Cadillac SRX Problem with stability system

msfur

I have a 2004 SRX I bought used/certified. I have had the car 128 days, and 23 of those days it has been at the dealer for service. Many issues have surfaced, but most recently and so far unfixed, is the very frequent "stability sytem engaged" message that I am getting even while on warm, dry roads. One day in an 18 mile trip it appeared 21 times!

Also,occasionally, at the same time, I get a horrible pulsing/rumble/shaking in the brakes.
The last time in they replaced the ESC control, told me it was fixed, yet before I even made it to my driveway I experienced the problems again.

It is going back in for service this week, but at this point I have little confidence that anything will be resolved. Has anyone else had this issue, and if so, what was done to fix it? Any help/thoughts would be great!
Jen

fireguy1

when at dealer ask about condition of brake pads and rotors also ask for diagnostic codes from cars computer this will at the least tell you if the stability system in the car is in working order

jdcwo

Jen,

I have experienced the exact same problem, my 2004 SRX is in the shop at this moment and has been since Friday 9 Feb.
This is the 5th time I have had them look at this issue and everyone is baffled. Like you they changed the ESC, that worked for two days and the problem was back. If I get any more info on this I will certainly pass it along. Jim

steveholly

Just stumbled on this thread - sorry for the delay.
We had this problem with our 2004 SRX as well.

It was fixed immediately by the folks at Gold Coast Cadillac in Oakhurst, NJ.

Problem as I recall was a broken STEERING WHEEL sensor.
The sensor detected the steering wheel turning differently than the wheels, so the Stability System engaged.
(Or so my memory recollects the Service Advisor explaining!)

Here's what my GMLink history says:
POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE REPLACEMENT, SENSOR, STEERING WHEEL ROTATION - REPLACE, 2-DAY COURTESY TRANSPORTATION

Hope this helps!

msfur

Thank you all for your help. It SEEMS as if the car is now Ok, After they had the car a week, drove it 400 miles, they decided it was a steering wheel control issue, despite the diagnostics not reporting it as a problem. Thank you again!

2004srx

Wow, I just bought my 2004 srx and have the exact stability issue as well as the vibrating braking. It is to go into the service center tomorrow morning and i'm glad I saw this and now I can tell them about the steering sensor. I'm almost wanting to see what they come up with first.
Excellent site.

ttruglio

I am considering buying a 2007 SRX. Consumer Reports data is only for 2004 and 2005. Anyone with experience with an 06 or 07? Will probably order a V8.

heytray

I would say, order the car I do not think you will be unhappy. I'm coming out of a Volvo XC-90 I was not thrilled with the Volvo.I have been researching this car for two years. I was originally going to purchase a 06 leftover also V-8. I have decided to lease a 07 srx V-8. Gmac is a good company to lease from and Cadillac can take the depreciation when they sell it at auction when I turn it in. Let me know if you sign a deal I'd like to hear the details.

tractor2

I have a problem with my stability system. The engaged message comes on at random, as often as 10 or more times during my 40 mile drive to work on some days. On more than one occasion I felt a shift sideways as if hit by a strong wind.
The dealer couldn't find a problem, no error code and said that when it happens again, bring it in. Of course, by the time I bring it in it won't be acting up. I can't believe this whole experience. The service rep said I could get a rental vehicle while they continue to test drive the vehicle until they get the same condition. How brilliant is that?
The service adviser never heard of this problem. Which brings me to the question, how can I find a good dealer? I have only had my 04 SRX for two months and am really upset about how this has been handled.
I'm a national quality examiner for NIST, among other things, and I am a nut about customer service.
Sorry for venting.
I expected more from a Cadillac dealer.
Buy American.
Tim

tidester

You may be interested in Choosing a Dealer - What to Look For.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

cpsmith13

Had the same problem with my 05. They had to take the whole front end apart & the steering assembly. Went back twice because the first time the error code had cleared from memory. Seems it only stays there for 30 days - gee wish I could get a quicker repair appointment!! Anyway they did fix the stability problem only now I have an annoying rubbing noise coming from the steering wheel every time I turn. Back to the dealer! They really should issue a technical bulletin/recall on this issue. It is very dangerous. My car would lock up whenever my error code came on & I would have to pull over & shut the car down to reset it. Not always something easily done!! Good luck.

