NHTSA — Electronic Stability Control Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
128,900 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Cadillac SRX brakes problems

brakes problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Cadillac SRX:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2005 Cadillac SRX Owner Comments

problem #16

Dec 102019

SRX

  • 182,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Making a left hand turn onto my work parking lot, applied brakes to pull into my parking space and I heard a terrible grinding/shuddering noise and the brake pedal went to the floor. I didn't think I was going to be able to stop without hitting the concrete wall. The car finally stopped and then I saw the "service stability system" appear on the driver information center. Since I just purchased this vehicle used I looked this up and it appears this "should" have been considered as a recall GM needs to make before someone is seriously hurt or killed.

- Pittsfield, IL, USA

problem #15

Aug 152019

SRX

  • 135,000 miles
At random times, while accelerating the traction engage message will appear and the car will not accelerate for 2--3 seconds. Very dangerous. The last time it happened was when I was trying to make a left turn in a busy intersection.

- South Easton, MA, USA

problem #14

Mar 282018

SRX

  • 142,347 miles
While driving our 2005 Cadillac Srx a service stability system error message appear on console display screen along with tc and ABS light coming on the dash. Vehicle's brake system begins to work on its own for no apparent reason (no ice, snow, rain or gravel). Vehicle needs to come to a compete stop, sometimes shut the vehicle completely down and restart to get the tc and ABS light to go out on the dash. This has happened 3 times in the last few weeks. Not safe to drive. Any assistance would be helpful?

- Litchfield Park, AZ, USA

problem #13

Feb 122018

SRX

  • 550,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Service stability system code comes on rear wheels lock up after making loud grinding noise, first time I had it towed to dale earnhardt Cadillac dealership they found nothing wrong. It now does it when I turn rt or when driving straight.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #12

Jul 202017

SRX

  • 135,000 miles
Turning right or left occasionally ''' service stability system '' warning comes up...stabilizing engage causing vehicle to come to grinding stop.........this happens while vehicle is moving.....'''starting enabled'' ''remove key'' comes on....cannot remove key immediately...must jungle key several times then remove it... this happens before vehicle is started.... on city streets....

- Newnan, GA, USA

problem #11

Nov 292017

SRX

  • 185,000 miles
Stability control system engages during normal driving and dry, level, low-speed conditions such as pulling onto highway from a stop. This has occurred three times, in each instance starting from a dead stop to make a turn. When the system engages the driver has literally no control over the vehicle - brakes engage ABS without driver input, engine power is suddenly reduced, and vehicle is brought to an immediate crawl and then stop, until it disengages. Thus far I've been fortunate enough that this has not occurred where any oncoming traffic has posed a threat of collision, but the potential for a major accident is obvious. Researching this issue online indicates that it is not an uncommon experience with this vehicle, and reported dealer responses are not encouraging. An electronic safety system should by definition not be a lethal threat; there appears to be no protection against a hardware/firmware failure mode causing unwarranted and wholly unpredictable deployment of the system with very high risk of causing complete loss of control of the vehicle. How is it possible that I read dozens and dozens of reports of this issue without there having been a recall? I grant that my vehicle has 185K miles...but competent engineers know how to design S/w that would disable the stability control if any fault is detected, ie steering position sensor, yaw sensor, ECM. It's staggering to imagine that a few lines of code couldn't be added doing just that, instead of allowing the system to deploy at will when no valid conditions exist. I can tell you that it's a desperately dangerous situation to suddenly find yourself facing, and then read report after report of dealer service blindly replacing sensors and modules at very high cost to the vehicle owner without resolving the problem because 'we don't really know what causes it'.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

problem #10

Apr 242012

SRX

  • 97,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac Srx. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the electronic stability control light illuminated and then engaged independently, which applied the rear brakes. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 97,000.

- Eddy, TX, USA

problem #9

Mar 302012

SRX 6-cyl

  • 50 miles
05 xrs total loss of control w/ serious accident by garrbosr Mar 31, 2012 (4:27 pm) I was on the belt parkway yesterday on the edge of queens where the cross island and belt split, heading East into the tunnel overpass. A few miles back I became aware the car was strongly over compensating in the turns. I even checked tire pressure in all 4 tires, w/ reads of 36,35,35,32. New expensive tires with less than 5,000 mi reads were a bit I filled on a cold day when alerted me low pressure. Going to pull over at first chance let some air out im coming up on the overpass tunnel going East, baring to the rite, im in the rite lane of the left split, I slowed down to around 45, I was prepared, I entered both hands on the wheel, its was a little rutty there and a little pot hole. The car lunged into the turn, almost hitting the rite hand wall, I was barely able to keep the car off the wall on the rite with a slight correction, was thrown to the left as it over compensated coming back into a full broadside left, clipping the car coming by on the left, with my front L corner and taking out her rear bumper, somewhat righting my car but slamming me into the East West divider wall, taking out the entire rite side and breaking the rear left axle. With all the high priced high end suspension, steering, tcs, anti lock breaking this car should in no way ever reacted this way. Its designed to prevent this exact scenario ! everything failed !

