The GMC Hummer EV is having a number of small issues but only one, a taillight problem, justified a full-fledged recall. The other had to do with electrical parts that don’t like the water, as they tend to do. Now, the 9,000-pound truck has run into another issue with the elements: its removable roof panels are leaking, and GMC has reportedly issued a Customer Satisfaction Program to address it.
We know this thanks to 2022 Hummer EV owners on the HummerChat forum and another owner on YouTube. The nature of the leaks seems varied, but the bottom line is that the roof seals on some of the trucks around parts called the I-Bars are allegedly faulty. They allow water to collect and spill into the interior when a panel is removed, or they don’t seal properly at all. The Drive could not access the CSP—which isn’t quite a recall—but owners report dealers are already fixing the issue with new parts.
Above, you can see just how much water can get into the truck because of the issue. It’s a fair amount. Other owners report small drips getting in during heavy rain. Some report no issues at all over thousands of miles of use.
As previously mentioned, the Hummer EV has had at least one other moisture-related issue despite being able to ford almost three feet of water. Drips were entering the vehicle’s electrical systems through a poorly sealed A-pillar area. Likewise, an electrical connector on the battery needed some more sealing as well. Both of these issues were not considered safety-related, however, so they were addressed with another CSP as opposed to a recall.
It’s worth noting that lots of cars with removal roof panels like this tend to leak. T-tops, two-piece roof panels found on some American cars in the 1970s and 1980s, were notorious for leaking as the rubber seals aged. It’s a problem that’s apparently hard to solve, even in 2022, as owners of vehicles with multi-part removable roofs like the Jeep Wrangler have reported similar issues over the years.
As such, it’s unclear if these issues are a result of the Hummer EV’s lightning development speed, spotty quality control, or just the teething issues of a brand-new product dealing with a problem that’s vexed automakers for decades. Until then, maybe get a dumpster full of rice to park it in.
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