I owned my H3 for less than a week, and it was immediately broken into by thieves. At first I was mad at the criminals, but it turns out the most criminal bit is the design of the door lock!
I didn't notice that my H3 had been broken into until I went to get my briefcase, which was on the floor behind the driver's seat. The thieves did no visible damage to the outside of the vehicle; however they had managed to remove the lock core and gain access to my H3.
BEWARE!!! THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE LOCK CORE IN THE DRIVER'S DOOR IS A CHEAP PIECE OF PLASTIC!!!
That's right, plastic. The lock core is suspended off of molded plastic part, and it's only about 3mm thick. The thieves simply put a flat head screwdriver into the driver's door and pushed down, snapping the plastic. They clearly didn't have to push that hard, since the only other damage to the door is a tiny dent at the bottom of the hole, which was hidden under the grommet.
GM refuses to admit there is a problem, and they insist that the plastic bracket is designed correctly; they also refuse to fix it, claiming it is simply a case of vandalism. I beg to differ. I am an engineer with 7 US Patents, and 25 years experience in engineering and consulting. I've shown this cheap plastic part to my colleagues and clients, and they all laugh at it.
This design is nothing short of engineering incompetence, in my professional opinion.
Furthermore, the dealer and GM folks claim I was "lucky" that the theives didn't do more damage. I counter that you can't see a black fabric briefcase on the floor of the all-black interior through the tinted windows, and that the thieves merely broke in to see what was there, if anything. I also counter that the best security is to have the vehicle that is the most difficult to break into, which by nature pushes the criminals on to more accessable vehicles. Furthermore, when a crook can walk up to your driver's door and apply a screwdriver to gain access, they can appear pretty legitimate -- especially compared to breaking the window. In short, this is a major problem, and if your H3 was or is ever broken into, I suggest you immediately retain an attorney, as I have.
Keep your eyes open for a website organizing a class action lawsuit -- that is unless GM gets busy and pays me for my losses and commits to a recall soon.
Perhaps if you had performed your engineering analysis prior to purchasing one, it would have saved you some outrage. Stated otherwise, research before you buy.
The power is fine. It goes 75 on the freeway with no effort.
If this is true, GM should get it together and recall the vehicle for upgrades.
I have one too. I already wrote GM about the issue because of this post.
I am close to buying the H3. Has GM come to the plate and resolved your issues?
Don't hold your breath on this issue.
Even if they do take action, it could take a long time.
I installed an alarm system with a remote pager that alerts me if the alarm goes off.
This is the only time I've heard of the situation actually occurring.
I am a police sergeant and an H3 driver.
I was not happy to learn about this situation. On certain occasions, I leave a firearm in my vehicle. I would be most upset to return and find it missing. Far beyond other valuables stored in this truck. I ALWAYS remain very vigilant parking anywhere.
With that being said, I would like everyone to know that there is no vehicle that can't be broken into in seconds, and no alarm system (that I have ever encountered) that cannot be defeated by a pro.
If you drive a Mercedes the more competent thief will target your vehicle for theft, and anyone can break the window in seconds.
Valuables out of sight is still the best plan, and you would be amazed at the number of people who leave VERY valuable things behind a thin passenger window. Smash and grab vehicle burglaries, happen by the thousands every day in the U.S.
If this story is completely true, the thieves will exploit this vulnerability. If not, they will always find another.
Lock pick kits are available and cheap. They require some practice to become good at it, but with a little patience one can become masterful. All cars have relatively cheap door locks compared with other types of key locks. Someone utilizing a lock pick kit can approach any vehicle and appear to be doing nothing more than inserting the door key. They can have the door open in the same amount of time as someone using the key. Trust me, I know, I am a locksmith.