BUY OR BUST? - Hummer H3 High Miles Review!

HUGE THANKS TO:

Hummel's Auto Body - Mifflinburg, Pa
HT Performance - Middleburg, Pa
Rough Country
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Kodiak Truck

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[uncleremus]

In my opinion, the worst issue with the H3, and it happened to mine, the coolant and trans fluid can mix together into a wonderful milk substance and destroy the entire transmission. It is due to the way they made the transmission cooler. After having my transmission rebuilt, I had an external trans cooler installed to prevent it from happening again.

[anasalaggad]

I have a 2006 Hummer H3. The car is completely reliable as now it’s hits 310k miles.
The idea here is in Saudi Arabia weather temperature here get up to 104 Fahrenheit.
So I guess I’m right for what I said that this car is reliable as a daily use and off-road and jumping use.

[maynurd]

I have a 2008 H3 with just shy of 250k miles.

DEFINITELY replace the stock battery terminal connectors.
I get some smoke when it first starts and goes through oil, so make sure to keep an eye on the oil level.
I had to replace the yaw sensor. This is pretty easy other than it being under the driver's seat.
The tire pressure monitor light is on even after replacing all of the sensors. I have seen some posts that the antenna connection to the body control module will come loose over time. But i haven't checked on that yet.

The only major issues that i have run into is needing the upper and lower control arm and ball joints. Nothing is broken, the bushings are dried and worn out making them squeak.

As far as a winter driver, i have driven this through four blizzards over two winters and it went through the snow like a trooper.

[anthonymay]

I have two 2007 models. Bought my kid one and had to have one as well. Great purchases. Loved your video. We do daily drive them.

[meowmeow]

The engine sounds like Al Bundy’s dodge.

I was always a sports car guy until I lived in New Jersey for a few years. Went through a blizzard back in 2009 or 10 in a rear wheel drive car and said "to hell with that". Bought a 2008 Hummer it. Cut through the snow like nothing. Had one with a sun roof....I missed is after I sold it and moved to later rebought one. Hopefully I can keep this one for life. I wouldn't by anything lower then a 2007.

[RicardoGonzalez-yzvp]

I have the 2006 H3, love the truck since New, has 60, 000 miles on it, only failures is RAIDO died, had a strut in front blow, top of fuel tank had a plastic cap leak fuel, faded roof trim, door locks are haunted, they all work when raining-though, outside of Toyo tires, and a couple of batteries it’s been a great truck !

[hogmoode]

my 2009 has 380, 000 and is just now starting to have probs

[daltonseay]

Idk how you don’t get more views I love this channel!

[hoganlegdrop]

I've got an 09 alpha adventure with front and rear lockers. It's my daily driver and has 162k miles. I love it. The GM small block is bullet proof. I do hate the sunroof though. My drains clogged and my interior got wet. It's super easy to unclog. Even though I have it unclogged I still put duct tape around the edges to seal it off and never use it. It's black and so is the duct tape and no one will ever notice. Plus I tow 8k pounds with it, which it's not meant to do lol. Just stay away from 06 models and you are good to go. I have 2 friends with fj cruisers. Those have problems as well. One has 140k miles and burns a quart of oil every 1k miles. Plus I still have my stock tie rods. My buddies both broke theirs on the fj cruisers and run aftermarket ones now. Anyway I love your channel!

[kenma]

I have had a 2006 Hummer H3 from brand new, had that for 3 years...This Hummer had the head issues with engine misses at 45k.. They replaced the head, when they did that, they also had to replace the exhaust manifold because it was cracked.. Common issues on the 2006, very early 2007's..
Now I have a 2007 Hummer H3 that I bought in 2021. Engine and tranny are flawless at 165k, Rust.. it is an issue.. When I bought it I replaced all the front suspension, for no other reason that everything was original, and it was only a matter of time.. So ball joints, tie-rods, shocks. Control arms.. ect.. ..
Biggest repair. gas leak from the gas pump which was also causing a EGR code.. That gas pump repair where they also had to replace a rusted gas line was 1200 bucks..
other things.. Front Caliper, steering linkage-upper.. Chrome clad alum wheels need to be replaced or sandblasted and powder coated..
--- The truck goes everywhere with ease... I will be buying new drive shafts soon.. Another issue that can come up is the Torque converter can cause a vibration.. if that happens the torque converter is like 500 bucks and the coast of labor to replace it..
--FWIW... They some day will bury me in my Hummer.. I love it.. it never lets me down in the snow or on trails here in WV..
It has it's issues.. but anything that is 17yrs old does.. and i would rather fix those issues then to buy anything new

