal to the floor, but the vehicle wouldn't go. After about 5-8 seconds, it pealed out and went. Again, this…
This incident has occurred 5 times on my vehicle. The most recent today, 4/2/2014. What happens is I push on the gas pedal and their is a delay of 4 seconds before the car engages and moves. First time this occurred was when I was getting on highway. I pushed down on the gas pedal and the car did not move. Two times I…
Visibility and wipers
18 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles. Parts named most often: sun/moon roof assembly, defroster/defogger/hvac system.
Front lights are not strongly lit at times. Especially when it is extremely dark out side. When it is not so dark outside the lights work perfect. In extreme dark nights must use the high beams to be able to see the roads
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac Srx. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise and observed that the sun roof shattered. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
Engine
17 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 23,000 miles.
Stopped at a light. Light changed to green and pressed peddle to accelerate. Vehicle started normally into intersection and then would not continue for 5 to 7 seconds. The engine was at idle, not stalled, and would not respond to the peddle no matter what input was rendered. Been to dealer several times and even had a…
I was driving on i94 west in the passing lane at 72 miles per hour when my engine shut down. The dashboard flashed 72, then 62, and 52 miles with an icon showing that the car was shutting down. Fortunately, traffic allowed me to coast to exit 112 (a marshall, mi rest stop) where I waited 1.5 hours for a tow. General…
Suspension
16 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac Srx. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle started swerving uncontrollably. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the vehicle needed an alignment. The contact stated that the vehicle…
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac Srx. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21v473000 (suspension) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be serviced. The contact stated that before she received the recall notice for repair her vehicle was driving perfectly fine, but after picking up her…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Cadillac Srx recalls
Suspension: rear
Risk: A loose toe link can separate and cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Suspension: rear
Risk: Failure of the toe adjuster link could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Risk: A three to four second lag in acceleration may increase the risk of crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Wheels and tires: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Electrical: software
Risk: If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Rear toe link adjuster separation
Summary
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 vehicl
Questions about the 2013 Cadillac Srx
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Cadillac Srx?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: lights (217 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); electrical (52 complaints, typically around 55,000 miles); other or unspecified (37 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Cadillac Srx have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 24, 2021 (suspension). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Cadillac Srx?
- It is 5th of 14 Srx model years by number of complaints, with 393 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.