NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Cadillac SRX. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while driving at night at various speeds, the low beam headlights were very dim, causing the contact to drive using the high beam headlights to properly see the roadway. The contact replaced the halogen headlight bulbs with LED bulbs; however, the low beam headlights were still dim while driving at night. The contact became aware that the reflective surface on the headlights was burned out. The contact stated that the halogen bulbs appeared to be degrading, and there were bubbles on the bulbs. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
BRAKE, ABS, Wrench, check engine lights all began intermittently coming on. Before we could bring it into the dealer, it went into "limp mode" while at a very dangerous time and would not move forward while in "Drive". Had to abandon the car in a roadside parking lot. Finally able to get it to the dealer and after their inspection we were told it was NOT repairable. The EBCM module (part of the brake system) was defective and NO parts existed. When we pressed the dealer, no other options or resolutions were offered. Even if a part could be found at eBay, re-manufacturers, or junk yards, they would not touch it. I have had not luck finding a part, re-manufacturer, or repair shop that could be of any help. Right now it is a worthless piece of junk. All correspondence with the dealer has been verbal to this point.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension). The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the steering wheel began shaking violently and the vehicle fishtailed and failed to steer as intended. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was then taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Subject: Complaint Regarding Unsafe Headlight Design – 2016 Cadillac SRX To whom it may concern, We own a 2016 Cadillac SRX and are extremely concerned about the safety of the vehicle’s headlights. The low beams are so dim that we are unable to drive safely at night. When we resort to using the high beams, oncoming drivers frequently flash their lights at us, indicating that we are blinding them. Bottom line, car is unusable at night !!! A few years ago, I brought this issue to the attention of our local Cadillac service department. Unfortunately, I was told there was nothing they could do, despite acknowledging that the headlight design is a known problem. They quoted us over $1,600 for a repair, without offering any goodwill assistance or cost reduction — even though this is clearly a design flaw, not a wear-and-tear issue. This does not seem fair, especially considering our vehicle has only 71,749 miles on it — in todays standards, essentially like new for a luxury vehicle. We are disappointed that Cadillac has not taken responsibility for a safety issue that affects many drivers. We ask that Cadillac stand behind its product and work with us to resolve this issue in a reasonable and customer-friendly way. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] /// [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I purchased the car June 2025 ,The headlights go so dim that you can not see at night, I contacted Cadillac and they are only willing to give me $200. towards the $2000. repair it would cost even though the headlights used on the 2016 Cadillac SRX is the same ones that were recalled on the 2015. They said they have no more programs to help me fix this issues.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (SUSPENSION); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The headlights on my 2016 SRX Cadillac have extremely dim headlights. I can barely see in front of me at night. The drivers side light is especially dim. The only way I can see is if I drive with my highbeams on. When I’m driving with my regular lights on and a car is coming at me I feel blinded. I’m scared to drive at night. I fear that I’m going to hit something or someone. This has been going on for a while now and at first I thought I was imagining things, and perhaps it was my eyesight, but it’s absolutely not. I’ve read online countless accounts of other people with 2010-2016 Cadillac srx that have the exact same problem as me. I just took it into the mechanic to have him look at the headlights.
See attached document for complaint.
The headlights on low beam , have become too dim. we have replaced the bulbs , but they did the same thing. Low beam visibility is definitely a safety issue. Took the vehicle to a body shop, and they concluded the whole light assembly would need replacement, to remedy the issue. No warning lights or messages have ever appeared. We had them replace both light assemblies, and the problem was resolved. We feel it should be a warranty issue.
