2004 Cadillac Xlr
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Cadillac › Xlr › 2004
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2004 Cadillac Xlr. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
5 recalls name the 2004 Cadillac Xlr. Newest first.
Ti automotive IS recalling certain fuel pumps, part numbers tu456 and tu303, sold under various brand names as aftermarket and replacement equipment for the motor vehicles listed above. the defective fuel pump may seize, stopping the fuel flow to the engine creating a stalling condition.
A vehicle crash could occur should the engine stall while in use.
Ti automotive will notify owners of record and will replace any defective fuel pump with a new or reworked fuel pump free of charge. the safety recall began on february 22, 2011. owners may contact ti automotive at 1-866-867-3759 or log on to www.recallresponse.com.
On certain passenger vehicles, the daylight running lights (drl), turn signal, and parking lamps use the same bulb. the bulb may become damaged from vibration within a loose fitting socket or air entering the bulb due to an inadequate seal. both of these conditions will cause the bulb to burn out prematurely.
If this were to occur, the driver would notice that the arrow in the instrument panel would flash faster than normal when the turn signal IS activated. the loss of the drl and turn signals could fail to warn others of the driver's presence or intentions and could lead to a vehicle crash.
Dealers will replace the socket and bulb in both lamps free of charge. the recall began on july 31, 2006. owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339.
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 124, 'accelerator control systems.' if one of the two accelerator pedal return springs fails and the temperature IS -22 degrees f to -40 degrees f, the engine may not return to idle within three seconds, as required.
If this were to occur, greater brake pedal force and a longer distance may be required to stop the vehicle.
Dealers will replace the accelerator pedal assembly. this recall began on march 8, 2005. owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Certain passenger vehicles were produced with one or both rear brake hydraulic lines that can come in contact with or be affected by heat from the left engine exhaust manifold and the left exhaust pipe. The brake fluid could reach elevated temperatures and boil.
If the brake fluid boils in a rear brake line, the effectiveness of the rear brake system would be reduced which could result in a brake line leak and loss of brake fluid. if enough fluid leaks from the rear brake system so that brake pedal application can no longer build pressure to the rear brakes. the operator of the vehicle will experience limited braking which could result in a crash.
Dealers will (1) inspect the left engine exhaust manifold clip for proper alignment and placement on the body-mounted stud. if incorrect, they will reposition the clip on the brake lines and reinstall the clip on the stud; (2) the dealer will verify that both rear brake lines have the proper clearance to the left exhaust pipe. they will reposition the lines by bending as necessary; (3) dealers will remove the machining tab from the rear differential housing. also, dealers are to inspect the brake lines for wear in these related areas and repair or replace if there IS any sign of wear-through on the nylon overcoating. the recall began on january 18, 2005. owners should contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2239 or chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
On certain passenger vehicles involved in this campaign, the lower control arm ball stud nut/washer assemblies with washers were made of the wrong material. the washers may fracture and become loose or fall away from the vehicle, reducing clamp load. separation of the control arm ball stud and steering knuckle, due to disengagement of the tapered…
If the control arm separates from the knuckle, the affected corner of the vehicle will drop and the control arm would be forced downward, contacting the wheel. the affected wheel could tilt outward and create a dragging action that would tend to slow the vehicle and create a tendency for the vehicle to turn in the direction of the affected wheel. in extreme situations, the affected wheel assembly could separate from the vehicle. separation of the wheel assembly would also sever that wheel;s hydraulic brake hose and result in diminished braking performance of the vehicle, which could result in a crash.
Dealers will inspect the ball stud joints and measure the torque of the nut for all front lower control arms in all models affected as well as the rear lower control arms on the xlr and corvette. if the torque IS not at specification, the dealers will replace the ball stud, the knuckle, and the nut. if the torque IS at specification, the dealers will replace the nut/washer assembly only. the recall will begin on august 25, 2004. owners should contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac XLR. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal sound like a shotgun being fired overhead. The contact pulled over and observed that the retractable fiberglass roof panel had detached from the frame of the vehicle. The contact stated that the headliner, cables, and pulleys used to retract the roof were exposed. The contact was unable to recover the panel. The contact called the dealer and the manufacturer and was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN for the failure. The contact was informed that the roof panel could be replaced out-of-pocket. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
The roof panel that was only attached with adhesive has detached from the frame of the car. This has also caused the retractable convertible top to stop working. I have read about the roof of many of these cars flying off while driving down the road. It is only a matter of time before this poor defect causes serious injury and/ or significant property damage. I called cadillac customer service and they refused to offer any help. I recently spoke to a local body shop about getting it repaired and the estimate was upward of 1000 dollars
The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac XLR. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH in the rain, the contact heard wind coming from the area where the front roof panel was connected to the windshield. The roof panel then detached and separated from the vehicle. The contact pulled into a service station to get out of the rain. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,420.
The top roof panel separated while driving on the highway, and almost struck another vehicle causing it to swerve to miss it. The vehicle then proceeded to follow me as he though I was to blame. Once I got off the highway he got out of his car an violently started screaming at me for almost causing an accident.
