2003 Hummer H2 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe windshield wiper and washer faults: intermittent or complete loss of wipers, sometimes wipers that run on their own or will not shut off, often in rain or snow. Many say their vehicle fell outside the wiper-motor recalls and that they paid for repairs themselves. Speedometer sticking and rusted brake lines are the next most frequent themes, with brake line corrosion reported across a wide mileage range.

1. 1
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wipers fail, run on their own, or won't shut off

   • 46 complaints (33%)
   • median 67,500 mi at 6.8 yrs old (40 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2023

   Owners describe wipers that pause or stop mid-swipe in rain or snow, and in some cases wipers that start by themselves or will not turn off even with the switch off; washer fluid may spray on its own until the reservoir empties. Complaints frequently mention dealers fitting the recall cover without replacing a motor that had already failed, or stating the VIN was not covered. Several owners report paying several hundred dollars for motor or module replacement, and some say the fault returned after the recall work. Reported from under 20,000 miles to over 200,000 miles, most often triggered by driving in rain or snow.

   Recall 08V456000Recall 02V283000

   What to check: Turn the wipers on and off at several speeds, including the delay setting, and ask whether the wiper motor module recall (08V456000) or motor recall (02V283000) was performed on this VIN. Check for a receipt showing motor or module replacement, not just the cover.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The windshield wipers stopped working, while in the pouring down rain. No accident, but the 2003 H2 does have a recall on the wipers for this exact reason. I had to put out over 700 to have it repaired. I would like to have the VIN number reviewed as to why it is not covered under the recall as what happened is what they described the problem to be. I do have the invoice from the repair.”

   NHTSA complaint #10561026, filed 2014-01, 119,000 miles

   “Driving in misty rain and delay portion of wipers quit. Had to cut wipers on and off. When it quit raining was going down road and wipers came on by themselves. Tried cutting off and had to pull fuse. When I put fuse back in next time it rained pump sent all my wiper fluid out of rear wiper.”

   NHTSA complaint #10227567, filed 2008-05, 20,000 miles
2. 2
   Steering

   Front wheel detaches or front end collapses

   Mentioned in 13 of 80 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the front wheel breaking away from the hub or axle, or the front end dropping while turning or at low speed, in some cases followed by a collision with a parked vehicle. Reported findings include a broken tie rod, fractured spindle or axle, and a failed wheel hub or bearing, with repairs done at independent shops or dealers. Complaints also mention steering that became intermittently hard to turn at parking speeds. Reported from about 5,000 to 165,000 miles, often during slow turns or low-speed maneuvers.

   What to check: Ask for records of front hub, wheel bearing, tie rod and spindle service, and have a shop check for play in the front hubs and steering linkage; also check whether the wheels show uneven wear or a wobble.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On aug 23,07 at approx 4:30 p.m., I pulled up to a stop sign in san mateo, ca. I stopped completely, made a right hand turn, and proceeded south at approx 10mph, when suddenly the right front end of my 2003 Hummer dropped onto the ground, and I completely lost control of the vehicle. There was no steering, little brake pedal and the vehicle proceeded to travel to the right and collided with a parked vehicle. There was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10204452, filed 2007-09, 87,000 miles

   “On april 22, 2008 my son was driving my H2 and was trying to turn the steering wheel to the left to change lanes quickly due to a car making a right hand turn in front of him. When he turned the steering to the left the right front wheel fell off and caused him to slide into the car making the right turn. I am thankful it happened when he was changing lanes going only 10-15 miles per hour instead of it happening while changing lanes on the freeway doing 65 to 70 miles per hour. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10281458, filed 2009-08, 38,570 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Speedometer sticks or reads the wrong speed

   • 12 complaints (9%)
   • median 64,000 mi at 7.0 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2007–2013