Case #: [XXX] ] I have a 2016 Cadillac SRX (VIN: [XXX] ) that I have owned for 8 years. Throughout this period, I have encountered some minor issues that were easily remedied. On [XXX], I started my car and some warning light came on. •The ABS light •The power steering light •The anti-skid traction light I contacted Scranton Motors in Vernon, CT and was told I had a faulty brake module: part number 20842710. Furthermore, I was told that this part number has been discontinued and no longer available. I contacted Cadillac customer care and spoke to customer service rep Alegra 866-790-5600 at extension 5918222 and she gave me a list of suppliers who may have this part. Again, I was told that this part was discontinued. The parts department had to go to the aftermarket to see if they could locate this part. It was found on eBay. I was told that the part could be installed but there is NO guarantee that it would work. I was left with no choice but to have the part installed knowing that I would be driving an unsafe vehicle that could malfunction at any time. As stated earlier this vehicle is about 8 years and what I do not understand is why Cadillac would stop production on such a critical part that could cause physical harm to its passengers. In doing some investigating I found the Cadillac Forum in which other owners experience the same problem. I have owned 4 Cadillacs over the last 9 years and for the most part I have been very happy with their performance. It appears to me that Cadillac should take some responsibility and compensate me for not producing a safe vehicle to drive. The trade in value according to Kelley Blue. Book is $14,000 and therefore, I should be reimbursed accordingly On December 12, 2024, I received a phone call from Scranton Motors advising me that the part that they had received from eBay did not work. Therefore, I cannot operate this vehicle and it is totally useless. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Low beam headlights are very dim, failing to illuminate the roadway, even with the brightest halogen bulbs available. creates a safety hazard as driver cannot sufficiently see the road ahead, especially when meeting an oncoming vehicle. In my vehicle it is worse on the driver's side, but both are extremely dim. Vehicle is unsafe to drive at night, creating hazardous situation for this vehicle as well as oncoming traffic. I purchased this vehicle used, as is, with no knowledge of headlight issues on this make/model vehicle.
Vehicle is low mileage for its age (@ 30,000 miles) . Four (4) Goodyear tires identified in this report were purchase 04/28/2024 and as of 07/01/2024 had been driven @ 600 miles. On 07/01/2024, the rear drivers' side tire deflated while the vehicle was operational. Vehicle was immediately pulled off the roadway into a parking lot. Tire was removed by roadside service and at that time was noticed a clear "rupture" (although the tire was deflated, the sidewall had a noticeable bulge covering approximately 20% of the tires sidewall surface).
I recently had to drive at night. The low beams are so dim you cannot drive. I have to drive with the high beams. The low beams are on, but not bright enough to drive. What is the fix for this. Thanks
RE: 2016 Cadilliac SRX Low Beam Headlights The low beam headlights on the vehicle are extremely dim. It makes it challenging turning onto a street or intersection which does not have its own lighting or another car in the opposite lane. Due to the low visibility, I am forced to excursive judgement to ensure you are in the correct lane. My passengers have even noticed it and had other people drive the car at night with me and they said the same. I purchased the with 36,497 miles. I did speak to Cadillac prior, they knew about the issue, told me I to take it to one of the auto parties, I would have to pay for the new assembly and then send it to them to be reimbursed. At the time the estimate was around 2,200. Due to this issue try not to drive at night, especially on streets with no lights. Have you all received a lot of complaints about this head light issue? Has a recall been issued?
The headlights on my 2016 Cadillac SRX are no-longer lighting up the road. It is not the bulb, they still work but they only light up a fraction of what they did in the past. The bights light up the road great but I can't drive with them on all the time. As I searched on the internet I see this is a common issue with the reflection material failing. It has been a know issue and a recall was never issued. I can not understand why a recall isn't issued due to the safety issues related to driving at night. Is this being considered for recall - if seems unfair to force me to pay to repair something that is know to be an issue and related to safety.
Transmission issues of going into Gear.Display for Cue system not functional
The headlights, when put in "dim/low beam" are almost non working. One can see the lights are working, but it is almost like driving blind. The dealership people know about the problem and stated that the heat on the lens cover, inside the headlight assembly causes that cover to warp, deform and will not permit adequate light to shine out. They then told me the assembly parts and labor would be over $3000. This issue is dangerous because on an unlighted street with no accompanying traffic to provide lighting, it is almost like having no headlights at all. The dealership and Cadillac know about the issue but refuse to do anything about the problem that is due to their own faulty manufacturing.
Low beam on headlights are too dim to see the road after dark. I have to use high beams to see but this may blind on-coming drivers. Don’t see how this is not a safety recall. Seems to be a common problem on these cars. Only had 59,000 miles when I first noticed the problem.
Water makes its way inside the car. Drains seems to be clogged and interior carpet and roof gets wet. As a result lift gate will no longer open as water made its way to the back.
