Doc, you are absolutely right. Nobody is paying one bit of attention to what to do. Everyone keeps saying they are so thankful for this thread that it has helped so much, and then they say they went out and bought a brand new radiator with their own money for 5 to $700 bucks, or they went out and bought a cheap japanese radiator for $150 that's going to last 6 months. I have just been sitting back lmao.

If you are so thankful for this thread then you wouldn't have went out and bought a new rad, cheap or expensive.

Smithcameron1988, Here are the steps to take. Call G.M and open a case number. Tell them what the problem is and that you are aware of thousands of cases the same as yours with the crack in the radiator at the top where it rubs and bangs against the frame. Tell them you are aware that G.M. has redesigned the radiator, and the new radiator has more clearance so that it does not rub against the frame. Tell them the name of the certified G.M. dealership that you will be going to. They will tell you that the estimate to diagnose is going to be $100 or something. Just ignore that. When you go into the dealership, tell the person helping you exactly the situation and that you are aware of this problem and that it is a manufacturers' defect. and that the cause of the crack is obvious. and that you are aware that G.M. pays 100% of the diagnosis and labor and radiator for this problem. Here is the important part. Next tell them you want this estimate to be left "OPEN" WHen you say that you are not charged the diagnosis fee. The diagnosis literally takes 30 seconds. ask if you can show the mechanic the problem also. The frame rubs and hits against the top of the radiator, and over time every single one of them WILL crack at some point. Some crack with only 30,000 miles and some like ours didn't crack until 120,000 miles. It doesn't matter when it cracked. G.M. will try to tell you that it is our of warranty. Warranty is thrown out the window in this case of manufacturers' defect. If you stand your ground and do not back down they will pay for it 100% They will come back to you with offers to pay 10% or 20 or whatever. keep denying and do not accept anything less than them paying 100% of the bill.

Now doc, this is the second time I've posted this and others have posted the same thing. WOnder how many will read and "RETAIN" the information before their very eyes here?

It may be a frustrating process and take weeks or even months, but just keep it repaired with a good plastic weld. (we had a long crack and it held ours for months until all was said and done) But just stick with it. CHeck the crack everyday for leakage and don't settle for less than them paying the bill.

If you go out and buy a new radiator on your own, you have no recourse then. It's too late.

 

Egroegrat- In that first post I explained that I had already called Hummer and I already have a case number. I told them almost word for word what you said also- saying that there were thousands of people with the same issue, and that I am aware that GM has redesigned the radiator so it no longer has the design flaw from rubbing against the frame. They told me it would be $100 as I explained in my first post and got me into contact with a GM dealership. I told them I do not have $100 to gamble with but they told me this was my only route of action.

So if I say I want this to be left "open" it's like a secert password and they don't charge me the diagnosis fee? Because guess what- I've already gone to the dealership and spoke with them about it, and they said that "we don't see this issue too often, so we will have to charge you $100 for a diagnosis to conclude if this is user negligence or not" then they explained to me that it could take a FULL WEEK or LONGER before they could decide who was "at fault" because they would need to get certain "certified mechanics" who specialize in this to "come in".

Egroegrat- Have you actually tried what you said? Or is this just a theory of yours? I also noticed that you said "It may be a frustrating process and take weeks or even months, but just keep it repaired with a good plastic weld. (we had a long crack and it held ours for months until all was said and done) But just stick with it. CHeck the crack everyday for leakage and don't settle for less than them paying the bill."

I spoke to Hummer about temporary fixes. They told me "ANY ALTERATION done to temporarily repair the problem will result in GM not covering the claim." This is because they can't tell if the repair caused more damage than originally was or if the repair is masking the damage and GM cannot conclude at fault or user negligence at that point.

So my question for you egroegrat is this- You say no one is paying attention to what anyone says. Have you tried this method? Anyways man, thanks for your time, if you go back and read my entire first post, you will understand my situation a little better. Do you retain your own information and follow what you write???? OR do you even have this issue at all? Because I don't think you fully understand whats going on here.

 

Why would I be wasting my time writing all of this to help people that are going through the same thing that I went through. People helped me out throughout the process of getting this taken care of. I am fully aware of what they will say to you. At the dealership you tell them that this is case with G.M. and you want it to remain open. THere's no code word about it, THat just means that in an open case the bill is not paid up front for anything.

THe only way G.M. will absolutely not pay the bill is if you replace the radiator yourself. You are allowed to put plastic weld or jb weld or whatever you see works best. The reason for the crack is obvious and if the dealership says it may take a week or whatever to diagnose the problem, then you need to go to a different dealership. There are plenty of dealerships that are familiar with the issue. If it takes a week to diagnose this issue then that dealership is innept. THey can see in 5 seconds what caused it.

I fully understand what is happening here. I have been through it. Yes, it was a nightmare with G.M. but I stood my ground. The problem is many people are just going out and buying a new radiator, or as soon as G.M. tells them there is a 100 charge they give up. Then there is no recourse. Putting plastic weld has no bearing on diagnosing what the problem is.

