Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Cadillac SRX problems

Owners filed 417 complaints about the 2012 Cadillac SRX with NHTSA between Feb 2012 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is exterior lighting (233).

Complaints
417
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
32
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
32
People reported injured
Deaths
2
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Exterior lighting233
  2. Suspension42
  3. Service brakes42
  4. Electrical system32
  5. Structure19
  6. Steering18
  7. Air bags15
  8. Engine15
  9. Vehicle speed control14
  10. Visibility/wiper11
  11. Power train11
  12. Electronic stability control (esc)8
  13. Wheels7
  14. Seat belts4

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20127
201311
201416
201512
201625
201733
201848
201987
202062
202149
202231
20238
202411
202512
20265

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Exterior lighting

233 reports5 crashes1 fire
“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!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 27, 2025Exterior lightingODI 11683540

Suspension

42 reports7 crashes2 related recalls
“The contact owns a 2012 Cadillac SRX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension) and had the recall service completed. Approximately six months after the repair was performed, the contact observed that the two rear wheels appeared misaligned relative to the front wheels. The contact also observed severe inner tread wear on the rear tires. The contact believed that the dealer failed to perform a full wheel alignment during the initial recall repair. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact requested confirmation that the wheel alignment was performed; however, the dealer was unable to provide the confirmation. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,401.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 14, 2026SuspensionODI 11771147

Service brakes

42 reports7 crashes1 fire
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 10, 2025Suspension, Exterior lighting, Service brakesODI 11665957

Electrical system

32 reports2 crashes2 fires
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 17, 2025Electrical system, Visibility/wiperODI 11699885

Structure

19 reports4 crashes
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 7, 2026StructureODI 11729757

Steering

18 reports5 crashes
“There was a recall in this vehicle in 2022 it states the recall has been serviced for toe link, hub bearing, front strut and sway bar link. Well I put my car in the shop and had to replace same parts that had a recall that was serviced already! $1,886.00 it cost me to have these services done again. Well the issue is back and it’s affecting the steering of my vehicle. I need to know what the next step is to have this resolved so I can make sure my vehicle is safe to drive”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 28, 2024Steering, SuspensionODI 11568280
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.