Cadillac Named Top Brand in National Survey

Cadillac ranked as the brand with the highest customer satisfaction among new-car owners in the 13th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards from consulting firm AutoPacific. This is Cadillac’s second straight year winning the top honor.

AutoPacific says it looks at 48 categories to “objectively measure” ownership experience (“ownership experience” seems like a highly subjective thing, but we’ll let that slide). Its survey included more than 25,000 owners or lessees of new, 2009 vehicles. The firm does not disclose which automakers it has as clients.

Cadillac, which has been rated in at least the top five overall brands in all 13 of the firm’s surveys, also won the Luxury Sport Utility segment, with the Cadillac Escalade. The Lexus LS won the award for highest satisfaction overall for a vehicle, while Hyundai took the Rising Star Honors for its 11-position jump in customer satisfaction.

Brands with multiple winners include Toyota with six, Ford with four, Hyundai with three, and Chrysler and GM with two each.

Cadillac Top Brand in Customer Satisfaction (The Detroit Bureau)

Recall Alert: 27,188 GM Vehicles

GM has issued a recall for 27,188 vehicles from the 2009 model year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Affected models include the Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; the Chevrolet Avalanche, Colorado, Suburban and Tahoe; and the GMC Canyon, Yukon and Yukon XL.

The recall is due to a problem in the fuel system control module, which has a vulcanizing seal that may separate, allowing water to seep into the module. The water could cause a short circuit, possibly making the engine hard to start or causing it to not start at all or stall while driving.

Dealers will install a new fuel system module for free. Owners may contact Cadillac at 866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 800-630-2438 and GMC at 866-996-9463, or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.