NHTSA Complaint #10894634 — 2010 CADILLAC SRX

WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A POWER STEERING ISSUE TURNED OUT TO BE A BIG PROBLEM WITH THE LEFT FRONT HUB ASSEMBLY. ONLY IF I MADE A HARD TURN WOULD THE CAR SOUND LIKE THERE WAS GRINDING. I DID NOT NEED TO BE BRAKING FOR THE SOUND TO OCCUR. SOFT TURNS DID NOT RESULT IN THE GRINDING NOISE. THINKING THAT IT MIGHT BE THE BRAKES, WE TOOK IT TO A PEP BOYS SERVICE STATION. THE MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY CALLED US BACK TO SHOW US "A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN WE THOUGHT". OF THE THREE HUB ASSEMBLY BOLTS, ONE WAS MISSING AND THE OTHER TWO WERE LOOSE AND ON THEIR WAY TO FALLING OUT. THE MECHANIC ASKED IF WE HAD HAD ANY FRONT END WORK DONE. WE HAD NOT. WE SUSPECT THE BOLTS WERE NOT INSTALLED CORRECTLY WHEN THE CAR WAS MADE AND OVER TIME THE BOLTS HAD WORKED THEIR WAY LOOSE TO THE POINT THAT THE ROTOR HAD OBVIOUS PLAY, CAUSING THE GRINDING NOISE. I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AND CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T LOSE THE WHEEL OFF OF THE CAR, ESPECIALLY SINCE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY ONLY THE DAY BEFORE. WE CONSIDER THIS EPISODE TO BE A NEAR-MISS SAFETY ISSUE.