Passenger seat belt will not extend for Passenger to wear for safety.
The Cadillac CUE Infotainment system is malfunctioning. The screen randomly jumps around and changes to different information while driving. Once the back up camera zoomed in and out rapidly while backing up this happened just one time so far. We have looks this up it seems to be a common issue there is a reset fix but it just continues to happen and it seems to the only recourse is to replace the whole thing which of course is expensive. The reason for buying this brand is the supposed "quality" and that has not been the case. When I first bought this specific vehicle which was used but certified I had trouble with the sirius xm radio going in and out and then not functioning at all. I took it back to the dealer they laughed at me and told me it was working fine. I drove away and 5 minutes later it did not work. I spent hours on the phone with Sirius. I went to a stereo installer who could figure out nothing, finally Sirius XM figured out the antennas on these have two parts and the part need for the the satellite radio was not functioning. I took it back to the dealer and they so kindly split the cost with me to repair this cost me I believe it was $350 that was half. How would you know that test driving because the radio worked. It was not until I transfered my subscription that the problem revealed itself. Cadillac would not stand behind it's product as they are not standing behind these Cue infotainment systems. They are expensive and dangerous as I don't feel I can trust the camera anymore.
Subject: Urgent Safety Complaint - 2016 Cadillac SRX Headlight Performance National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): [XXX] Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am writing to submit a formal safety complaint regarding a critical issue with the headlights of my 2016 Cadillac SRX. My name is [XXX] , and I believe there may be a safety-related defect in the vehicle's design or manufacturing. Despite replacing the bulbs and personally funding a comprehensive cleaning and resurfacing of the headlight covers, the performance of the headlights has significantly deteriorated. Through extensive research, I have found that numerous owners share similar concerns, indicating a potential widespread issue that may be linked to a manufacturing defect. This matter is of great concern, especially considering the safety implications associated with diminished visibility during nighttime driving. The reflective surfaces within the headlight housing appear to be degrading, affecting not only my vehicle but potentially posing a safety risk to other owners of the 2016 Cadillac SRX. As a responsible consumer and a parent of a 15-month-old child, my top priority is the safety of my family. Nighttime driving has become increasingly worrisome due to the compromised visibility, prompting me to bring this matter to the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for further investigation. I kindly request the NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation to thoroughly review this safety complaint and take appropriate actions to ensure the safety of all affected consumers. I have included my contact information and relevant vehicle details for your reference. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I trust that the NHTSA will undertake the necessary steps to investigate and address this potential safety issue promptly. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The automatic trunk does not work. I'm unable to open and/or use my trunk. Moon roof does not open Airbag light is on Vehicle jerks very hard while operating in drive
we have a 2016 SRX AWD Cadillac and we can not drive at night, the head light is way to dim, and when placing on high beam - blind oncoming cars "AI info: If you can’t see well at night and your 2016 Cadillac SRX has factory HID headlights, there's a chance that faded lenses, worn bulbs, or a defective ballast is the issue—and GM/Cadillac may or may not cover it"
The headlights in low beam mode no longer are bright enough to safely see or be properly seen at night. This problem is documented by many owners of this same vehicle and similar cadillac vehicles, and many videos are available on Youtube documenting this as a fact as a frequent problem by all owners. It is being ignored and needs to be addressed. There is apparently even a class action lawsuit for the 2016 SRX. A video exists that shows the problem is the inside reflective material is being burned out due to heat of the bulbs making the surface no longer reflective. Drivers end up keeping high beams on at all times which blinds other drivers and this can lead to many vehicle accidents with property damage, injury and deaths. There needs to be a recall and replacement of the entire housing and then use low heat LED bulbs or a new type reflective surface inside that will not degrade as is commonly happening. The vehicle was in this condition when I first purchased it used. I was unaware for a long time due to not driving it at night. I have now had to drive several times at night and found it to be very unsafe to use because of the headlight problems. I researched and easily found hundreds of the same complaint. How about actually do something about this and not just ignore it before someone you personally care about gets hurt because of an accident. I will be contacting the dealership but doubt they will do anything. No one wants to accept responsibilty because of the costs, but the cost of ignoring it can be very high.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated while driving at night she was unable to see the roadway due to the headlights not providing adequate illumination. The contact stated the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she used the high-beam headlights to continue driving. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that no failure was found with the headlights. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Normal headlight illumination is insufficient and dangerous to see safely ahead. I must always use bright lights to see
Headlamp are so dim due to condensation that it’s so dangerous to drive at night
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension). The contact stated he noticed that tread on both rear tires were worn. The contact replaced the tires however, while having the vehicle aligned the mechanic stated that the suspension installed was prematurely wearing down the tires. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.
