I have owned about 3 different G27's since January 2012.
The first one started 3-4 months after purchase, having the shifter-problem. The second one.. well.. Did about the same time, third one, that I got from replacement in warranty, is from September 2012ish, and this one didn't break down yet.
I use it about 5 - 10 hours a week. Normal racing (or driving very very very quick if you count cruise-servers), sometimes drifting.