The defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 BUICK LACROSSE AND CADILLAC SRX VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 103, "WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS". ON THESE VEHICLES, THE SOFTWARE IN THE ELECTRONIC CLIMATE CONTROL (ECC) MODULE MAY DISABLE THE ABILITY TO ADJUST THE HEATING, VENTILATION, AND AIR CONDITIONING (HVAC) SYSTEM SETTINGS. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE DRIVER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE HEATING, COOLING, AND VENTILATION FOR THE VEHICLE.
The risk
IF THIS CONDITION AFFECTS THE DEFROST SYSTEM WHEN IT IS REQUIRED, IT MAY DECREASE THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY, AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECC MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 11, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Buick LaCrosse | 2011 |
| Cadillac SRX | 2011 |
Components: VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:WINDSHIELD:ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buick LaCrosse | 2011 | 169 | 4 |
| Cadillac SRX | 2011 | 447 | 7 |
Other visibility recalls in 2011
77 of the 597 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2011 concerned the visibility; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 11V557000 17 Nov 2011 | NAVISTAR, INC |
| 11V538000 4 Nov 2011 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V529000 2 Nov 2011 | CARLEN CORPORATION |
| 11V501000 18 Oct 2011 | CUSTOM VEHICLE OUTFITTERS |
| 11V492000 3 Oct 2011 | STARTRANS BUS CORPORATION |
| 11V467000 7 Sept 2011 | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V445000 26 Aug 2011 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 11V435000 23 Aug 2011 | CUSTOM TRIM OF AMERICA |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2011