My son has a 2004 SRX AWD 4.6L with 100K miles and when driving at any speed it feels like the rear end not tracking correctly. For lack of a better term it wobbles back and forth, it's not consistent but random. Tires are newer and it was 4 wheel aligned at the time. I've looked at all the tires and there is no evidence of a separated belt. The swaybar links and bushings all look good. At first I thought it was rut tracking on the older roads here but I ran it down a newly paved road and same thing. I've read a couple issues online with the rear sub frame welds failing and actually causing the car to spin out. A TSB was issued for the 2005 SRX for this but not the 2004 I guess. Can anyone explain to me or post a diagram of where to look on the rear sub frame for possible broken welds. Also read a couple issues with broken mounting bolts in the sub-frame.
2004 SRX AWD rear end tracking
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
The rear frame is mounted with 4 bolts + bushings at the corners so I suspect it's not that which is bad (although the bushings [mounts] may be bad) so I would look more closely at the control arms etc. + the differential bushing, and related parts for looseness and worn bushings.
I would check the tie rod ends first, by lifting front wheel off the ground and seeing if there is any play by grabbing it at 3 and 9 o'clock. If there is play, check to see where the play occurs. There are lots of videos on the topic of checking and replacing tie rods. Let us know what you find!
Everything in the front is tight. It's the rear end that is wandering around. I just checked the bolts on the rear trailing arms and the drivers side at the wheel was not very tight so I snugged it up along with everything else I could get a socket on. Unfortunately I cannot drive the car now, it's has a TPS issue due to a pc of electrical tape hanging off the TPS wiring loom getting pulled into the serpentine belt and pulling on all the wires going into the TPS connector. None of the wires got pulled out of the connector but it pulled the wire insulation away from the connector on 4 of the 6 wires for about 1/2" and I'm getting several voltage issue codes for both the TPS and also the accelerator pedal TPS. I've got a new connector pigtail coming to splice in but I'm a bit worried the wires shorted across one another and may have damaged the electronics in the TPS itself or also the accelerator pedal TPS. I can clear the codes and the engine will run fine but if I drive it for 1/2 mile I get a check engine and traction control light and the engine goes into reduced power mode. Basically it will only idle.
I really hate all this electronic throttle control stuff.
Wire shorting doesn't usually ruin the modules, there's built-in protection for that. More likely broken wire within the insulation. I get some rear end drift in mine but eventually the ice on the road melts, usually around mid April.
I hope your right. New connector will be here Tuesday.
I wish it was that but ours here in GR are clear today.
While tightening nuts and bolts on the rear suspension I noticed the left air shock was leaking the oil out so it's gone bad. I'm wondering if this could be causing the rear end to wander like this? We had just changed out the front shocks with the passive replacements.
Replaced the TPS connector pigtail and that seems to have the solved the engine electrical problems but I still have the wandering of the rear end. This car is crazy fast when you put your foot to the floor but with the rear end wandering around at higher speeds makes this car spooky to drive. I check all bolts to the rear toe end links, control arms and anything else I could get a wrench on but nothing seems loose. I confirmed now that both rear shocks are leaking oil from under the air bellows so we're going to change them out with a set passive shocks and new springs and hopefully that will solve the wandering issue.
If you have one of the pre flash 2004's like I had they really are fast, when we got our 09 it was not the same car as our 04 was, once we chipped the 09 all was right in the world again.
Rear sway bar bushings are known to cause unusual drift. Cost very little and easy to replace. When I bought mine used, it had that problem and I read about this in a forum. After replacing, hadn't had this problem for 4 years. By the way, the old ones didn't seem that worn out at all, I guess 1mm is enough to feel the difference.
Re: 2004 SRX AWD rear end tracking "UPDATE"
Last weekend I replaced both the rear shocks and springs with the Strut Masters conversion kit that eliminates the ride control and also the ELC system and that seems to have solved the wandering problem. However, I'm still periodically getting the ride control active message on the display. I thought the resistors would have fooled the system into thinking everything is OK. I also pulled the ELC pump relay and fuse because there are no air shocks anymore.
Last weekend I replaced both the rear shocks and springs with the Strut Masters conversion kit that eliminates the ride control and also the ELC system and that seems to have solved the wandering problem. However, I'm still periodically getting the ride control active message on the display. I thought the resistors would have fooled the system into thinking everything is OK. I also pulled the ELC pump relay and fuse because there are no air shocks anymore.
Yeah, maybe that's it. I know a couple of the level sensor are not good because when changing the front struts the passenger side sensor was just flopping around while the other side was still spring loaded. Same on one of the rears.
05 Stealth Gray CTS-V, 08 Light Platinum SRX V8, 05 White Diamond STS4 V8 1SG
Joined
·
2,118 Posts
I vaguely remember this from SRX research years ago. Is there more info somewhere? I seem to recall this being a revised emissions flash (CA-related maybe)? Is my 08 "slow?"
Search is my friend.
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forum...-forum-2004/42836-0-60-v8-awd.html#post353971
Sucks. My CTS-V drives the same way (at 400hp)...
Re: 2004 SRX AWD rear end tracking. UPDATE!!!
A few weeks back I reported that the new passive rear shocks and springs seemed to have solved the wandering problem. But today my son called and reported that the right rear axle link separated and the tire turned inward. There was a recall on 2010 - 2014 for this very issue due to loose jam nuts on the adjuster that could cause the vehicle rear end to wander and or damage the adjuster threads and separate just like my sons 2004 just did. Sounds like the recall should have gone all the way back to the first model year.
![]()
A few weeks back I reported that the new passive rear shocks and springs seemed to have solved the wandering problem. But today my son called and reported that the right rear axle link separated and the tire turned inward. There was a recall on 2010 - 2014 for this very issue due to loose jam nuts on the adjuster that could cause the vehicle rear end to wander and or damage the adjuster threads and separate just like my sons 2004 just did. Sounds like the recall should have gone all the way back to the first model year.
The 2010-2014 has nothing to do with the 2004-2009 cars, 100% totally not the same car so the recall would have nothing to do with it really.
May just be a failure of an 11 year old car.
May just be a failure of an 11 year old car.
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