The screen on the the radio keep going out the tire get wore out quick even after rotation and balancing the Suspension makes noise
2016 CADILLAC SRX. CONSUMER IS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS MADE RELATED TO SAFETY RECALL.
Rear tires slip when pressing on the gas. The car is in for repair and they said the rear transfer case needed replaced. The car has 94000 miles and is 6 years old. This caused issues when accelerating.
The rear toe bar had a recall on it that was replaced. The replacement part is not adjustable. The back wheels are pointed out because of the rear tow bar not being able to be adjusted. This causes the car to pull side to side while driving on snow and ice. I can't go over 30 mph or the car loses control.
Head light on my 2016 SRX is getting water inside the lens and dimming and burning out the bulbs the temporary fix is to replace the whole light unit at a cost of 3000.00 with the same defective part that will re-create the issue at a later date. There needs to be a recall on this defected it is not the fault of the consumer and the consumer should not bear the expense of an factory default PP
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she could not see out of the rear window. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that condensation had accumulated on the inside of the rear window. The contact also discovered that he was unable to open the rear hatch from the outside and had to use a screwdriver to open the hatch. Once opened, he discovered that the spare tire and rear side compartments were all filled with water. The rear hatch module was also submerged in water which led to the hatch failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 21,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the headlights were dim while driving at night. The contact stated that the failure obstructed her vision while driving at night. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where the failure was acknowledged; however, the vehicle was not under recall or warranty. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage approximately 50,000.
The head lights aren’t working properly ,it’s so damped that I can’t see at night time, Dealer said there is no thing we can do . I can’t put my family at risk of crash or hitting something that I didn’t see because of the light was very low. Please help.
The low beams have gotten so dim that driving at night has become hazardous. Both the passenger and driver side lights are dim but the passenger side is the worst. The problem is internal to the headlamp assembly. Cleaning the outer lens has no effect. The high beams function fine but we can't drive with the high beams all of the time because they blind oncoming drivers. When the lights switch back to low beams, it is almost like switching the lights completely off.
This issue involves our headlights or lack of lights. Driving the car at night on a dark expressway revealed a frightening issue. Our dim lights were so weak we couldn’t see 10 feet in front of us. We had to use our brights the entire way and took the car to be checked a few days later. We then found out Cadillac had settled a lawsuit regarding faulty lights with SRX models through 2015. They knew the 2016 models had the same lights but chose to play Russian Roulette with it’s “valued 2016 customers” . The only option we had was to spend $2,000+/- for lights (again the same lights were used) if we want to drive at night. These lights should have been recalled but Cadillac let us swing in the wind and makes us pay for their FAULTY lights. Not even an offer to split the cost for lights that will go bad again since they are the same flawed design. Definitely a safety issue and an accident waiting to happen.
Low beam headlights are so dim it is unsafe to drive at night.
My lights are very dim as if they aren’t on.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that upon walking to the rear of the vehicle, he noticed that the rear tires were significantly bald and the tread belts were exposed. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the replacement of the rear adjustable toe links with a non-adjustable toe link under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473000 (Suspension). The dealer was notified of the issue but provided no assistance. The contact stated that it was a safety issue as he was not aware of the tire failure until he walked towards the rear vehicle. The contact stated that the mileage on the rear tires was 26,000 prior to the recall repair and he had only driven the vehicle for approximately 4,000 miles after the recall repair. The front tires were still in good condition. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle could not be aligned due to the non-adjustable toe links. The rear tires were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000. The VIN was unavailable.