I wish you good luck. I do think there should be a class action lawsuit. It is terrible that G.M tries to get out of paying for this repair when it is a manufacturers defect. And when people do not know how to handle the situation, their case gets closed and they just accept that they will go out and pay for their own radiator.

 

New member here, been lurking getting great info for my wife's new vehicle.

We can chalk up another one to the cracked radiator list. An 06 with 102,000.

Best I can tell it's an OEM rad in it currently, however, it may not be the original based on the connections in place (screw down clamps rather than tension clamps).

I got it for the wife only 2 months ago, and having had to put in new rack&Pinion, and now this radiator problem, I'm beginning to think twice (tried to get an extended warranty, but the best I could find was 12 months or 12K for $3,000 now I know why)

Didn't notice any problems with the coolant until last week when I had to fill it after an oil change (I'd thought they might have knocked a hose loose on it when doing the work) until I started investigating on the web.

I appreciate all the info everyone has put into the thread over the past 3 years.

John M>

 

'08 52k and was just told there is a leak int the radiator. (Local Ford dealership told me) I did talk with the GM service rep and he was very quiet when I had told him I was researching cracked radiators in H3's and found that it was a design flaw. We will see what he says tomorrow when I drop it off.

 

What is that all about?

First off, I would NEVER go to the dealership for repairs, and
I would NEVER buy an extended warranty, IMO, waste of money.

I spent exactly $119.24 for my radiator and installed it myself.

What is different from your scenario and mine?

I installed it the way it is supposed to be installed(I have been working at auto repair shops since the early 80's, I know how techs work, especially on "WARRANTY TIME").

I removed the radiator, I flushed the block, cleaned the debris from the A/C condenser, cleaned and antisiezed all the bolts removed, Installed gear drive hose clamps(spring clamps are a common cause of coolant leaks, weaken over time and will not keep proper tension on old worn hoses), I made sure ALL air was out of the system before I drove vehicle, etc....
Best part: I didn't have to drive to the dealer, waste gas, waste time, and I have a lifetime warranty on my radiator now, that was shipped to my front door.

BTW, the radiator I installed is IMO, better quality than the 1 I took out.

Yes, I spent $19.24 more than you did, but I saved a whole lotta time, gas, & aggravation dealing with the service rep. at the dealership, and I know my radiator is installed properly with no other damage done during installation, plus I have a lifetime warranty!

On a side note, where was the radiator manufactured, that you had installed?

Oh, and it has been 9 months since I installed my radiator, and coolant level is still the same as the day I installed it.

 

I don't go to dealerships either for repairs. I do everything that I can myself. I could have replaced my radiator myself also, but why would I go out and spend 119 dollars when I got the new oem redesigned $420 radiator for free? I didn't spend anything except 2 trips to the dealership which cost me about 15 dollars in gas and my time which I think was well spent.

I am trying to help others here who have the same crack. It is a manufacturer's design flaw. They will replace it if you stand your ground. I agree with others. It should be a recall because it has happened to thousands of h3's. I don't understand where you are getting that you spent 19 dollars more than I did. I didn't spend anything. The diagnostic charge will not be charged to people for this if you tell the dealership you opened a case with G.M. and you want the work order to remain open. If I wasn't told what to say and how to present my case to the dealership and to G.M. I would have done exactly what a lot of you did and probably would have went out and bought one and installed it on my own. But I got good advise, I used it and it was replace for free, with no diagnostic charge. Yes it took awhile, but I didn't care.

 

I'm thankful for this thread, as is everyone else, because there are listed steps to cure the problem on your own. Most of us don't have time to wait around for "weeks to months" as you said. Stealerships are known to delay and dismiss these "known" issues so why waist time and money? Sure a few got off lucky on no charge (which usually appears to be because they still have a warranty, I do not).

By the way, my "cheap" replacement has a solid warranty, and a friend got it dirt cheap for me. Who wouldn't choose that route?

 

Nearly three years with the radiatorexpress.com ($186.00 included shipping) rad. Still no leak, crack or over heating.
If you need to use your vehicle, you don't need to wait and anguish over a pencil pushing stupid process. GM will never recall these rads, get over it. They dropped the Hummer line like a hot potato and never looked back. They needed money from the government because they couldn't manage their company, and as a result they were forced to make electric cars instead.

 

Hey guys just joined of coarse due to finding a leak/crack in my radiator...of coarse I did the case # with hummer..then the dealer called said wow you've got a crack in your radiator...DUH...explained the case and background and of coarse they've NEVER heard of this...proceeded to call GM cust care while I'm at it...might as well knock them all out in one foul swoop right? well now they have me waiting the next 24 hrs to hear from a manager about what they intend to do here...I advised them of all of you guys and that I expect them to only have me pay $100 deductible..they want to charge $753..that is NOT gonna happen either way this goes...I'll be back to let you know what happens..its a 2006 hummer h3 with over 84,000 so no warranty...but do to it being a defect I fully expect them to cover it