   Owners report the speedometer sticking at a fixed reading, jumping, or climbing past the top of the scale while parked, and sometimes starting from the wrong point at startup. Dealers have diagnosed a failed stepper motor in the instrument cluster, and some owners describe repeated cluster replacements without a lasting fix. Complaints also note uncertainty about actual road speed. Mostly reported between roughly 26,000 and 105,000 miles, with no clear seasonal pattern.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Watch the speedometer from startup through a test drive and compare it against a GPS speed reading; ask whether the instrument cluster or stepper motor has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My check engine light comes on constantly even after oil changes and check ups. I have also noticed ever since this has started to occur my speedometer has been periodically sticking on 120mph when going at a very slow speed and staying on 60mph while in park. I find this very dangerous as I do not know the speed I am traveling and have received a speeding ticket when it was reading that I was going slower than I was actually traveling. Sometimes it will not work at all , sometimes it will read I am going slower than my actual speed and I did not know this until I got a ticket. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10248454, filed 2008-11, 103,000 miles

   “Driving along and suddenly the speedometer sticks. When coming to a stop, t is stuck at 40mph. Then we went again and the speedometer sped up to 85 and then stuck, this happened successively until it stuck beyond the scale. Now it is stuck and won't come back down. Looks like GM has a serious issue as so many people have complained about this problem online.”

   NHTSA complaint #10378282, filed 2011-01, 89,612 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Rusted brake lines and loss of brake pressure

   • 20 complaints (14%)
   • median 88,000 mi at 10.0 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2021

   Complaints describe brake lines corroded through, with the pedal going to the floor or the vehicle taking longer to stop; in some cases fluid was found leaking and lines or hoses were replaced. Owners frequently note heavy underbody corrosion, and shops have told some of them that the lines had to be made up because replacements were no longer offered. Some describe the pedal pulling or difficulty stopping as well. Spread widely from about 28,000 to 160,000 miles, most often described in vehicles used in corrosion-prone conditions.

   Recall 04V0450006 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the brake lines inspected underneath for rust and weeping before purchase, and ask when the fluid was last flushed; a hydro-boost related bulletin exists for pedal movement, so ask whether that was addressed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was exiting the highway and pushed the brake pedal to slow the vehicle, everything was fine. When I went to stop the pedal went to the floor. I was able to pump the brakes and the vehicle stopped. When I was checking to see what the problem was I noticed all the metal brake lines are corroded and one was leaking.”

   NHTSA complaint #10479450, filed 2012-10, 104,000 miles

   “We purchased this H2 in december 2014 and by feb 2015 noticed a grumbly sound in the brakes. We took it in for service and the tech told us the whole undercarriage was rusted and all the brake lines were rusted thru and had to be replaced. Since some of the lines were no longer available, they had to create them. This was a costly fix and who knows what the safety impact could have been.”

   NHTSA complaint #10717606, filed 2015-05, 98,651 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Water leaks and rattling at the sunroof

   Mentioned in 4 of 80 sampled complaints

   Owners report water entering through the sunroof seal, headliner and rear roof during rain, leaving damp headliners and stained trim. Several also describe the sunroof glass rattling or shaking while driving, and some say the sunroof stopped opening or working. Complaints note that dealers could not identify the leak or noise source. Reported from very low mileage up to about 95,000 miles, typically noticed after rain.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the headliner and door pillars for water stains after a rain or a hose test, and cycle the sunroof open and closed while listening for rattles.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a major problem with leaking and rattling coming from the sunroof and now I cannot get it to function. It sounds like it might actually fly off when I am riding down the road. I have heard very many complaints on this same problem from other H2 owners. I am not worried about it working properly but I am very concerned about it flying off and causing serious injuries to my self or other people it may hit.”

   NHTSA complaint #10226489, filed 2008-05, 95,000 miles

   “We purchased our 2003 Hummer H2 in march 2008 and as we test drove the Hummer (fully loaded) we checked all the specs everything was working well and 1 or 2 days later we went to try and open the sunroof and it would not open, and we have also noticed that when it is raining heavy or light that our headliner has water stains and is wet right after it rains. We are also having a problem with the sunroof (fully closed) will shake & rattle and it feels like at any moment that it could completely fly off and cause a serious accident or even a fatal one due to the weight of the sunroof glass. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10234136, filed 2008-07, 65,100 miles

Buying note. Check the wiper motor and module repair history against the two wiper recalls, and confirm the speedometer and brake lines behave on a test drive and an underbody inspection. Front-end and steering condition matters too, so a pre-purchase inspection focused on hubs, tie rods and brake line corrosion is worthwhile.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 80 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.