AM General is a USA carmaker founded in 1971, now part of KPS Capital Partners. 1 models are tracked here. Reliable? yes, and comfortably so — 4.5 out of 5 across 1 rated models, though the spread between model years is far wider than the badge suggests (every model ranked →).
Who makes AM General
AM General LLC is an American manufacturer of military and special-purpose vehicles, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1971 as the General Products Division of American Motors Corporation (AMC) and spun off as AM General in 1979, the company is best known as the original manufacturer of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee) since 1985 and the civilian Hummer H1 (1992-2006). AM General continues to produce the modern HMMWV variants for US military and allied governments, plus the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) competitor and a range of specialized military vehicles. The civilian Hummer H1 (1992-2006) was the first General Motors-branded civilian Humvee, sold by AM General before GM acquired the broader Hummer brand for the H2 (2002-2009) and H3 (2005-2010). KPS Capital Partners acquired AM General in 2020 from MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings. AM General is privately held and not publicly listed. Recall data for every AM General VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org maintains historical AM General VIN data for the H1 Hummer and Humvee variants.
AMC General Products Division was founded in 1971 to manufacture mail-delivery trucks and other specialty vehicles. The 1979 spin-off from AMC created AM General Corporation. The company's 1981 contract win with the US Army for the HMMWV (replacing the M151 MUTT and other tactical vehicles) became the brand's defining product. The 1992 Hummer H1 was the civilian version. AM General passed through Renco Group, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, and KPS Capital Partners ownership.
| AM General | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founded by | AM General (former AMC subsidiary) |
| Headquarters | South Bend, USA |
| Owned by | KPS Capital Partners |
| Slogan | «America's Toughest Off-Road Vehicles» |
Technology it is known for: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), Diesel powertrain options, Independent suspension, Run-flat tires (military), Configurable cargo and crew compartments.
This page covers AM General LLC (the military vehicle manufacturer) — not the original American Motors Corporation (AMC, defunct as a passenger-car brand 1988) or General Motors (the GM that branded the Hummer H2 and H3 separately).
All AM General models 1
Every AM General model we track, grouped by body type. Click any model for its VIN decoder, recalls, MPG, safety and ForCar Reliability Score — broken down by year.
AM General More models 1
| Model | Years | Recalls | Complaints | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM General Humvee | — | — | — | — | 4.5/5 |
AM General by the numbers
What the federal records say about the marque. Each line links to the full breakdown by model and year.
Compare model years like a dealer does.
- Full research report on any model year
- Market chart: how this model holds value
- Exact values with mileage adjustment
- Price-drop alerts on the trims you're watching
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Get a AM General window sticker by VIN
Recreate any AM General's original Monroney label — MSRP, factory options, EPA MPG and safety — free from the VIN.
AM General window stickers →How to read a AM General VIN
Every AM General built since 1981 carries a unique 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It encodes where and when the vehicle was made, its engine and body — here's what each part means:
- WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a AM General and the country it was built in (real AM General codes below).
- VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
- Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
- Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
- Plant (11) — which factory assembled it.
- Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
- USA137
The remaining digits — engine (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard. To decode a VIN number position by position, including the year-code table and where to find the number, use our free tool.
Who owns AM General, and what you get
AM General belongs to KPS Capital Partners. AM General competes in the global military and special-purpose vehicle market against Oshkosh Defense (which won the Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle contract in 2015), General Dynamics Land Systems, BAE Systems and Navistar Defense. The brand's commercial vehicle production has been minimal since the 2006 Hummer H1 discontinuation; current AM General products serve military and government customers almost exclusively.
| AM General | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | USA |
| Ownership | KPS Capital Partners |
| Basic warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
| Powertrain warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
⚠ Worth knowing before you rely on it: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, while basic cover here runs 3 years / 36,000 miles. See when AM General models actually start to break →
AM General — frequently asked
Is AM General usa?
AM General is a USA company, headquartered in South Bend and founded in 1971.
Who owns AM General?
AM General is part of KPS Capital Partners.
How many AM General models are there?
We track 1 AM General models. The full list is above, ordered by how often each is searched.
What is the AM General warranty?
New vehicles come with 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Terms vary by model year and market — confirm with a dealer.
Is AM General reliable?
It depends far more on the model and year than on the badge. Every AM General model is ranked by complaint rate here, along with the age at which each starts to fail.
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