joesrx

you people have to tell us what you have so we can narrow down this stability problem, V8 or V6, 2 wheel drive or all wheel drive.joe

cpsmith13

I have a V6 AWD. They did fix the stability problem but left me a lovely rubbing noise in the steering wheel which apparently only I can hear!! I guess it is time for a new dealer.

blondie54

I also have a V6 AWD and it is in the shop right now, three months ago I paid 1,200 for a fix on this, back in the shop and only 200 more miles on it.Dealer called today and told me they had replaced the computer and it should be good to go. Service man got Cadillac to pay for it even though my car is out of warranty

josagg

I have an 04 SRX and traction engaged message continues to pop-up in the information center is this the same as problems with the stability. Every time I take it back to the dealer they are unable to find any errors.

davlana

Wow! I have the exact problem w/my SRX. I just got it out of service for the 5th time and they still can't duplicate the problem or fix it.
Anybody out there have any ideas what it might be?

Thanx!

trishy

I have an 04 SRX and drove to Massachusetts and the stability engaged at least 80 times!!!! that was frustrating.. Well, I brought it to the service dept and they first took apart the whole dash (for about 3 days) ..well, that didn't work.. back and forth twice..with this..then they put a chip (sensor) in the steering and that has done the trick!!!! no problems..now for 3 months.

carman37

I just experienced the same problem with my '04 SRX. I thought my wife was crazy when she spoke of this problem. I am a used car dealer and handle a lot of Cadillacs but have never heard of anything like this. I almost wrecked the car when it activated. I was wondering what sensor they replaced-was it in the steering column or under the hood? My wife has refused to go near the thing until I fix it!

seaclusion

I have an 05 SRX V-8 with AWD, When I push the traction control button after starting a light comes on that I believe indicates that it is disengaged. If I push the button again it turns the light off and it means it is engaged.. Question unless needed is it better to drive with it disengaged or engaged.
When it is disengaged it seems to be peppier better performance. comments please.

sls002

Unless you are trying to burn rubber, the traction control should have very little effect on performance.

msfur

You may have the problem solved by now- I just saw your post- but in my case the problem was a steering column sensor.
Hope that helps!

eduardo_ss

Hi,
I'm part of the manufacturer team of the steering gear of the SRX, I work also on the design area. If you need any information regarding this part please let me know. Also if you can give your feedback of the problems that you're presenting and how the dealer are solving will help us to improve our product.

For the rubbing noise, the problem was fixed since late 06. There was a lack of grease at the moment of the installation of lower pinion seal.

The problem about the stability control probably could be the VAPS valve (variable asistance power steering) it's a solenoid that receive information from the ecu and closes or open the hydraulic circuit depending on the vehicle speed.

Thanks, I will be following this thread......

nepcar

Can you please provide more information on your notes about the VAPS valve. I have a 2004 Cadillac SRX and it is also giving me this sporadic "Stability System Engaged" message. This morning I heard from noise coming from the center of the car followed by my car shifting towards the left as if blown by a strong gust of wind. I have scheduled an appointment with a Cadillac dealer but I am afraid I will get into the same issue as the other people in this thread where their dealer could not find anything wrong. Please advise.

huldafolk

I have a 2004 SRX V8 AWD . The SERVICE STABILITY warn messages appears shortly after a trip starts. I hit the OK touch screen and the warning turns off. The shop says that the code reads a faulty OPTICAL SENSOR in the STEERING COLUMN. Independent shop /mechanic not sure if he can RESET the sensor as the sensor is working, just telling the system that the steering wheel is off center. He thinks that some one in the past may have disconnected the battery when the wheels were turned ,then reattached the battery, and that caused the sensor to be off line.
Can the sensor be RESET?? THX

nepcar

I took my 2004 SRX to a Cadillac dealer and they could not find any codes in the computer. Drove the car to 50 miles and could not reproduce the problem. I showed them this discussion thread and I asked them to replace the Steering Wheel Sensor. A day after the sensor was repaced the problem came back. I went to another Cadillac dealer and they immediately told me that the problem is due to the steering wheel sensor. I told them that I just had it replaced a day earlier but the problem was still present. After about 3 hours of checking the car they looked at the wiring harness and repositioned them. After that we drove the car 100 miles and the "Stability System Engaged" message did not turn on. It has been 2 days and I have not seen the "Stability System Engaged" message. Hoefully the combination of the sensor replacement and wire harness connector repositioning fixed this proble.

nepcar

It has been 5 days since my steering wheel sensor was replaced and 4 days since the wiring harness was repositioned. The mesage has not appeared except once this today. The car's handling also appear to be more stable. Hopefully the two fixes completely eliminates the observed problem....

ben721364

For Eduardo. Could the Stability control have anything to do with premature brake pad wear on both axles? Mine is a 2007 SRX 8 cyl. My front and rear pads were worn out at 32K mi. Typically I get 55K to 60K on front pads and well over 100K on rear pads.

