2006 Cadillac SRX Timing Chain

strandedsrx

I purchased a 2006 cadillac SRX and the timing chain has failed twice. If anyone else have had this problem please let me know and how did you make a complaint.

mlkh

The timing chain broke on my 2006 cadillac srx. We were on vacation and it happened suddenly. had it towed to local cadillac dealership. They said they had never heard of one breaking. They say it is not under warranty. Have 51000 miles on my vehicle with no hard driving. We are now up to probably needing a new engine. Is it worth it?

krey3

Hi mlkh. It's possible you've already fixed your 2006 srx by now. I'm having the same problem with my 2006 srx. I'm at 101,000 with a good service record. GMC wants to rebuild the engine with cost up to $10,000. I wrote to corporate. They will pay 1/3 of the repairs or give me $2000 towards another GMC vehicle. GMC legal wants to give me $5000 for salvage. Market value is $10,798.

For me the repair is not worth it. I paid $30,000 for a luxury AMERICAN car. Now they want me to pay $10,000 more. I still owe on the car. This has been a hard & bitter life lesson. My first american car, and my last.

mlkh

We did have it fixed. GMC paid 1/2 which left us paying about 3000. I seldom drive it. Thought about trading but decided to keep it as it is paid for and so far seems fine. But then it seemed fine to me just before it stopped dead in its tracks.

gmcustsvc

mlkh,
Thank you for your update. Please feel free to email me with any future questions comments or concerns.
Christina
GM Customer Service

krey3

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear it was repaired, and GMC stepped up to cover 1/2 the cost. I look forward to the same fortune.

lemonsrx

We purchased a Cadillac SRX brand new. Thinking we were purchasing a well built luxury American car. What a lemon! Nothing but problems!! The front end squeaks horribly sounding like a piece junk rather than a luxury car. The traction control system kicks on at times without warning causing it to be hard to control. The timing chains now need to be replaced. Obviously this a known problem and should be recalled. A friend has a 2011 cts and just had the timing chains replaced, showing that gm has not fixed this defect! What a shame that the name Cadillac once meant luxury to me, now it means lemon. No wonder Americans are buying foreign cars! I will certainly not buy another gm product.

gmcustsvc

lemonsrx,
I apologize for your frustrations and inconvenience. Can you please email me directly at SocialMedia@GM.com with your VIN, current mileage, and dealer of choice? I would like to look into this further for you.
Christina
GM Customer Service

njs4

I have a 2006 SRX and June of last year i had to replace the timing chain. now i am noticing the noise is starting to come back again. how often do these chains need to be replaced? i always thought cadillac's were a good car and used to buy foreign cars but switch to a gm car but i am having too many mechanical problems. i may go back to foreign again. this is my first time owning an american made car. :lemon:

gmcustsvcsarah

I'm sorry to see that you are having a potential concern with your timing chain again; if you purchased this part through one of our GM dealerships, there should be a 1 year warranty on the part. If it was installed there, there is also a 1 year warranty on the workmanship. Let us know if we can be of any assistance!
Sarah
GM Customer Service

lemonsrx

Don't be fooled by gm trying to help you. They could care less and just pass you to a foreign call center. They pretty much know they have no intention of helping you. It is soo frustrating talking to some one from a foreign county that works for an American company like gm. Why even bother buying an American made car when you deal with someone overseas. I might as well by a foreign car and get a quality vehicle. What a lemon this Cadillac srx has been. :lemon:

bhanks1

These must be a issue for GM because all of the newer 3.6L engines have an extended warranty running out to 120K miles mainly dealing with this issue.
I have an 2005 with the 3.6L that has the noisy chains- no codes yet, just wondering if anyone has oil consumption issues with their V6? (more than 1 qt / 2000 miles)

jpf

High oil consumption and noisy engine are not very good signs. You better get it checked out before your engine self-destructs. Good luck.

chevy4ever57

2006 SRX, had warranty timing chain replacement at 45k miles. Since that time oil consumption checked regularly, averaging at least a full qt low per 1100k driven. At 67k dealer performed an oil consumption test which involved three trips to the dealer. Dealer claimed level was 1/4 qt low and for 1100 miles was normal. Now experiencing 'service stability system' and 'service brake assist' warnings with symbols lighting on dash. Warning don't come on till car is warmed up (Michigan winter) to the point the fan is blowing warm air. Once the car is warmed up and then restarted (run into a store) the warnings come on quickly. During the initial cold starts the ABS does not work prior to the warnings. We have not experienced steering issues from the stability system. Car will be in for service this week.

gmcustsvc

chevy4ever57,
Let us know how your trip to the dealership goes this week! We're available to do any follow up if you like. Please contact us via email at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).

