Hi, I'm a new member and my wife and I were considering a Hummer H3 next year. We were looking at the Jeep Wrangler Unlimted at first but after reading and talking to people there seem to be a ton of quality control problems and mechanical issues with them. Makes me nervous about buying one. What's your opinion on the H3 and reliability? Thank you.

 

H3 is about as debugged as it gets now, Hummer's warranty is also very good. One thing that's been really outstanding with our higher mileage, '06 H3 is how well the interior and body are holding up with very little care. There's nothing to be afraid of and I wouldn't be concerned about the Unlimited either because I've met several people love them too.

For me, the H3 wins because of it's much more comfortable on the highway and it's premium build quality is important to me. Otherwise, just for more local use, the Unlimited is fun too.

 

Thanks for the input, yeah my wife loves both vehicles too. I just don't know, it seems some people have good luck with the unlimited and others say it's one thing after another, but guess that goes for several vehicles. We appreciate your quick response.

 

I bought a former "fleet" 08 H3 - Hummer Certified bumper to bumper 100K. I got it with 16K on it and I have 32K on it already. So I drive a lot. No problems what so ever. The only thing is the spare tire squeaks off and on. Otherwise no issues at all. Plus if anything does come up I got the warranty.
I too looked at the Jeep and talked to several people who love the rig but have all sorts of problems. Stick w/ the H3.

 

I am on my 2nd one and they have never left me stranded. Randy

 

I've had my 07 for 30 months now. The ONLY time I ever have even been back to the dealership was because early this spring I went to check the oil and saw that my power steering fill cap was missing??? I called, they ordered one, I stopped by a couple days later and they put it on, BS'ed with me for a few, and I was gone. Not even any paperwork, they mailed it to me a couple days later. I hardly got out of the truck.

 

07 H3 Tactical with 32K miles...absolutely flawless performance.
My wife and I drove from Cincinnati to Las Vegas and back last Christmas without a single issue AND got almost 21 MPG ...I doubt a Jeep can beat that.

 

On our 07 H3 Adventure, so far with 45K just into the dealership for oil changes, tire rotations, and some attention to the plastic trim around the windshield.

FWIW our other vehicle is an 09 Wrangler Unlimited we just got in April. No problems so far, but it's still pretty new.

I've gotta say that while both vehicles are great, they don't necessarily appeal to everyone. Both perform well offroad. The H3 is hands down the more comfortable on the road. The Wrangler is a lot of fun when you pull down the top, pull the doors, etc. Also the aftermarket for Wranglers is huge compared to Hummers. But they do ride like, well like the descendent of a WW2 Army jeep - which they are, with a lot of refinement along the way.

 

I'm also a member of a Ford Sport Trac forum and let me tell you, if read through there, you'd never consider buying one. I've had my Sport Trac since 2003 and have only had the normal wear and tear problems with it. Every vehicle has it's problems, you just have to go with what you like better. My wife and I love our H3. Hands down, one of the best vehicles we have owned. No problems with it.

 

18 months of ownership and nothing major.

Issues:
I had a bad leaf spring -- it creaked when the vehicle went over large bumps.

I had a body mount that popped every now and then -- added some high friction rubber material to insulate it and it has been perfect since (did that myself)

I had the turn signal stalk replace -- it clicked like there was something loose, but still worked fine....new stalk is perfect....very tight and nothing sounds loose.

These issues were minor and I felt that they were only minor annoyances. I am a very picky person and will take a vehicle in for any little imperfection...I like everything to be just so. I have had NO squeeks or rattles from the interior of the vehicle. After 16,000 miles it is still runs & smells like new. I did complain about the rear leaf springs creaking on this forum until the dealer fixed them. Every time i turn the key, it starts.....I would consider my vehicle 100% reliable.


The only complaint I would have about this vehicle is the tires during winter driving. I am either getting a set of Bridgestone Dualer Revo 2's or a set of Firestone Destination A/T's this month to help with that.

This vehicle is much better built than my friend's Fj Cruiser or my other friend's Ridgeline. My buddy's Fj has been in for a transfer case failure at 5000 miles while we were up in northern michigan skiing. His Fj also has quite a few squeeks coming from his door trim in the cold weather. He has a rattle in the rear trim that the dealer cannot find -- they say they don't hear anything. So much for Toyota's famed quality -- bad transfer case that took 2 weeks to fix and many squeeks and rattles.

My other friends Ridgeline is already developing rust along the hem flange on all 4 doors. The Honda dealer won't touch it....it's not rust through yet. His interior is also junk -- the fit and finish of his panels (especially the instrument panel) is horrible. Parts just don't line up right and there are many rattles after 1 year of ownership. The door to the hidden compartment in the rear bed also doesn't work right -- never has.

They both think my H3 is far superior to their vehicles. My buddy with the Fj is thinking about selling his Fj and getting an Alpha H3.