- Poughkeepsie , NY, USA

problem #8

Mar 282008

SRX

  • miles
After my purchase of the 2005 Cadillac Srx in 2007I have had a continuous problem with the stability system ever since. A message keeps popping up that the stability systems needs maintenance followed by another message that the stability system has been engaged, which comes up several times when your on the freeway traveling 60+mph. I've brought the car in to get looked at, however they are unable to find the problem since the message did not pop up at the dealership. This is a dangerous problem to have especially when your on the road and the message pops up that the stability system is engaged and your steering locks for a few seconds and you have no control of your steering wheel. I've been able to turn the traction control off, however it still doesn't change the problem. You will still encounter the stability message coming up, then experience the steering lock up and then it goes away. You can get into a major accident if this is not fixed with Cadillac. Although most Cadillac owners are getting the run around with this specific problem, GM please hear all the complaints made by Cadillac owners, these statements should be taken seriously.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #7

Feb 042012

SRX

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac Srx. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to 40 mph. The contact was able to accelerate to higher speeds but the vehicle hesitated in the process. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised her that the stability control failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were approximately 79,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- North Holywood, CA, USA

problem #6

Oct 272011

SRX 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When stopping, then starting up (with the engine running, like at a stop sign) the 2005 Cadillac Srx will often fail to move when the accelerator is pressed and the +traction control+ indication lights up on the radio. This also happens sometimes when turning without stopping. It happens on level ground and when going up inclines. It makes a grinding sound (like when gears are raked in a manual transmission.) by letting off the accelerator, then re-applying it, the car will move, but the hesitation is very dangerous. If the driver does not let off of the accelerator during one of these episodes, the car will very slowly begin to move and eventually accelerate normally. This happens on wet or dry pavement, with no reason for loss of traction. +turning off+ the traction control feature by pressing the button on the console does not always prevent this from happening. The problem does not happen all the time, but intermittently. I have had the car into the dealer for repair of the problem numerous times, but the dealer has never been able to diagnose or solve the defect. I put my safety and others at risk with every mile that I drive this car.

- Elkins Park , PA, USA

problem #5

Aug 182011

SRX 6-cyl

  • 114,000 miles
I have had several incidents when my "vehicle stability control" has turned on by itself causing the entire car to violently jerk to the right side. I was coming off of a exit on 8/18/2011 at about 40mph once again the traction control came on for no reason causing the vehicle to jerk violently to the right, I lost control of the vehicle, jumped a curb, hit a light pole and rolled into the trees. Causing me to loose consciousness, miss 6 weeks from work and incur thousands of dollars in repair costs and medical expenses. The airbags did not deploy during the right side frontal crash. The seatbelt caused 3 herniated disks in my neck that I am still being treated for. In addition to that the transfer case chain snapped and I had to pay out of pocket for the repair.

- Chester, MD, USA

problem #4

Jun 212010

SRX

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac Srx. The contact stated that when driving at low speeds and attempting a U-turn, the vehicle stalled and the electronic stability control light was illuminated on the instrumental panel. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- Edgewood, MD, USA

problem #3

Feb 052011

SRX 8-cyl

  • 145,000 miles
I own a 2005 Cadillac Srx and in the past 3 months I have experienced several flaws in this vehicle (purchased used in October 2010). The most important problem I am experiencing with this vehicle is the "stability service engaging" as I am driving and after I have made a sharp turn. The vehicle locks the brakes and steering wheel. I have had this happen to me three separate times while I was in traffic and by the grace of god, no one was behind me so an accident did not occur. I have read several blogs on edmund.com (13 pages)and also on this websites complaints about the same problem. I do not feel safe driving my Srx and after paying a nice amount for this SUV, I find this to be irresponsible of Cadillac and I do see some fault on the NHTSA part for not recalling or demanding Cadillac to recall these vehicles for this problem. As others have stated the dealerships do not seem to know the problem, which I also think is ridiculous, because this is what they are suppose to be certified to do. I have also seen where some have had the "steering wheel sensor" replace and this has seemed to fix the problem. If that is the case then Cadillac should have a recall to replace the "steering wheel sensor" seeing that its happening to quite a few people. I will never purchase another Cadillac and will advise others the same, if this isn't taken care of asap, my next step will be a class action suit!! I, as well as others, work hard for our income and when purchasing and trusting in a product we expect to receive a quality product and if for some reason there is a problem, I personally expect the manufacturer to take care of it, just like I take care of my car payment each month!

- Madison, AL, USA

problem #2

Dec 052010

SRX

  • 110,000 miles
I have a 2005 caddy Srx that the stability and ABS alarms, lights come on. The alarm panel resets but the lights stay on and neither system works.

- Potsdam, NY, USA

problem #1

Jun 012009

SRX 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac Srx. The contact stated that the electronic stability control system sporadically engages without warning. The failure causes the front wheels to lock. He is in the process of having the vehicle inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The failure and current mileages were 46,000. Updated 7/1/09 the dealer replaced a faulty wheel position sensor. Updated 07/07/09.

- La Porte, IN, USA

Not what you are looking for?