Recall Alert: 2013 Cadillac SRX

GM is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac SRX crossovers for loose wheel nuts that may cause creaking, steering vibration and, eventually, wheel-nut detachment and a possible crash. The recall involves SRXs with 18-inch wheels that haven't been rotated as part of regular service — a total of 18,871 cars.

Cadillac is one of GM's four U.S. divisions. There are "no reports of wheel failures in real-world driving," spokesman David Caldwell told us. Customers will receive notices to bring their cars into dealerships, where tires will be rotated and the nuts tightened to proper spec. "Testing has shown this eliminates the condition," GM told The Los Angeles Times.

GM will mail letters in early June, the automaker told us. All work will be covered under warranty, but owners with questions can call Cadillac's recall hotline at 800-333-4223 for more info.

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Rear Entertainment Systems Trump Tablets for Larger Families

Many have said the age of the in-car rear entertainment system is over. It's all about tablets such as the iPad or Kindle Fire in the car these days.

I disagree. I have three kids and one tablet, and unless I buy two more tablets, which are pricey, the kids have to share. That won't go well. Let's say I do buy a couple of tablets. Sometimes I forget things. Sometimes my children forget things. What happens when only two out of three of the kids remember their tablet? Or only one out of three? There's a lot of whining. There are tears. No good.

For my family, for now, a factory-installed rear entertainment system is our best choice. I'm not alone. GM spokesman Fred Ligouri says demand for the Buick Enclave's rear entertainment system has remained around 25% since the three-row crossover's introduction in model-year 2008. The iPad debuted in 2010.

NHTSA: 2013 Cadillac SRX, 2014 Scion tC Earn Five-Star Rating

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the results of a new crop of tests, including some updated-for-2014 vehicles.

All-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive versions of the 2013 Cadillac SRX earned the agency's highest rating, an overall five stars. Its composite score is made up of four stars in front and rollover tests and a five in side crash testing. The model-year 2012 version also scored five stars, although it earned a five in front crash tests. For 2013, the compact crossover got some light exterior styling and interior updates and Cadillac communications spokeswoman Jordana Strosberg told Cars.com that "the SRX interior was modified for 2013 and our score was fractionally different."

Scion's updated-for-2014 tC coupe also earned an overall score of five stars, a repeat of last year's safety rating. Model-year 2014 versions of the tiny Scion iQ and subcompact Ford Fiesta were also tested; both received four stars overall. Sedan and hatchback versions of the Fiesta were lightly updated for 2014. Model-year 2013 versions of the Fiesta were also rated at four stars; the 2013 iQ hadn’t yet been tested.

Editor's note: This post was updated on April 23 with comments from a Cadillac representative.

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Recall Alert: 2013 Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac SRX

General Motors is recalling 26,582 model-year 2013 versions of the Buick LaCrosse sedan and Cadillac SRX crossover due to a transmission problem, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Affected are LaCrosses manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and SRXs built between May 29, 2012, through Feb. 18, 2013 (check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb). According to NHTSA, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards because a software problem could cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode, removing any transmission-related engine-braking effect. This could increase the risk of a crash.

GM will notify owners starting March 28, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module for free. Owners can call Buick at 866-694-6546, Cadillac at 866-982-2339 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info. 

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Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Cadillac SRX

The 2013 Cadillac SRX is a stylish, comfortable and family-friendly crossover, says Cars.com reviewer Kristin Varela. The crossover's panoramic sunroof and optional entertainment system kept her family happy, and its additional safety features for the 2013 model year kept them safe. Uncompetitive cargo space annoyed, however, and Varela cautions that Cadillac's CUE multimedia system will take some getting used to.

2013 Cadillac SRX Review

Cadillac CUE to Get Update in March, Includes Apple Siri Integration

Cadillac's advanced multimedia system, called CUE for Cadillac User Experience, is about to get its first update since its 2011 introduction. The system, which centers around a large touch-screen with a haptic response "bump" when touched, has been both celebrated and criticized for its operation. In some vehicles it seems to work quite well, yet in others, testers have found it to be slow.

