DETROIT - General Motors Co. is recalling more than 50,000 Cadillac SRX crossovers in North America to reprogram airbags.

GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the right side head-protecting air bag won't deploy in a crash if no one is in the front seat, reported The Detroit News.

As a result, a backseat passenger may not be fully protected and could get hurt. GM spokesman Alan Adler said no crashes or injuries have been reported.

"The air bags are programmed to turn off the right side roof rail air bag if the passenger-sensing system determines that the right front passenger seat is unoccupied," NHTSA said, even though the owner's manual says it will still deploy. As a result, the vehicle does not comply with federal safety requirements.

The recall affects SRXs built over a three-month period -- 47,400 SRXs sold in the United States and about 3,100 in Canada and Mexico. Dealers will reprogram the sensors and GM will start notifying owners today.

No parts are required. The repair is expected to take less than 30 minutes not counting waiting time at the dealership.

This is a North American issue only, because other exported models use a manual key to disable the passenger side airbag. The key disable system does not suppress the roof rail airbags, GM said.