2010-2015 Cadillac SRX Owners Still Battling With Headlight Problems
Sponsored Links
Last April, a class-action lawsuit was filed in Detroit against General Motors alleging the 2010-2015 Cadillac SRX crossover came equipped with faulty headlights. That same month, GM settled in a separate class action filed over the same issue, agreeing to reimburse certain SRX owners who had paid out of pocket for headlight repairs.
Nearly a year later, GM Authority and its sister site, Cadillac Society, continue to receive messages and emails from Cadillac SRX owners complaining of the vehicle’s faulty lights. The comment section on our original story regarding the Detroit lawsuit is also a constant stream of owner complaints.
The SRX’s headlights have weather seals that may erode prematurely, which may allow moisture to enter the headlight casing and cause the bulb to flicker, dim or burn out entirely. The replacement headlights also use the same design, leading owners to experience the same issue even after paying thousands of dollars for repairs.
This was the experience of one GM Authority commenter Cristina, who says she purchased her 2014 model-year Cadillac SRX from Dimmit Cadillac in Clearwater, Florida.
“I am very disappointed with GM and the dealerships that don’t care for the customers,” she said in a December 2019 comment. “I ended up spending $2,000 to change both headlights. The dealership said they were using a new part, only to find out they put the same part, which is going to cause the same problem. I am disgusted. It is my understanding the lawsuit reached a settlement to send these letters out and the customers would have to fix on their own and submit for reimbursement. It is also my understanding there were over 60,000 vehicles involved, but very few received the letter. We need to get proactive to force GM to issue a formal recall.”
Other owners have left similar complaints with Cadillac Society. Some say they cannot drive their vehicles at night due to the reduced headlight performance, but Cadillac’s warranty would still not pay for a fix. Another customer said that driving the vehicle has become so dangerous, they have instructed their family to sue Cadillac for wrongful death if the vehicle’s poor lighting results in a fatal accident.
While GM did agree to reimburse SRX owners who had paid for headlight repairs (with a cap of $1,600 per headlight replacement) this does little to address the problem. Without a formal fix or recall, 2010-2015 SRX owners will have to continue to grapple with flickering and/or dim headlights.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac SRX news and Cadillac news as this story develops in the coming weeks and months.
This report was written in collaboration with our sister publication, Cadillac Society.
- Sweepstakes Of The Month: Win a 2021 C8 Corvette Z51 Convertible. Details here.
Sponsored Links
No they will not let us. I never got the letter and have tried to reach out and complain to get mine fixed and they will not cover it. I would like to start a class action law suit but I need others to join in
PLEASE start the Class Action Law Suit!!!
I have a 2016 that has the same issue with the lights…. it is so bad it cannot be driven at night without high beams.
I just called the law office to see if anything can be done to reopen the case
The more calls the more lkely they are to reopen. Caddilac agreed to fix it but did not act with in the spirit of the law. Everyone continue to call.
This needs to include 2016 also… they are very aware they have problems with that year also… I’ve made numerous calls to Cadillac…today I called Pa’s atty general… if nothing else if there is an accident there is a paper trail.
Who are we suppose to call?
What a terrible hassle this has been. My lights still don’t work. I have to hold the high beams to be able to see at night. This should be a paid recall service. I cant even afford to pay for the replacement and hope to get reimbursed. I lost my husband and because of the pandemic, I have been on a tight budget. How do I spend 1400 to 2000 with the hopes of being reimbursed???
