Cadillac SRX Recalled In China For Problem That Could Cause It To Sway At Highway Speed

Over 100,000 Cadillac SRX luxury midsize crossovers are being called back to dealerships in China. The move aims to fix a poorly installed part that can cause the vehicle to drift at highway speeds and compromise another part that controls wheel angle.

The number of Cadillacs being recalled is twice the number GM sold in China last year and comes as the company is trying to make its luxury brand a player in China's rapidly growing luxury-car market.

“A loose toe adjuster link can cause the vehicle to sway or wander at highway speed, activate the vehicle’s electronic stability-control system, and cause excessive wear to the threads in the link,” GM said in an e-mail to Bloomberg. The company says the problem causes loud metallic noises from the rear suspension when the car is driven over bumps in the road as the loose part grinds down the threads that hold it in place. Eventually the part can break off and cause the vehicle to lose control of the toe.

The recall notice comes nearly three weeks after GM’s Chinese joint venture announced a recall of 38,328 Cadillac sedans to fix a glitch in the software that controls the brakes. GM’s rival Ford Motor Co. issued a recall in China earlier this month to fix a potential fuel-leak problem in 191,770 Focus sedans. In July, GM asked its U.S. dealers to stop selling some used Cadillacs, including the 2004-2006 model-year SRX vehicles to fix an ignition-key slippage problem.

GM China Vice President John Stadwick said in July that Cadillac sales would rise to 70,000 for the year, and touted the SRX’s global demand. Last year Chinese consumers bought 50,000 Cadillacs.

"If you want to be a global brand, you have to have presence in the largest [auto] market, so there's complete focus from leadership to ensure that we do it and we do it right [in China]," Stadwick told Reuters.

SRX sales in the U.S. are up 5.2 percent for the first eight months of the year, well above total Cadillac sales, which have declined nearly 5 percent in the same period of time. Last month only the Cadillac Escalade, a full-sized SUV, saw sales growth in the division.