The 2023 GMC Hummer EV is more like an expensive off-road toy than a practical work truck. With its $85,000 starting price, up to 1,000 horsepower, and trick ability to drive sideways (GMC calls it “crab walk,”) it has the makings of an excellent, but pricey, trail plaything.
This means owners might be tempted to take it through water. That’s proving problematic.
Not Quite Recalls
GMC has issued two technical service bulletins about water getting into Hummer parts that should be waterproof.
A technical service bulletin is a step below a safety recall. In a safety recall, an automaker notifies the federal government of a potentially dangerous defect and fixes the problem for free to keep owners safe. In a technical service bulletin, an automaker advises its own dealerships of a quality problem that doesn’t affect anyone’s safety and, again, fixes it for free to keep buyers happy.
The Hummer has been subject to two of the lesser voluntary service bulletins. One came because water can get into an electrical connector and cause certain controls to short out. A second came because water can enter through gaps in the A-pillar — the metal roof support between the windshield and front window. This can cause controls for the power windows, door locks, and mirror adjustments to fail.
“Some customers may also report unwanted activation of the theft alarm system,” the bulletin says. Others report phantom alerts on the driver’s information screen, like “service latch,” that seem unconnected to real problems.
The Fix Is Free
Dealers will fix the issue for free by replacing corroded electrical components. They’ll then perform a leak test and reseal any unsealed seams.
Since this isn’t a formal recall, readers can’t find it via our own recall center. But we recommend you enter your car’s vehicle identification number there to find out if it needs any free repairs. American drivers miss recall alerts all the time, leaving millions of us driving defective cars eligible for free repairs.
Hummer EV owners, however, should go to the GM Recall Center page to find out if their vehicle is included in this voluntary fix campaign.
