Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2012 Cadillac SRX — assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its 17-character VIN to decode that exact car — its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment — alongside these records. Free, no account.
Run a VIN →Recalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Cadillac SRX year.
No EPA fuel-economy match for this model (naming may differ or it predates EPA records).
NHTSA has issued a "do not drive" warning covering 1 recall on this make, model and year. Repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Recalls are issued per model. Confirm whether this specific car has already been repaired using its VIN — free, at any franchised dealer or on nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA lists 3 recalls for this make/model/year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car — check with a dealer using the VIN.
Issue: 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.
Campaign 21V473000
Issue: 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.
Campaign 14V447000
Issue: 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.
Campaign 14V571000
NHTSA frontal crash test
1 open NHTSA investigation into this model. Investigations come before recalls, so these are potential defects not yet covered by one.
Rated configuration: 2012 Cadillac SRX SUV AWD
The parts named most often across 416 owner complaintsfiled with NHTSA for this make, model and year — the closest free answer to “what is likely to go wrong?”
4 crashes · 1 fire · 1 injured
3 crashes · 1 fire
7 injured
1 crash · 3 injured
1 crash · 2 fires
4 crashes · 7 injured · 2 deaths
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so treat this as where to look, not a defect rate.
2 complaint-reported fatalities on this model.
A deer rammed my passager side . airbag light was always on saying passenger airbag off . but when it explodes it injured my passenger . all the airbags didn't activate my car shut down after the incident but a few moments after it regenerated there were all types of debris after the extreme loudness of the air bags explosion. I'm still traumatized.
2012 Cadillac SRX was traveling approximately 30mph and t-boned another vehicle at an intersection. Both vehicles were totaled. The airbags in the Cadillac did not deploy and the seatbelt did not lock, causing the driver to be thrust forward into the steering wheel and windshield. Significant head injury. The safety of everyone was at risk, this car was not even road-worthy from the moment it left the floor.
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the vehicle was having a failure with the drains for the sunroof. The contact stated that water was draining directly into the driver's and passenger’s side footwells. The contact stated that there was water saturating the carpet. Additionally, after it had rained, the radio intermittently stopped functioning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer several times, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 152,667.
The headlights don’t work very well when they are dimmed. To the point that one has to use high beams all the time.
there was a sunroof recall on my year of vehicle, with this being a used vehicle the previous owners did not know about the sunroof recall and this is why they sold the vehicle not knowing the issues it caused, so I purchased this vehicle wanting it to be my forever vehicle and still do, i am wanting the sunroof drain issue fixed as this has messed with all of my electronical functions in my vehicle, when it rains or snows the electrical information stops working as it has gotten wet due to the drain shrinkage not being fixed, I cannot drive my vehicle safely when this happens, i have to wait until it dries to drive my vehicle again. Please help me with getting the recall reinstated so i can properly get this issue fixed that the previous owners did not know about and i can keep my vehicle safely driving on the roads.
My car was parked and in the park gear it was left running I went to get in the car to turn it off to stay awhile where I was at I got one leg in the car and reached over to push the button to turn it off and it lurched backwards and rolled over me and almost cut my leg off it kept rolling another good 200 ft or more before it stopped and it was still in the park position I read where there's a recall on the transmission on this car but I was injured very badly in this incident I do not know what happened because the car was in park and should not have rolled when I turned it off but it did and rolled over me and knock me down and cut my legs severely
Headlight assembly gets over heated and makes the low beam lights very dim, not safe or legal to drive at night. I've seen many many complaints for this. Not Safe!
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift into gear properly, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,530.
The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at night, the contact became aware that the low-beam headlights had moisture inside the headlight housings. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was repaired under an unknown recall; however, the failure progressed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Braking after hitting a pothole was a nightmare! No warning lights came on to prepare me for anything. Brake pedal went to the floor and would not work properly. Finally after getting my vehicle to stop I pulled over pumped my brakes and seemed to work after 5 tries. Toe link recall was “fixed” well not the case. After 2 recalls on the toe link I had a nice bill the cost me $1.450.00 after having to pay for this part. Still haven’t been reimbursed. Also headlights are very dim and can’t see at night!! I’ve asked multiple mechanic shops and no one has an answer for me. So have to use my high beams or else I can’t see anything at night . Very unsafe and no one can help me resolve this issue.
I had Baker Cadillac Dealership to perform the toe-link recall as well as a Multi-Point Vehicle Inspection on May 28, 2025. This is for a 2012 Cadillac SRX-3.6 Luxury Collection [VIN: [XXX]] that I was going to purchase for my [XXX] daughter pending the inspection results. Because Cadillac technicians performed the inspection and nothing major was flagged, I purchased the car for my daughter. That evening, I was driving the car to fill up with gas, and the brakes completely cut out! I talked to a friend who knows more about cars than I do, told me the brakes cutting out was likely a result of the recall repair needing to reset to the proper values. I didn't think too much of it after that until 5 days ago when I was on [XXX] driving at 70 mph, the brakes completely cut out again. The road was wet and they cut out as I was exiting off an interstate overpass onto a ramp which circles back toward the direction I was coming from that ultimately feeds onto the road underneath the exit. I fishtailed side to side the entire length of that ramp that has no barriers at a lethal speed which could’ve killed me! If my daughter would've been driving, the outcome would’ve likely been fatal! I contacted the dealership who performed the recall installation and the Multi Point Inspection and told them everything that happened. I wanted answers as to why this wasn't caught during inspection, what exactly caused that to happen twice in less than 10 days, and what needs to be fixed to prevent this from ever happening again. I paid Firestone to perform a comprehensive test on ABS and they could not replicate the issue, so they couldn't do anything to fix it as everything appeared to be fine. No system lights came on or anything. I have since learned that this is far from an isolated issue; in fact, this is quite a scary pattern with the 2012 SRX 3.6. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My 2012 Cadillac SRX gets water into the back of the car when it rains. There is a module in the back which when it gets wet shuts off all the electrical components in the car. The rain enters the car and gets trapped in the wheel well and all through the other components in the rear of the car. I have had this happen before and repairs cost up to 1000.00. General Motors needs to be accountable and a recall needs to be issued.
Showing 12 of 416 complaints.