They took me through the same run around you and many others are going through. I turned in all the paperwork, they gave me and proof I paid a mechanic to fix the headlights. They denied it all and actually told me that the mechanic must get the receipts notarized. After all the mechanic went through to accommodate Cadillac/GMC, they finally said this was the last straw and they were too busy to go out and find a notary. So, I am just shnit out of luck. I just lost out A LOT of money due to a General Motor defective Cadillac, they are unwilling to take personal responsibility for
I received the letter however when my daughter, who is driving the vehicle, tried to schedule the repair, she was informed it was a “scam.” She was not able to repair d/t costs, time, loss of vehicle as she was working front lines as a fellow in infectious disease during the pandemic in NJ and NYC area. However, she did pay to have headlamps replaced, hoping that would help but it did not. When I heard this, I found the class action letter and contacted the number provided and was told it wad too late! We missed the deadline. My daughter and nephew drove this vehicle home for Thanksgiving in the dark, through the Pocono mountains with no headlight visibility. They both thought they were going to die. I refused to let her bring the vehicle back and again pursued the fight with Cadillac. I had the vehicle in my possession for 2 months. It was undrivable in the dark, d/t no visibility. Dark in upstate NY starts at 4pm during November and December. It took over 2 months to get a repair date, d/t inavailability of replacement parts, as well as scheduling a replacement vehicle to be used during the repair. Cadillac Customer Service was not going to budge with providing reimbursement. They threw me a carrot of $100 to be used towards repair. Which was washed out, as it was mandatory to pay for diagnostic testing even though it was known what the problem was. The repair was performed. The Cadillac repair shop was not able to assist at all with intervening with Cadillac Customer Service. The cost was $1800. The visibility is not as good as anyvof my other vehicles. I am very disappointed with Cadillac and will never purchase one again.
Rather than the hassle from Cadillac and paying up front, I decided to go it alone and replace the headlight assemblies for my 2015 SRX with the “good” (ANSO) ones I found on Amazon. Paid $500 for them and had a local body shop install for $128. I realize I won’t be reimbursed but these are much better assemblies (not the same that Cadillac offered with the same problem) and sharper looking because they have the LED running lights. They are amazing and I can see at night!! Already lodged my complaint with the NHTSA (nhtsa.gov) and if everyone else would do the same it might precipitate a recall. Very easy and quick to report a problem on their site. May also want to go to Consumer Reports and file a report with them. They seem to be good at putting pressure on governmental agencies when these types of issues come up and they test it themselves. Good luck!
Gary – the suggestion to complain to NHTSA.gov is a good direction for this group. I’ve not checked it out yet, are there many others who’ve already reported there??
**for those who went to State’s Attorney Office -> what have been your outcomes by leveraging their service?
2013 Cadillac SRX, for the past year have not drive at night until recent and have to use high beams to drive. Sent in a letter and sent in a claim last Dec. 2020 and still waiting on a reply.
Have had a 2015 SRX for 4 years. Great car except for the head light bulbs and lens. It’s like driving with the fog lights on. Given ALL the similar complaints how many law suits will it take for GM to act on this issue. Wanted to upgrade to a 2019 XT5 but if this is how GM responds to a safety issue, I’ll look elsewhere. Hope all the others dealing with this issue will do the same.
Next stop Consumers Reports, NHTSA & the BBB.
I have received my check for replacing the head lights and it has been a 9 months
Hi Doreen – that is Great news!! Curious, did you have to file paperwork more than once? Was your check dated in March or April?
Even though my claim has “no red flags”(per staff @Analytic Consulting), they are batching outgoing checks which may or may not be within the month. This or similar excuse has been the dialogue since 2020FALL.
I have only had my 2013 SRX for a year but every few months I have problems .RIDICULOUS. I say let me skip my car note for several months so then I can afford to fix my headlights and then no one has to reimburse me for anything. SO EVERYTIME I HAVE A MAJOR MALFUNCTION GMC CAN SWALLOW MY CAR NOTE COST AND I WILL SWALLOW YOUR REPAIR COST HOW BOUT THAT GMC…I will never purchase your brand ever again…
I just got a ticket for my 2011 CRX yesterday. The passenger side headlight is full condensation and when I took it to get repaired today they said the whole thing needs replacement because of corrosion from water. Is there any active recalls or lawsuits? This is the 2nd time I’ve had to replace this in 4 years. Now on top of it I got a flopping ticket!!
We need a lawyer to go after GM over this. I waited until my Sr. advisor told me the repair was approved, twice! Got the work done at Cadillac for $2,077,07. Called my Sr. advisor back and she told me the claim has been rejected for reimbursement even though she approved it twice and told me to go get the work fixed!
Hi Bruce – do you recall the ‘Sr. advisor’s’ name?? I am presuming you were working w/the Minnesota claims company (Cadillac Division c/o Analytics Consulting LLC / 888-305-1605). I also had a verbal approval from ‘Lisa’ 2020AUG, when the parts first became available. I’ve submitted paperwork 2x, the last was Certified Mail as they could not locate first claim. Still not reimbursed….