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
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Exterior lighting233
- Suspension42
- Service brakes42
- Electrical system32
- Structure19
- Steering18
- Air bags15
- Engine15
- Vehicle speed control14
- Visibility/wiper11
- Power train11
- Electronic stability control (esc)8
- Wheels7
- 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
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
7
11
16
12
25
33
48
87
62
49
31
8
11
12
5
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 7 |
| 2013 | 11 |
| 2014 | 16 |
| 2015 | 12 |
| 2016 | 25 |
| 2017 | 33 |
| 2018 | 48 |
| 2019 | 87 |
| 2020 | 62 |
| 2021 | 49 |
| 2022 | 31 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 12 |
| 2026 | 5 |
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.
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!”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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”
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.