General Motors Recalling 47,000 Cadillac SRXs in U.S.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is recalling 50,500 Cadillac SRX luxury crossover vehicles due to a program in the airbag system that stops the roof-rail airbag from deploying if the car senses an unoccupied front passenger seat.

The recall announced on Friday, which impacts 47,401 cars in the U.S. and rest in Canada and Mexico, deals only with the 2011 models.

The Detroit automaker warned in a posting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that if the bag failed to open, the right rear occupant may not be protected and could therefore suffer industries in certain frontal and side crashes.

The company said it knew of no crashes, injuries or complaints related to the issue, but since the owners manual says the airbag will deploy whether or not the seat is occupied, and the action and manual do not match, it currently violates federal safety standards.

The recall is expected to begin on June 17. GM dealers will program the sensing and diagnostic module free of charge.