Sarah, GM Customer Service

baddecision1

The timing chain just went on my 2006 SRX at 69,000 miles and 3 weeks ago two fuel injectors were replaced. I purchased an extended warranty from the dealer for 70,000 miles or 3 years when I purchased the car used from the GM dealership with 32,000 miles on it. At the beginning it was one computer module problem after another that went on for 6 months!
No warning, no noise, no problems indicating the timing chain had a problem. I am sick about this. I bought this vehicle because I have neck problems and the car ergonomics helped me tremendously. I was more comfortable in the car than at home! The extended warranty ended the end of November 2012 on the year basis. Is there any way to get warranty coverage? Does anyone know? None of this should be happening on GM vehicles.

aciviletti

I bought a used 2005 Cadillac SRX in Dec 2012. A year and a half later I've had nothing but problems. I've already had to change the coil packs and water pump, the check engine light came on with a code P0420 bank 1 which means I needed to change the O2 sensors. About a week later I starting hearing a loud noise on acceleration. When I came home my husband looked at it and found that the catalytic converters have now burnt out. To top it off the timing chains are rattling and need to be replaced before the engine blows! Its also shifting rough which my husband says may be an easy fix as long as it isn't the transmission. . . .Unfortunately Im stuck with this car since I still have 3 years of car payments left. As soon as I can i will be trading it in for something different.

caddidaddy

My 2006 Cadillac SRX. Has a 3.6. That has roughly 36k on it. Just had the engine put in 2 months ago. It's been running fine!! I got in it two days ago. And it nearly shut off on me. Then started making a loud rattling noise (timing chain). I immediately drove back home.  Then shut if off. Now every time I start it. It runs smooth with no rattling, trembling, or misfire for 3 -5 minutes. The it acts as if it's misfiring and the rattle comes back bad. Then after it runs a little longer it smoothed back out for a few minutes. Then the rattle comes again. It is 400 miles from being due for a oil change. So idk. I know the timing tensioners are oil driven! Please help!!

srxdocneeded

As all the posts before me here, I, too, am a quite disappointed owner of a 2006 SRX which I just learned today that the timing chain and mechanisms are in failure mode. Huge cost. The car only has 71,000 miles on it. I spent most of the day on the phone with the Cadillac division of GM, explained my situation......and also explained that I saw a huge inventory of complaints about this very issue of the first generation of SRXs. Some of these cars are being taken care of and others are not....mine is not going to be one of them as I was told. For a lack of better words, I was basically told to suck it up and have a good day.......not so sure how those two comments could ever relate to one another, however, that is what I was told. I took the car this evening to trade it in and was offered a mere $1000 for a trade-in value.......and this was for a premium vehicle. HEY CADILLAC....IS THIS REALLY WHERE YOU WANT YOUR REPUTATION TO STAND??? This is my third Cadillac, and I do not want it to be my last. Please help!!!

jones0510

I hate to say this but this vehicle has been a thorn in me and my husband side since we purchased it. My husband loves Cadillac's that's all his parents drove growing up. We brought this vehicle used and worst mistake ever. We have had stability issues, wiring issues and not timing chain. 3 Timing chains, 3 sensors and a crack shaft sensor over $1700. This car has done nothing but cost us money. Don't think I will ever buy Cadillac again new or used.

Question I have is has anyone had any other problems after having this fixed.

mtuck0124

I'm having the same issue with my 06 Srx I cannot afford 2500 to replace a timing chain , when clearly it was a defect on GM part. Will never buy American again the hell with my union brothers and sisters 

trenka1

I have the 2011 srx it is my third and last Cadillac.   82000 and timing belt went dealership told me it was under warranty.  After keeping my car two weeks just to order the part they called today wanting service records unfortunately I change my oil at home so I guess I am screwed. God knows what this will cost I just bought this car last year so I owe my soul on it.  Definitely will be trading maybe a Hyundai will never buy another American made car. 

caddysrx10

I have a 2010 Cadillac SRX, AWD. The timing chain/belt(?) needs replaced. According to the Cadillac dealership's service dept. it will cost $2,500 for parts and labor to replace the timing cap and belt/chain... I have 142,000 miles on it and owe about $18,000. Reading through the thread it seems this has been an on going issue for this vehicle type going back to 2006. I tried taking it to a local mechanic but he didn't want to mess with it because of the computer chip(s) involved with fixing it (he basically didn't want to screw something up)... Anyone have advice on what I should do? I feel like $2,500 is astronomical. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. 

Mr_Shiftright

Too bad you are outside the extended warranty for this problem...120,000 miles or 10 years.

The timing chain setup in this car is diabolically complex, and depending on where you live and on what parts they replace, the repair can add up. $2,500 does seem very high (are you in L.A. or some such zipcode with high cost of living?).

