A tale of low octane fuel, a grenaded Cadillac SRX and GM's response

Apparently, under certain circumstances when gasoline with lower than the required 91 octane rating is pumped into the 2010 Cadillac SRX with the available 2.8-liter, 300 horsepower turbocharged V6, a "mega knock event" can be induced, leading to a complete grenading of the engine. Not good.

The worrisome issue was discovered by Automobiles De Luxe, which happened to be road testing one of Cadillac's latest 'utes. The driver inadvertently pumped in 88 octane fuel, which led to the aforementioned mega knock event and subsequent destruction of the engine. General Motors says it wouldn't have happened if the correct grade of gasoline had been used.

So, open-and-shut case, right? Better use the premium. Not so fast. GM expedited the vehicle to its test center in Warren, Michigan, tore down the engine and came up with a "new calibration" for the engine's computer that will eradicate the possibility of such an event. Six 2010 Cadillac SRX turbos are being field tested in Death Valley to ensure the problem is solved.

The fix will be applied to all new 2010 SRXs and customers will get the revised calibration during regular dealer servicing. Nicely done, Caddy. We hold out hope that this is a sign that the New GM reacts much faster to potential problems than the Old GM.

[Source: Automobiles De Luxe]