Thanks.

bp34

I have a 2007 SRX4 V6 with 14,000 miles on it. Every since I have had it I have had a problem with it shifting. About a month after I got it, I bought it new, I took it back for this problem and was told they did some kind of adjustment because many of the numbers were way off when it shifted. I was told by the service manager to "punch it" every now and then when taking off, and not to "baby" it, to help keep things operating correctly. I still have this problem, even after punching it! Sometimes at speeds of 35 to70 the RPMs still run at 2.5 to 3.5 RPMs. I've even had it up to 80-85 and my RPM's go up to 5 or 6 and stay there. Even if I do get it to shift properly and the RPM's to be under 2 with the cruise set at 55-65, if I break the cruise and slow down to 40mph or so, when I resume the cruise, the RPM's go back up to 2.5 or 3 stay there.
Has anyone else had this problem or can you offer me some suggestions? What should I tell the dealer to look for? It is going in next week for this problem again.

I also have a "squeaking" sound in the steering when turning the wheel left or right. Any suggestions for that??

Thanks!

leo85374

My SXR has the problem of the stability system engaging or showing service system. I had the car serviced and to replace a head light and after that is when the problem started.I live in Ariz. and went calif in oct. on the way back I had the cruise control on and the stability system engaged and I almost lost control of the car. When I got back home I called my service rep. He suggested I check the tire pressure, they were all off. I corrected that, but the issue still came up. I talked to guy who is from N.J. that I met yesterday that has the same model as mine and he said his did the same thing and they replaced the steering wheel sensor. I called my service rep. and he said that most likely the sensor is the problem. If this is an issue with this model way do the dealer not info owners when this comes up, instead of telling them to check the tire pressure?

mrsh12

My 2004 SRX has given me great service until recently. The stability system msg
start coming up a while back. I called the svc dept at the dealer and no one could
tell me what was the problem. Recently I took a trip South, and the trip there and back was absoutely nerve wrecking. I've loved my srx since I bought it new, but this was a very unpleasant experience. All I could think of was getting back home and parking it in the garage never to drive it again. Now I'm waiting to get it serviced because I don't know what kind of svc charges to expect. What I'm wondering is will I do any more damage if I continue to drive it? I love highway driving, but this put a damper on traveling for a while. I think this should have been a recall issue.

mtsrx

I drive a 2004 Cadillac SRX which prompts me to service stability system—what dose the stability system control? Should I be concern about losing control while driving?

newmancl1

I have a 2004 SRX with the same problem. Have you learned anymore info about this?

nepcar

I do not have any new news except that my "Stability System Engaged" message as well as the car shifting to the left after making a grunting noise intermittently occurs in the morning on my way to work. The problem does not appear in the afternoon though.

bf1313

I am having the same problem with my 2004 SRX. I brought it into the dealer to have them check the stability sensor and they found the sensor switch(?) to be bad. That was in April, it is now September and they have no date of me getting my car back. The part is supposedly being redesigned and remanufactured! 6 months of a dealership rental car!! The part is not available and they have no idea when the part will be available. I am not sure what to do now? Any ideas? I have filed complaints with GM National customer service.

nepcar

Has anyone really found a fix for this problem. The following has been done to my 2004 SRX:
1. Replaced the steering wheel sensor
2. Repositioned connectors
Problem still happens especially in my morning drive to work. I do not see this problem in my drive back home in the afternoon. Could this be related to temperature and moisture? I live in Carmel, Indiana.

