General Motors (GM) is recalling 47,401 model year 2011 Cadillac SRX passenger vehicles for failing to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, “Occupant Crash Protection.” The airbags are programmed to turn off the right side roof-rail airbag if the passenger sensing system determines that the right front passenger seat is unoccupied. The right rear occupant may not be protected and suffer injuries in certain frontal and side crashes. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about June 17, 2011. 11V-308.

General Motors recalled more than 12,000 model year 2009 Cadillac CTS cars for a safety defect in its advanced airbag system.  A defect in the software of the Passenger Sensing System can turn off the passenger airbag even though a passenger is sitting in the seat.  This defect, which occurs when the Passenger Sensing System tries to initialize, causes these vehicles to fail to comply with FMVSS 208, the government’s safety standard for occupant crash protection.

Internally, GM first became aware of the problem in July of 2008, and later found four cars with this same defect in their own test fleet.  In November 2008, General Motors notified the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it was conducting the recall.  The government assigned recall number 08V-582 to this safety defect.