We had our vehicle recalled for links in the rear suspension some weeks ago. Saturday 6/4/22 we were going south on hwy 19 south of Tavares Florida at 45 to 50 MPH in a light rain. We went thru a light puddle in the road twitched. Didn't feel like anything I had experienced before. A couple of blocks further on the back of the car veered back and forth significantly and I thought i had blown a tire, all tires were hard. We returned the car home gingerly and completed our trip with our daughters car, When we got home i got under the car to see if I could find anything bent or broken, I was astonished to find both back tires bald and thru 2 layers of cord halfway across the inside face of each. The car has 48609 total miles. The tires have about 22000 on them. The car has been dealer serviced , on schedule including tire rotation.
2016 CADILLAC SRX CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD THE RECALL NOTICE ON THE TOE LINK ADJUSTERS AND TIRE WEAR IN THE REAR TIRES, THEY WERE BALD, AND BOTH REAR TIRES HAD CORDS SHOWING.AFTER REPLACING THE TIRES, IT WAS DETERMINED THE LEFT REAR SHOCK WAS LEAKING, AND THEY WERE REPLACED.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the roadway became difficult to see. The contact stated that upon inspection, he noticed condensation inside the headlamp housings. As a result, the headlights became foggy. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Purchased a 2016 Cadillac SRX Luxury Edition used with 60,000 miles. First time driving at night, I noticed headlights on dim were very dim. Barely could see the roadway unless lights were on bright. I done some research on issue and found that it seems to be a common problem with this model from 2010 to 2016 year model. Cadillac has known of the problem, but has not thoroughly done any action to correct the problem.
Headlights have become so dim over the last year that I can longer see more than 10 ft in front of my car at night. There is a known headlight problem that Cadillac will not recall or offer a solution to. The dim headlights are very dangerous and will certainly result in fatal accidents.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac SRX. The contact stated that the low-beam headlights did not provide proper illumination while driving. The contact stated that the low-beam headlights illuminated the roadway very dim, and the high-beam headlights worked as intended. As a result, the visibility of the roadway was impaired, and the high-beam headlights were needed to drive safely. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the headlight relay could be replaced; however, it might only be a temporary fix. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000. The VIN was not available.
Due to the deterioration of the headlight assembly and the reflectors, my headlights do not give me enough light to safely see after dark without using the bright lights. I have to drive with them on bright all the time, even in oncoming traffic, or risk incident or accident. To date I have experienced only minor, thankfully, incident. I have missed turns and even missed the road and drove off the roadway when making turns off the main road. I have not sustained damage and was lucky that there was no traffic following closely as I have, in several instances, had to stop abruptly to avoid damaging my vehicle. I also very narrowly missed seeing a person walking along the side of the road where no sidewalk was available because the dim lights did not fall on the person. I took the vehicle to Cadillac of Knoxville today, Jan.13, 2022, and was told that even brighter light bulbs will not help. They wanted to charge me $2280.00 plus tax to replace the headlight assembly that Cadillac is aware of the deterioration. This vehicle has only 57,701 miles on it, it is an upscale vehicle, yet I cannot safely drive it after dark. Cadillac needs to be held responsible for replacing the headlight assembly. I see there are many of the same complaint here and this needs correcting before someone is seriously injured or killed.
My lift gate has stopped working. I cannot open the back of my car in any way! I am handicapped and the power lift gate is very important to me because I have to store my walker in the car when I drive. Now since I can’t open the back of the car it is very difficult to get anywhere for me. When I looked up the issue, it seems Cadillac has a problem with this model (SRX) from 2010-2016. The issue develops because rain runs down the Sun roof straight into the place that the lift gate parts are in- and the parts corrode. Once the lift gate power system fails there is no way to manually open the back of the car. There is no manual release, and no place to insert a key. This problem is well documented online with attempted class action suits that failed to “gain traction” per various attorneys. I have been told by the repair center that it will cost about $5000 to fix because of the difficulty of reaching the parts that need replacing. They say that the repair will take about 10 hours of service to replace the corroded pieces. I am so disappointed in Cadillac. They knew of the design flaw since 2010 but did not address it until 2017. There is no reason that unsuspecting owners should get stuck with a $5000 repair due to a design flaw! I purchased this car 2 yrs ago, and only found it now because we get so little rain in California, and I have a garage. We had an abnormally large amount of rain in December and it failed right after the largest rainfall we have had in years.