Whatever one's experience with it, it remains one of the more advanced systems on the market, and it is about to receive its first update, according to Wired magazine. But Cars.com has learned that the update is more than just a speed and performance enhancement. New functions will also be introduced to the system.

Cadillac Safety Alert Seat is a Kick in the Pants

The 2013 Cadillac SRX was dropped off just in time to nurse me through the perils and chaos of Christmas shopping in a blizzard. My test car was equipped with the Safety Alert Seat, a part of the Driver Awareness Package that's standard on the crossover's Premium trim level as well as in other models like the ATS sport sedan pictured above. It ingeniously gave me a little kick in the pants — literally — to grab my attention when needed.

October's Fastest- and Slowest-Selling Cars

It appears shoppers clamored more aggressively for incoming 2013s last month. Cars for the 2013 model year averaged just 23 days to sell from the day they hit lots while 2012s averaged 121 days. Combined, the group averaged 73 days to turn. That's a wider gap than October 2011 when 2011 and 2012 cars averaged 15 and 93 days to turn, respectively.
 
New or redesigned cars topped the month, with the seventh-generation Nissan Sentra and all-new Subaru XV Crosstrek taking just five days each to move. The redesigned Ford Fusion and Honda Accord plus the all-new Ford C-Max Hybrid made this month's movers, as well.
 
We focused on just 2013 models for October since automakers had a vast majority of 2013 models on sale. October did have one notable redesign in the Loser column: the Chevrolet Malibu Eco, which averaged 92 days on dealer lots. The regular Malibu, meanwhile, took 32 days to sell. That’s better but still below average for 2013s. Is the new Malibu getting lost in the slew of redesigned family cars? Sales fell 6% in October, putting the Malibu behind the Fusion and well in back of the redesigned Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.

Here are October's fastest- and slowest-selling cars:

Cadillac Adds CUE Functionality to Rear Entertainment System

The 2013 Cadillac SRX's Cadillac User Experience system will control two optional 8-inch screens behind the front seats that can play separate media — a video game and a movie, for example — for rear passengers via Bluetooth-paired smartphones, SD cards, MP3 players or a USB port.

Functionality falls short of CUE's dashboard setup in the brand's small luxury SUV, which enables touch-screen control over all media. Load up whatever you want to watch and a "kid-tested" backseat remote modeled after a video-game controller (from the 1990s, it appears) controls playback via a CUE-like interface, Cadillac says. The system can pair up to 10 mobile devices via Bluetooth and play Blu-ray movies — a first for the brand. Touch-capacitive climate controls sit behind the front storage console, but that's about the only CUE interaction backseat passengers get.

The remote doesn't dock in a recharging port — as some entertainment-system remotes do — but needs its own batteries, Cadillac spokeswoman Jordana Strosberg told us. The CUE-based rear entertainment system is available now as an option on all but base SRX trim levels. But its $1,595 price makes a tough proposition against iPads and other tablet computers, which could spell the decline for rear entertainment systems from any automaker.

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GM Halts Sale of Some 2013 Vehicles to Fix OnStar Glitch

A glitch in the OnStar system has caused GM to halt the sale of several 2013 vehicles, Automotive News reports.

A software problem is preventing OnStar's crash notification system from working in accidents that do not trigger airbag deployment. As a result, the OnStar call center isn't being alerted in certain types of accidents, like rear-end collisions.

The airbag system and the OnStar emergency button aren’t affected by the glitch. 

About 60,000 vehicles require a manual software update to fix the bug; most of them are on dealer lots. The nameplates affected include the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, Equinox and Volt; the 2013 Cadillac XTS and ATS; the 2013 Buick Verano; and the 2013 GMC Terrain. Some 2012 Cadillac SRXs also are affected. 

GM notified dealers of the glitch last week and asked them to stop delivery until the issue was fixed, according to Automotive News. A GM spokesman told the trade paper that the fix should be wrapped up in the next couple of weeks.

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