The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac XLR. The contact stated that fuel had begun to leak from the fuel pump without warning. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure and informed him that while the motor was running, the fuel would leak from the rear driver's side wheel; the leak would stop once the engine was shut off. The mechanic later discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 11E009000(Fuel System, Gasoline) which he linked to the failure. The dealer was notified and an appointment was made for a diagnostic. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 24,089.
The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac XLR. The contact stated there were strong fumes coming from the vehicle. The contact parked his vehicle in the garage and then leave it partially cracked due to the fumes. The contact changed the gas cap; however, the fumes continues. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer regarding the failure; however, it was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac XLR. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud whistling sound coming inside the vehicle. The contact looked up and noticed that the sunroof glass had detached from the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and retrieved the sunroof glass. The vehicle was then towed to an auto body shop to be inspected. The contact was informed that there was a defect in the glue used to secure the sunroof to the sunroof assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
My roof panel is separating from the roof frame of my 04 Cadillac XLR. If it come off it will cause property damage to another vehicle or death! It a GM defect that should be recall !!!! Thanks!
Was driving on interstate and top panel on convertible top flew off.
I purchased a 2004 xlr in 2019 from an agent in fl. I immediately or with-in 200 miles I began to receive messages on my dash! First it was traction control that applied the brakes and caused the car to vet violently to the left as soon as I hit 65 miles an hour. Then the check gas cap followed by check engine lights came on. My cadillac dealer was at a loss to solve the problem with traction control until they contacted the corvette engineers in bowling green, which took a week! They replaced the gas cap and that problem went away only temporally! On further inspection the tech's at my local caddy dealer determined by a smoke test that the crossover hose between the tanks was leaking! They gave me an estimate of close to a $8000.00 repair! The car has less than 54,000 mi. I have researched this problem and I am seeing this problem occurring in this model year perhaps because of engineering changes made to conform to government emissions standard controls! I am researching alternatives to having the repair done by my local dealership as they really don't seem to be very capable. the cap has been changed twice and the same problems reoccur!
TL* the contact owns a 2004 cadillac xlr. While the vehicle was being pulled into the garage, the contact noticed that the headlights melted and made it impossible for the contact to see clearly. The contact called several dealers, including wallace cadillac (772-286-3555, located at 3555 SE federal hwy, stuart, fl 34997). The contact was informed that they no longer made those type of headlights. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with several websites to search for used headlights. The contact found a company in chicago that had the headlights, but the cost was too expensive. The contact made an offer that was not acceptable to the seller. The contact called several other companies, including ebay, but was unsuccessful. The contact called the federal trade commission and the state attorney general and both referred the contact to nhtsa. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 cadillac xlr. The contact stated that the front driver and passenger side interior drl headlight assemblies melted and caused the headlights to illuminate dimly. The cause of the failure was not determined. Wallace cadillac(3555 SE federal hwy, stuart, fl) and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the front headlight assemblies needed to be repaired. The failure mileage was 42,000.
When driving I noticed a severe whistling sound coming from just above the rear view mirror. upon inspecting, I noticed that the roof panel had a 8' section that had separated. when googled, I saw several people had reported that their xlr's had a roof panel separate while driving. I immediately took it to a body shop and they re-glued the panel by injecting glue into the separation. I have no idea if this IS a recommended solutionn by gm.
While driving on the florida turnpike suddenly there was a rush of air coming from the rearview mirror area. I stopped at the next service plaza and observed the front of the roof panel separating from the frame. gm used a adhesive on these xlr roofs that IS failing now. corvette roofs panels were recalled for this issue and failed adhesive, but gm has not recalled the xlr yet. they opened a investigation at the end of september of 2018.
Check gas cap, check engine light. dealer says I need a new rt fuel tank but none are available. what do I do now?
Several xlr owners have reported that their roof panel has separated and flown off the car at highway speeds. my top began emitting a whistling noise at highway speeds. when inspecting it, the center front of the top has begun to separate. these tops were apparently only glued as the only securement. not mechanical methods were used. while mine has not totally separated, I have taken it to a body shop to get it re-secured. this IS a serious safety issue and I am thankful I caught it before causing a serious issue. in the picture shown, there should be no gap between the front seal and the top at all. the attached pictures show the top beginning to separate. for reference, I have shown a top that totally separated to show the seriousness of this issue.
The retractable roof flew off while the car was moving. Gm offered no assistance with this and denied any negligence. Case #8-2866250293
I driving freeway about 70mph, big air noise then roof panel come off & frying.