[murraymountain]

I think it’s an absolute buy. It’s not for everyone but I disagree on the daily driver part. Yeah it is terribly slow once you’re up to speed but that’s my only complaint. Fuel mileage our 2012 Tahoe is 16-18 mpg so if you’re looking at a bigger SUV then 15 really isn’t that far off. My H3 has been a daily since it drove off the lot in 05. 3.5, 33s, leather, no sunroof, Adventure package, BOSE sound system. Haven’t had any of the issues you mentioned except that cup holder and the cargo racks. Mine still has the racks but they fall off a lot. The buttons also rub the coating off but you get that on all GM vehicles. Other than that I think the interior is great. Seats are comfortable and feel quality (the leather ones specifically), and everything feels extremely durable. I grew up riding in that car and every car feels like a tin can now because I’m used to the tank-like feel it gives. It doesn’t creak or shake or anything. The exterior isn’t great no, the door handles suck and the grille has a bunch of broken tabs. Never had an electrical issue except the GM theft thing with the key. It was a Florida vehicle for 10 years and has been in NC for 8 now so it hasn’t seen a lot of salt. We had no major issues with it until 230k the engine got replaced and the 4l80 went at 270k. Just hit 330k the other day with it. The driver seat didn’t get a single tear until 300k and the rest still don’t have a single tear. Long as they’re maintained good they’re very reliable vehicles. We did have to do a lot of work recently on it but it was all wear components that go out on any vehicle and like I said it is over 300k miles now so what can you expect. The handling is like you said, like an offroad vehicle, but the turning radius is amazing. Tighter turning radius than any vehicle I’ve ever seen. Also has the best stock audio system I’ve ever heard. Bass will run you out if it hits the right pitch lol.

[stevewilliams]

I would say it’s a buy if you want a great off-road vehicle and don’t want to modify a lot. If you want a cheap off-roader with 35 and good clearance. I just bought 2009 adventure for 6k and it came with both front rear lockers. You will be hard press to find 4 door jeep for same money.

[reneveah]

The only thing here that I noticed that a lot of people who review these Hummer h3s keep mentioning as hell on the highway they're kind of slow. Lol I definitely never picked up this Hummer H3 that I have with the expectation that I'm going to hot rod it down the road lol I also didn't expect it to get up on the highway like my '03 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland with a 4.7 high output engine, I don't really have an issue with these things feeling sluggish and slow because just driving them and the way they look, I think it's a blast

[bazilwreckerloughead]

When you first got this, I was unsure how I felt about them. But after seeing this video... I'm still unsure, but entertained.

[SanchoGracie]

2007 with 316k....Northern Arizona base model. We get plenty of snow, but we don't salt our roads, just a rubberized slurry mix so no rust issues. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Looking to add an H2 to the family soon.

[Dennis-mqor]

My 2006 H3 pulls solidly from about 2200 rpm until 5500 RPM, with it's maximum power at around 4500 rpm. If your only pulls to around 3300 RPM something is wrong.
Mine is still pulling hard at 98 MPH when the speed limiter kicks in.
I have no doubt it would be capable of doing well over 100 mph without the speed limiter.
The 'sweet spot', where I get the best gas mileage and the engine runs the smoothest is around 70 MPH..

[rednecktrucker]

The tick will go away if you let it worm up but they do have a lot of frame issues mine does and they do have a re call on the ac Circuit it plugs in underneath the dash not hard to do had to replace them on both my h3s other then that they are good truck to use but they are know to have header leaks

[RickRaven]

Great video. I have 2 H3’s. A 2007 stock i5 Lux and a 2008 Alpa over lander completely tricked out. They are absolutely a labor of love. I am currently drying out the Alpha as we had a week long rain storm and a tiny little leaf stopped up the tiny little drain port. Flooded the whole passenger side.
Posted on the forum to remind people to clean out the drains regularly.
Again great video. BTW I saw your h3 limo is it a i5 or alpha ?
Cheers.

[scottfranson]

New to your site . You do a lot of information That Cool Be well Play Safe

[maynurd]

The age can make getting new parts a little difficult.
If you need to replace the Body Control Module they can be hard to find, and need to be programmed by a dealership to work properly.