basementbill3

I bought a used 04 V6 SRX in May of 2007. The stability system has engaged and it has told me the stability system needs to be serviced for the past 6 months and 8,000 miles; but, from what I see in the thread here I am in no hurry to be the next beta tested SRX. I have never heard a rubbing sound nor have I felt a pull to the left when the system engages. I did find that some brainless twit rotated the tires on me and I drove about 15,000 miles with the 255 60 R17 on the front and the 235 60 R17 on the back; i felt like the real brainless twit for not noticing it ! I just bought new tires and had them installed in the correct locations but on the way home the friendly service stability system warning came on. :shades:
Should I be concerned? Does it cause damage to the car? Do they know how to fix the problem now? My local dealer was great but was one of the ones who was forced to clse his business and lay off 50 people. :mad:

huldafolk

I continue to get a warning to SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM at the start to EVERY trip I make in the SRX. I have not had any pulling or noises. I just hit the OK button to clear the message on the screen and continue. No further warning for that trip. If I turn the car off and go again, I will get the warning again within about 2 to 5 miles of driving. The only code I ever was told was a STEERING WHEEL SENSOR. I have not changed it due to the past history of others on this thread. Any GOOD SOLID REPAIRS to go by. Don't want to spend $$$$ on useless repair!! :mad:

josagg

Last year a sensor in the steering wheel was replaced which eliminated the problem. However just last week it started acting up again. Just like huldafolk I am reluctant to spend the $$$. I am going to try to get GM to cover the cost since I was having this problem when the vehicle was under the warranty. It only does in the morning when I am pulling off for the first time after that it seems to subside.

joshdthejd

I have the same problem with my 04 SRX AWD. This problem has been recurring for over 3 years now. The anti-lock breaks deploy in the rear tires while travelling at any speed over approximately 25 m.p.h. I just got it back from the garage for the 3rd time. In three years ago under warranty and they replaced a rear rotor. This did not fix the problem and had it in about a year and a half ago. That time they replaced the whole stability system computer. Now they want to replace the steering wheel sensor. I feel that Cadillac is aware of this problem but is ignoring it. My service person states the Cadillac engineers act baffled by the problem, like they have never encountered it before. I think they are aware but don't want to address it because it will lead to a recall. The situation is really hazardous, and in my opinion this car is not safe for its intended use. I am going to go with the steering column sensor fix and see what happens, but if this doesn't work I will definitely be contacting the NHTSA office of defects. I am also considering a class action suit as well. They really need to fix this problem ASAP before someone is killed. The deployment of the anti-lock breaks at random while travelling down the highway at 70 m.p.h. is a hazard to life and limb. A couple of times when this has happened it has jerked the car near or into the opposite lane. Thank god there was no approaching traffic.

pink03hatley

I have a v6 2004 SRX and late last night I was driving down a straight road.. with no other cars insight.. thank goodness. My clock went blank than a stability message appeared. Followed by my steering wheel locking and my back breaks. There was nothing I could do except pray that I wouldn't kill myself. I almost hit a pole but luckily my car snapped back into normal right before I would of crashed. I don't understand how Cadillac could just turn their head to this. This is such a HUGE issue. I am horrified to even get near my car. I just had it towed to the nearest cadillac dealership in Portland Or.. they said they can't guarentee me a rental? I am so bothered by this. Something MUSt be done. So please- if you are experienceing this same problem PLEASE come forward,

geekbully

Wow this is ridiculous. This was my first and will definitely be my last Cadillac. Same issue as everyone else. Never had the car pull though. I thought the issue might have been related to my upgrade in over sized rims but now I see that's not the case.

jeffrie

You guys are scaring the crap out of me! I bought this '99 STS in April and only very intermittently did the Service Stability System warning come on. The manual says to pull over, turn off engine, and it should reset...which it seems to do. More recently, however, living in single digit degree winter weather, the warning comes on when first starting/driving the car, pull over, shut off engine, it goes away...but HAS come back on if I am just driving around town at low speeds. If I go on the highway, the warning does not come back on, including driving it hundreds of miles. There seems to be a correlation with the cold weather/moisture in causing the warning to come on, as it only rarely came on in warmer, summer months, AND not coming on at all once the engine is warm i.e. even at low speeds. Most of the posts here seem to have determined the problem to be the Steering Sensor. Approximately how expensive is that to replace? Also, can one assume---in following the manuals instructions---that if pulling over, stopping engine, and thus resetting the system, the problem does not truly exist, that is, is the system giving a false read causing the warning to come on which is remedied just by turning off and restarting the engine? It's a pain in the butt no matter how you slice it but NOW after reading the posts, I have safety concerns.

