June 24, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V473000
Rear Suspension Toe Link May Loosen and Separate
A loose toe link can separate and cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V473
Manufacturer General Motors, LLC
Components SUSPENSION
Potential Number of Units Affected 380,498
Summary
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2016 Cadillac SRX and 2011-2012 Saab 9-4X vehicles. The rear suspension toe link adjuster may not have been tightened properly, which could result in a loose toe link.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the adjustable toe link with a non-adjustable one, free of charge. Owners are advised to not drive their vehicle if they experience certain Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) warnings or other issues, such as unusual steering behavior, while driving. Please see the Part 573 report for the full list of warnings. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 9, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 and Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007. GM's number for this recall is N212340980.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
Check if your Vehicle has a Recall
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Safety Recall N212340980
Rear Toe Link Separation
These questions and answers are being provided to help GM dealers respond to inquiries from involved vehicle owners about the Safety recall identified above.
| Q1) | Which vehicles are involved? |
| A1) | Certain 2010 to 2016 model year Cadillac SRX and 2011 to 2012 Saab 9-4x vehicles.
|
| Q2) | What is the issue or condition? |
| A2) | These vehicles may have received improper service requiring adjustment of a rear suspension toe link. In rare cases, dealers or independent repair shops may not have followed GM’s published procedures for torquing the jam nut in the toe link adjusters to the proper specification. A loose toe link can cause the vehicle to sway or wander at highway speeds or allow water or other corrosive elements to enter the threads within the adjuster.
|
| Q3) | What symptoms may be experienced? What warning signs may be associated with the issue or condition described? |
| A3) | Warnings may include:
|
| A customer who experiences these warnings should have the vehicle flat towed to a GM dealership and should not drive the vehicle until it is inspected by a GM dealer. | |
| Q4) | What is the remedy/repair? |
| A4) | Dealers will replace the adjustable toe link with a design that prevents adjustment.
|
| Q5) | What is the safety risk? Is the vehicle safe to drive? |
| A5) | If a toe link is improperly adjusted, corrosion combined with vehicle motion may eventually cause the threads within the link to wear and loosen. In very rare cases with continued use, the link could separate. Separation while the vehicle is being driven increases the risk of a crash.
|
| Q6) | Does the customer have to pay for this remedy/repair? |
| A6) | No, this repair will be done at no cost to the customer.
|
| Q7) | Is the remedy/repair available now? |
| A7) | No, when a remedy is available and/or sufficient quantity of parts are available, the recall bulletin will be released, and dealers can begin repairing vehicles.
|
| Q8) | What should customers do until recall repairs can be completed? Are there any special instructions? |
| A8) | If special instructions are provided, they will be included in the notification letters to customers. A customer who experiences warning signs listed in A3 should have the vehicle flat towed to a GM dealership and should not drive the vehicle until it is inspected by a GM dealer.
|
| Q9) | How can customers check to see if their vehicle is involved in this field action? |
| A9) | Customers who own a vehicle involved in the field action will be notified by mail by General Motors, but they may also check their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for field actions in GM Owner Center at https://my.gm.com/recalls or via NHTSA’s website at https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/.
|
| Q10) | If customers are concerned, can they get a rental car or courtesy transportation? |
| A10) | Courtesy transportation is available for customers whose vehicles are involved in this recall and are within the warranty coverage period for the warranty which is associated with this recall. Please refer to Warranty Administration Bulletin #17-NA-073: Field Action Courtesy Transportation Policy for further information.
|
GENERAL MOTORS LLC
Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness
June 24, 2021
Chronology of Defect / Noncompliance Determination
573.6 (c) (6) (7)
Describe the chronology of events leading up to the defect decision or test data for the noncompliance decision:
On September 10, 2014, GM recalled certain 2010-15 Cadillac SRX and 2011-12 Saab 9-4x vehicles after determining that, on some of those vehicles, the jam nuts in the rear toe-link adjusters may not have been torqued to the proper specification during GM’s assembly process. Ref. NHTSA Recall No. 14V571. Without proper torque there was a potential for the toe link to loosen. As part of the recall remedy, GM dealers were instructed to inspect the toe links and increase the torque if necessary, or to replace the toe links if they were loose or damaged. The design was proven effective when correctly installed and torqued in accordance with GM’s published service procedures.
After the 2014 recall was launched GM received isolated reports of loose toe links in vehicles that had been repaired under Recall 14V571. GM undertook an analysis of dealer repairs and determined that some dealers had failed to follow GM’s service procedures. On March 30, 2015, GM revised the service procedures to help prevent further dealer errors in making the repair. These procedures were also publicly available to independent repair shops.
GM continued to monitor field performance and evaluate whether the improved service procedure effectively reduced errors in servicing. The overall rate of field reports remained low, and an improper repair was very unlikely if performed after the revised service procedures were published. Together, this data indicated that the original repair was successful in most cases, and the revised service procedure was being followed and was effective. Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution, GM further updated the service information in October 2020 to instruct technicians to always replace the toe links rather than adjusting them after an alignment or other applicable service.
On November 6, 2020, NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation (PE20-019) into the condition and, on December 31, 2020, issued an information request to GM. GM responded to the information request on February 18, 2021. GM concluded, consistent with its prior experience, that the condition is the result of a rare occurrence of service operator error during a rear toe alignment or other service requiring adjustment of the rear toe links. The rate of potentially related field incidents remained low, and the issue is detectable, including by traction control and Stabilitrak messages or malfunction indicator lamps, sway or wander at highway speeds or a loud clanking or chucking noises when traveling over bumps. Complete separation of the link was very rare as drivers brought the vehicle in for repair before corrosion and continued vehicle use could result in separation of the toe link.