Is the car running okay? Are you getting a specific engine light/and-or code?

Keep in mind that if the chain actually brakes, that would be a disaster, so you have to do something pretty soon.

I'm just wondering out loud if the diagnosis is certain.

caddysrx10

I live in Des Moines, Iowa of all places. One of the lowest cost of living metro areas in the country. My check engine light comes on when I start the car... Then I drive around in low power mode at 8 mph until the vehicle decides it's ready to flash the ABS and Traction Control lights, then once those lights come on I can drive it like normal. Literally as if there is no problem whatsoever. 

20srx08

I have the same problem with my 2008 SRX. The timing chain was replaced 18 months ago under the extended coverage for the known issue. Now it is back at the same dealer because of the same issue. 

thecardoc3

Every time I see a thread like this one it makes me cringe. Cars do have parts that wear out and fail and they always will, but proper servicing can minimize the events. Premature timing chain failures were primarily caused by the vehicle being serviced with engine oils that while they met the API specification fell short of the actual vehicle specification which back then was GM's 4718M. The 4718M specification was superseded with the dexos specification back in 2010 and all you have to do is go back and read posts written by the majority of people who didn't understand what that really meant and you will start to get a good picture why you have these problems today. One of the most common ways self appointed "experts" dissed the specification was to try and label it as a brand. As they did that they also often turned and tried to discredit shops and techs that did understand the specification change and that was easy for them to do since all they had to do was call the shops dishonest and they played that to get anointed as knowledgeable.

The other way these experts got consumers to ignore the specification was to try and use the Magnuson-Moss act and claim that all someone had to do was use something that met the specification, "or an equivalent". The problem there was that if a product wasn't approved to meet a specification you had no way to know if it really was the equivalent and the odds were greatly against it being so.

So that leads us to these last six years of these kinds of posts. Today more shops do use products that are approved for correct specification, but even now there are still hold-outs and all you need to be exposed to is someone who pushes a "Good, Better, Best" strategy and you will be somewhere that a vehicle owner who doesn't understand their vehicles needs will make a choice based on price while not understanding that the "good and better" should never have been under consideration because they usually don't meet the vehicle specifications. GM's dexos approval made selecting the right product as easy a can be and yet we still have people who through a lack of knowledge will pick up a bottle of something that a given manufacturer claims meets the specification, but doesn't get their product approved so that you the consumer can genuinely verify that it really does meet your engine's needs.

LegacyLLC

I have a 2006 SRX and the vehicle needed timing chains. I'm an ASE Certified Mechanic. I purchased the timing chain tools and set the timing according to specs. And the engine wants to start but doesn't. Has anyone run into this as a Technician? Any ideas as to what to try? Some diagrams say leave 7 links. But others say 10. The old chain had ten from the mark. As well as where I put the current one and 7 links won't fit? Thanks!

Froethleor

Been researching the reason(s) why GM decided to have a recall on the LY7 3.6L engines to change the oil change mileage interval to a lower mileage. From what I have found, these engines appear to use up a good deal of oil. I have no idea as to the reason(s) for this, but it apparently is not unusual to go through a quart of oil every 2,000 to 3,000 miles. How fast you go through that amount of oil may depend on driving conditions and habits.

If a person does not check the oil level on a regular basis, the oil level can get very low (destructively low for the timing chains) before a "change oil" reminder even comes into play. Hence, changing the oil every 3,000 miles is like a band-aid insurance for not allowing the oil level to get to dangerously low levels before the next oil change interval, given the fact that many consumers are not that diligent in checking their oil level, especially since about all we have are self-serve gas stations.

There is also another reason I found on why these LY7 engines have a timing chain problem. Apparently the oil orifices (holes) for the timing chains are pretty small. Of course, my question to the engineers is "why so small?" As a result of the holes being so small, it is much easier for any sludge buildup (happens when the oil additives break down within the oil) to form and begin blocking up the holes, which then starves the timing chains for oil. The more mileage the oil is subjected to, the more breakdown occurs within the oil. So, when you drive on the same oil for 7,000 miles or more, it makes logical sense that the odds of more sludge buildup can occur. Here again, by changing the oil every 3,000 miles or so, the likelihood of having sludge buildup problems lessens. So, another band-aid fix regarding the timing chain problems.

GM has continued to make design changes on newer engines, but what are they supposed to do regarding these LY7 engines? Replace them? NO WAY. That would cost GM too much money. The most financially feasible approach is to simply set back the mileage change interval to (a) lessen the chance of low oil associated problems and (b) lessen the chance for sludge buildup and blockage in the small oil holes regarding the timing chains. Hope this helps regarding the timing chain frustration.