General Motors has just announced a safety recall of 3,996 2010 Cadillac SRX crossovers due to possible damage that may have occurred to the power steering lines. Out of the 3,996 vehicles that have been recalled, GM only believes that only two or three are actually affected by this issue. If the power steering line has been damaged, the steering fluid could leak, potentially spraying onto hot engine parts where an engine compartment fire could result. As of now, GM is aware of only one such fire in an SRX.

Vehicles that are being recall were built in December 2009 and most of these affected vehicles are in the United States. Owners will be notified by mail and the inspection and any necessary repair will be performed free of charge.

Luxury can also be safe. The latest vehicle to win an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award is the Cadillac SRX, a midsize luxury SUV. It earned the IIHS’s top safety designation after getting a good rating for rollover protection. The Cadillac SRX had previously earned good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection.

To earn a Top Safety Pick award, vehicles must earn the highest ratings in all four IIHS safety evaluations, as well as have electronic stability control (this comes standard on the SRX).

In order to evaluate rollover protection, the IIHS uses research of real-world crashes to conduct its roof strength test. To test for roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5-inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio. This test gives a good assessment of vehicle structural protection in rollover crashes. Good rated vehicles have roofs that can withstand a force equal to at least 4 times the vehicle’s weight.

The 2010 SRX withstood a force equal to 4.14 times weight. For comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight.

For the 2010 model year, General Motors strengthened the roof structure. The Top Safety Pick award applies to models built after May 2010.

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

During GM’s product technology even held yesterday CEO Fritz Henderson confirmed that the automaker’s top-tier Cadillac brand will bring a new flagship sedan, as well as an entry-level sedan to market shortly.

The new high-end model will replace the DTS and is reportedly to be called the XTS. This full-sized luxury sedan will be based on the same platform as at the 2010 Buck LaCrosse and will be offered in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The vehicle will reportedly use design cues from the Cadillac Sixteen Concept.

The most exciting news, however, comes from the lower-end of the luxury spectrum where Cadillac says it will build a new model to compete directly with the BMW 3 Series.

“We are determined to repeat what CTS has already achieved in design, quality, driving dynamics, performance and fuel economy to grow our presence in this high-volume and highly competitive segment,” said Henderson.

Unofficially known as the ATS, this new model will initially be offered only as a sedan in rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, but a coupe is likely if the sedan sells well.

Additionally, GM re-confirmed that the CTS Sport Wagon and new 2010 SRX will go on sale this month. The SRX will be offered with both a direct-injection 3.0-liter V6 as well as an optional turbocharged 2.8-liter V6.

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…