I purchased a pre-owned 2004 xlr from the dealership the car store in riverside. upon storing it in my garage, I found the next morning an overwhelming gasoline smell. upon taking it to my local gm dealer for inspection, I was told that the issue was no longer covered by extended protection by cadillac as it ended after a 10 year period in january of 2014. this IS a known defect with the design of the fuel tank system and IS not a recall item which IS extraordinarily dangerous and should be dealt with at not cost to the owner of the vehicle since it IS a design flaw and not at fault of the owner. *tr
Fuel sending unit keeps failing can't tell how much fuel IS in tank. Had first one replaced at cost of around $2300.00 replacement lasted around 18 months then it failed . Never know when whole unit will shut down and leave me vulnerable to a rear end or stall. *tr
My 2004 cadillac xlr applied the front left brake only and illuminated the stability control light causing a brief and severe swerve for about 1 second. I pulled over and shut the car off and restarted. Everything was fine for about 4 months when it did it again, luckily no one in my path of travel. Most recently it did it again about one month ago , same wheel, same speed. I am very mechanically inclined and performed a thorough inspection and I cannot find anything wrong. I am not the only one having this very unsafe problem with a pretty expensive car! My car now has just about 18,500 miles and I'm wondering when it'll happen again! I want to drive my car and enjoy it but, I'm nervous and I find myself gripping the steering wheel tighter everytime I drive it now. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2004 cadillac xlr. The contact stated that the headlight lenses became frosted and caused the color to change. The dealer inspected the vehicle and was unable to determine what caused the lenses to change color. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 47,000 and the current mileage was 49,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 cadillac xlr. The contact stated that the steering wheel would emit an abnormal noise when turned in either direction. Also, the contact was traveling approximately 40 mph when the stability control warning light illuminated. the contact applied the brakes for a traffic stop and the brakes seized, causing the contact to crash into the passenger's side of another vehicle. The ABS traction control warning light also illuminated after the failure occurred. there were no injuries and a police report was filed of the incident. The contact also stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign ID number: 05v046000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on multiple occasions however, the dealer was not able to duplicate or repair the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. updated 05/28/14 ma the consumer stated the axel was replaced and repaired. Updated 05/30/2014 *js
TL* the contact owns a 2004 cadillac xlr. the contact smelled a burning odor around the turn signal and informed an authorized dealer and the manufacturer. The dealer diagnosed that the socket was melting and the plastic housing was warped. The failures were related to nhtsa recall campaign 06v263000 exterior lighting; the day time running lamp/turn signal and parking lamp became inoperative. An authorized dealer also replaced the sockets inside the headlights for the entire unit. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120000 updated 4/9/14 ma *tr
Parked in a parking lot & placed it in park. Upon returning I started the car & placed it in drive. I took foot off brake & car moved rearward. Put car in neutral & car moved rearward. I tried all gears including park & car moved rearward, turned car off. Car would not restart because it was not in park. Because car was not in park all electrical accessories would not turn off & battery went dead, doors or windows would not open because all are operated electrically. Fortunately the battery died on route to dealership on tow truck. The shift cable was found to be broke. I looked on the web site xlr net & this IS not an uncommon problem and appears in several forums. If there had been a car behind me I certainly would have hit it. One guy on the forum parked his car put in park & when he turned back the car was rolling down a hill. Since there was little change in xlr design over the years I would suspect all model years through 2009 are affected.a very unsafe condition! This should not have occurred on a low mileage well maintained vehicle. *tr
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
On August 23rd, 2018 - the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a media inquiry pertaining to a motorist experiencing separation of the roof skin from their Cadillac XLR while driving.Based on the data in-hand at that time and a subsequent (December) consumer complaint, ODI opened PE19-001 on February 1, 2019 to evaluate the scope of this condition in the 2004 - 2005 XLR population.The subject vehicle model is a two-seat roadster equipped with an electrically powered retractable roof system. The outer roof skin is a Sheet Molded Composite (SMC) which is adhered to the magnesium alloy roof frame.ODI's February 7, 2019 Information Request (IR) letter to General Motors (GM) covered the entirety of XLR production: MY 2004 - 2009. GM's March 21, 2019 IR response attributed the separations to an unexpected oxide layer on the magnesium framework. A total of eight separations were identified, six of which coincided with consumer complaints to NHTSA. Separations occurred at two per calendar year with the most recent taking place in late 2018.An additional twenty-one noise, fit/finish/ functionality claims were identified that did not lead to separations.ODI compared the separation rate in the subject vehicles to those in to two roof skin separation safety recalls involving the Corvette (06V181: 2005 - 2006 Corvette; 09V491: 2005 - 2007 Corvette) to find that the subject vehicles took over ten years of exposure to reach the failure rate that triggered the 06V181.Since PE19-001 opened, ODI has received only one additional consumer complaint which reported wind noise symptoms. The complainant has not responded to outreach efforts by ODI or GM.Based on a low failure rate, sporadic occurrence, and high detectability of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles, this investigation is closed. Further use of agency resources on this matter is not warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist in the subject vehicles.The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers: Separations: 11155574, 11101657, 11012176, 11012166, 10970736, 10970383, 10653304Note: ODI 11012176 & 11012166 pertain to the same incidentNot Separated: 11243947, 11194359, 11176647, 11173362, 11074433, 10985013 Note: 11176647 & 10985013 pertain to the same incident
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.