On June 7, 2021, NHTSA informed GM that it had received additional field reports potentially relating to the condition. In a subsequent meeting, NHTSA expressed its view that the risk of improper service following the initial safety recall warranted a follow-up recall. After discussions with NHTSA, GM decided on June 17, 2021 to conduct this safety recall. All vehicles previously recalled under 14V571 are included in this decision. Any vehicles remaining open under 14V571 will be closed.
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
DCS5838
URGENT - DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY
Date: June 24, 2021
Subject: Upcoming Safety Recall N212340980
Rear Toe Link Separation
Models: 2010-2016 Cadillac SRX
2011-2012 Saab 9-4x
To: All General Motors Dealers
General Motors has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about an upcoming safety recall that involves 2010 to 2016 model year Cadillac SRX and 2011 to 2012 Saab 9-4x vehicles. The GM recall number is N212340980.
Some vehicles involved in this recall were originally part of bulletin 14457. This bulletin will be closed, and the affected vehicles will now show under this upcoming safety recall.
The repair of SAAB vehicles regarding this safety recall will not be serviced at official SAAB Service Centers but can be repaired at your local Cadillac or any General Motors dealership.
It is a violation of federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle or any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) covered by this notification until the defect is remedied.
These vehicles may have received improper service requiring adjustment of a rear suspension toe link. In rare cases, dealers or independent repair shops may not have followed GM’s published procedures for torquing the jam nut in the toe link adjusters to the proper specification. A loose toe link can cause the vehicle to sway or wander at highway speeds or allow water or other corrosive elements to enter the threads within the adjuster. If a toe link is improperly adjusted, corrosion combined with vehicle motion may eventually cause the threads within the link to wear and loosen. In very rare cases with continued use, the link could separate. Separation while the vehicle is being driven increases the risk of a crash.
Parts are not currently available, but when parts are available, dealers will replace the adjustable toe link with a design that prevents adjustment.
Until further instructions are received, involved vehicles that are in dealers’ possession (new or used vehicle inventory, GM Certified Used, courtesy transportation vehicles, dealer shuttle vehicles, etc.) must be held and not delivered to customers, dealer-traded, released to auction, used for demonstration purposes or any other dealer use. All GM Certified Used vehicles currently in the dealers’ inventory within the Certified Pre-Owned Inventory System (CPOIS) will be de-certified.
The Investigate Vehicle History (IVH) screen in the Global Warranty Management (GWM) system will be updated for this upcoming recall on June 24, 2021. This action has been taken to assist dealers with determining which vehicles are involved so they can properly respond to customer inquiries.
Question and Answer Document (Q&A)
Attached to this message you will find a document that addresses the ten most likely questions customers may have regarding this Safety Recall. Please use this information as an aid to confidently answer customer concerns.
Dealers will be advised when the recall bulletin is released. Until the recall bulletin is released, the IVH screen in GWM will display "N/A" under Release Date and "Incomplete – Remedy not yet available" under Status. This means the required repair is not yet available and dealers should not attempt to perform any repairs.
END OF MESSAGE
GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
9 Affected Products
Vehicles
| MAKE | MODEL | YEAR |
| CADILLAC | SRX | 2010-2016 |
| SAAB | 9-4X | 2011-2012 |
5 Associated Documents
Defect Notice 573 Report
RCLRPT-21V473-8845.PDF 214.21KB
RCLRPT-21V473-8845Miscellaneous Document - Chronology of Defect / Noncompliance Determination 573.6 (c) (6) (7)
RMISC-21V473-7183.pdf 153.994KB
RMISC-21V473-7183Recall Acknowledgement
RCAK-21V473-4757.pdf 693.304KB
Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) - Dealer Message re Upcoming Safety Recall N212340980 Rear Toe Link Separation
Miscellaneous Document - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Safety Recall N212340980 Rear Toe Link Separation
RMISC-21V473-7662.pdf 105.544KB
RMISC-21V473-7662Latest Recalls Documents
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=21V473&docType=RCL
For the most up to date documents from NHTSA for this Recall, click the lick above
1 Associated Investigation
Rear Toe Adjuster Link Separation
NHTSA ID: PE20019
Dated opened: November 6, 2020
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received nine complaints alleging rear toe link adjuster separation on model year (MY) 2010-2015 Cadillac SRX vehicles. The complaints report uncontrolled swaying while driving with two incidents leading to a crash.
Most of the complaint vehicles were remedied previously under Recall 14V-571, which required inspection and re-torque or replacement of the rear toe links in the subject vehicles.
ODI has examined toe links from several of the complaint vehicles that exhibited corrosion and thread wear on the adjustable portion of the link. The root cause of this corrosion and wear is unknown but has been attributed to in-service adjustment of the toe link, typically during four wheel alignments, as evidenced by review of complaint vehicle service histories. In all cases, this service was conducted after the safety recall remedy was performed.
ODI has opened a Preliminary Evaluation to characterize the percentage of the subject vehicle population exhibiting minimal toe link integrity in the field and to identify factors that contribute to this situation.
The ODI reports cited above are available for review online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers:
11153296, 11209435, 11210601, 11268463, 11278653, 11342134, 11342542, 11353745, 11363094.
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Last update on 2022-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Last update on 2022-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