Thank you for any comments you have about this. The posts here talking about near accidents due to this (with other models) is at the very least disturbing. And why hasn't the NHTSA done something about such a prevalent problem?

whymycaddy

My ‘04 SRX V8 AWD has the same problem! This is my 3rd caddy & probably last. While styles have improved, customer perceptive-quality is poor. This stability issue presents a safety concern. It is a family vehicle but I am concerned taking them on it. Every time that I bring these types of Cadillac popular issues to dealership attention, they pretend to never seen it before… & suggest that it may be time to get a new one.

huldafolk

As I stated in an earlier post, My problem has NEVER resulted in an actual ACTIVATION of the system ie. braking and possible loss of control on normal driving surface. It is just a constant WARN to "SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM", and the only CODE that the mechanic can get regarding the system is "steering wheel sensor". I have never bothered to replace it because I fear it will just happen again, or worse> it could start to activate the actual braking response. I just push the "OK" button and for that trip the issue is done. It is certainly going to warn again shortly after the next trip starts. > EVERY TIME I GO ANYWHERE<. :mad:

doug88

I purchased a program car with 7,000 miles on it and the tires/car seemed to be in excellent condition. The tires were "A" rated traction. On 2 occasions over 2 months with 2 different drivers this car lost rear end control on wet pavement. One instance the car was entering a right turn at slow speed and the back end came around. The other time was from a stop, making a right turn, and when accelerating the back end came around. I lost $6,500 on the trade in 2 months and am trying to get some amount back from GM but they said this issue is news to them. The dealer ran the codes and found nothing wrong with the traction control/Stabilitrac. Anyone else have this issue?

julz1

I have the exact same issue as huldafolk (among many other issues with this car...). The "service stability system" warning comes on everytime I start the car, and then goes away once I press "okay". I have never had any issues with braking or losing control like some of you had, but it is just VERY annoying to have that light come on every time. I took it to the dealership, and was told not to worry about it, and that it will continue to come on EVERY SINGLE TIME I start the vehicle because when they replaced my suspension, they only put air ride in the back and regular suspension in the front (without consulting me... but that's another long story). They told me that because the front doesn't have air ride suspension anymore, there is nothing to "plug into the computer", (because apparently air ride has special plugs that regular suspension doesn't??), and the computer searches for the suspension and can't find it... I was told it was nothing to worry about, but now I'm not so sure. Does this even make sense to anyone?

mskatzy

I have the same problem with my SRX. But my problems started when I first got the car *that I paid cash for* First of all anybody sitting in the back seat, gets shaken to hell. The virbration is unbelieveable. I finally got their stupid mechanic to check it and that had to replace something. I had told them repeatedly when I first purchased the car that there was a problem with the system.
All the time when I get into the car, either "Check Tire Pressure" or Check coolant level" comes on, I also have lights that are out and two back windows that won't roll up. I told them there was some sort of short, Oh also my cd player doesn't work any more claiming mechanical error. I am so sick of this car I have no idea what to to. Nobody will work on this car in Los Angeles. I have been trying to find a mechanic, but so far, no luck. I am just tired of having hot air blown up my [non-permissible content removed]

doug88

Both times my SRX RWD lost control I did not notice any indicators showing the stabilitrac had engaged, etc. I was too busy reacting to the back end sliding around to my side! Doesn't seem like anyone else had these wet pavement issues?

huldafolk

As with JULZ1, I am just leaving a not good situation alone, as I don't want the situation to turn into something worse with some" lug nut" :sick: causing more issues!! :mad:

gutierrezfam

I have had minor symptoms of this occur several times like all of the lights going out on the dash while driving at night on the highway. Or my air condition freaking out, then the lights going dim, etc. However, the exact issue you describe occurred to me this weekend. My steering wheel locked up almost causing me to run into another vehicle. In addition, it would not allow me to take my key out of the ignition! I ended up having to call a Lock Smith because my battery drained out and my doors locked up. Once my hubby boosted back up the battery on Sunday it took the message off. However as I got to work today it did it again! So now my key is stuck in the ignition and I am scared to drive it to the dealership. Someone is going to get severely hurt! I do not want to be a statistic! I will let you know what my dealership tells me! PS I have a 2005 SRX. And just finished paying 7k to have my engine rebuilt last month!!! This car has cost me more money then my first home. This does not sound right... :lemon:

geekbully

The longer I let the stability issue persist the worse it got. It was to the point where it would apply the brakes enough to disengage the cruise control. It never jolted hard enough to cause an accident IMO but who know after time. I took it in and it turned out to be the stability sensor located in the steering wheel. It was not cheap to replace but then again what is cheap to replace on a Caddi. Anyway after they replaced that sensor it solved the problem. I highly recommend if you experience this issue you take it in and get it fixed ASAP. I am really surprised there isn't a recall for it.