Car Complaint Horror Stories
back to homeBelow is a list of particularly bad car problems & complaints.
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- 2017 Kia Soul: engine sputtering, no acceleration LONG READ AHEAD!!! This saga is never ending. My faith in the Auto Industry is just severely damaged by this entire ordeal. Here is a gigantic post about what I have been through in the last 10 weeks with my 2017 KIA Soul+. Mind you I've driven this car for 4 years and hadn't had any major mechanical problems. The car has just under 73,500 Miles on it. It has 2 year old tires, replaced all 4. It has a brand new battery in after I purchased one in Aug of '21. It's only needed minor front brake work but this issue ... read more »
- 2008 Chrysler Town & Country: have large holes in vacuum, can't pump gas You's Funny, I needed a good laugh. Where to begin, I purchased a 2008 Chrysler Town and County from Windy City Motors, LLC, Wichita, Ks Took me a couple of years to save up for a car, I'm 68 years old and I have had many surgeries, so jogging is out of the question and I fall riding a bike so that's out. I have enough problems walking by myself. The only places I go to is Dillons, Dollar Tree and Goodwill , would love to go to the casino "BUT I HAVE A CAR THAT SCARES THE CRAP OUT ME" When I purchased the car ... read more »
- 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: engine rod knock Starting on 02/28/2020, the engine all of a sudden started knocking for no known reason. I thought a belt was loose or something like that. Unfortunately I was leaving for vacation the next day and did not want to drive the vehicle from Philadelphia to JFK Airport in NYC, so I left it home. Upon returning from vacation on 03/11, I towed the vehicle to a Hyundai dealership. Being that they only have one hybrid tech, they said it would take a week to even get looked at,.........fine. Then the pandemic went into ... read more »
- 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe: airbag did not deploy in accident I was hit on the front drivers side at a high speed, when someone made a left turn, never seeing me, slowing or stopping. The driver was impaired. My Tahoe rocked on two wheels, slammed down, jumped two large curbs, hurtled across a parking lot, before coming to rest just short of a roughly 2 story, sign. My airbags did NOT go off, but the white powder from the accelerant filled the vehicle. My vehicle was totaled. This was a HARD hit at high speed. It was a small car that hit me, and that car was basically dust. ... read more »
- 2018 Ford F-250: missing transmission wiring harness Hauling cattle with our new (Literally 5985 miles) 2018 Ford F250. Stopped for lunch. Came back out to vehicle and truck would not start. Battery good, screen warning showing Transmission Check. Nothing would work so called roadside assistance and towed vehicle to Madera Ford where it was purchased. They called the next morning saying the Transmission Wiring Harness was missing and the vehicle will not operate without it. Hmmmm, well we drove the vehicle to the restaurant. They say "Well, someone must have cut ... read more »
- 2013 Nissan Versa: seat belt anchor bolt broke in accident These anchor bolts are required to meet minimum forces. The occupant that was killed weighed only 115 lbs and the speed in this head on collision was only less than 45 MPH so the standard forces were not exceeded. Because the anchor bolt broke, it released the passenger and she died at the scene from impacts to her chest from inside the passenger compartment unrestrained. Front seat passenger and driver of other vehicle survived with no life threatening ... read more »
- 2012 Ram 1500: camshaft issue and lifter lock up Routine maintenance done at a Dodge dealer. Truck only had 100k in km. With no warnings at all, engine just shut down losing all power. Almost got in a major accident with my child in the truck. Dealership played games with me. There should be a class action lawsuit on the known issues with the hemi ... read more »
- 2017 Dodge Charger: transmission totally destroyed Approximately three months ago I began to research Dodge Chargers and the options available. I decided to purchase a Granite Pearl colored Charger, large engine but not supercharged, eight speed automatic transmission, adaptive cruise, leather seats, power everything, large brakes with black calipers, and 9.5 inch wide wheels. I searched the internet and found three vehicles that matched what I wanted exactly. One was in Nappanee, Indiana, one was in Cerritos, California and one was in Beaverton, Oregon. In June ... read more »
- 2011 Dodge Avenger: oil leak Purchased Used Car a 2011 Dodge Avenger LUX Edition from Ford Country and an Extended Warranty Policy FORDS ESP on 04/11/2016 Now 1.5 (year and a half) into ownership our Dodge Avenger starts leaking oil (just couple spots) and suddenly overheats (on way to job interview). We again call Ford's Service dept to make appointment we were told "We had to take it to Dodge for service." Again we take it to Towbin Dodge. Right away Towbin Dodge's service personal (Mary) start telling us "they have determine we didn't ... read more »
- 2017 Tesla Model X: new car delivered with paint & frame damage My brand new Tesla finally got delivered to my home full of surprises. When I complained I was told "This is the American workmanship at its best and I should overlook the flaws and defects and stick with the innovation benefits of it". When I asked for a path of escalation I was offered NONE and was told "you have already signed the contract and its now a post sales matter". When I called Tesla post sales support I was told "due to many customer issues we are booked until mid November". What a horrible new car ... read more »
- 2016 Ford F-350: died while driving On Oct 14, 2017 my 2016 Ford F350 stopped on me on I-95. The truck was taken to a Ford service center to be repaired. I was told by the service center manager that Ford engineers denied my claim for repair because of contaminated fuel cause the problem. The first thing the service center checked after receiving the truck was the fuel and they found no contamination. Ford engineering department stating contamination was the cause of the problem and denied the authorization to repair the truck. The truck has about ... read more »
- 2014 Audi S4: defective software BUYER BEWARE: SOFTWARE DEFECTIVE. picked up "new" car. Numerous defects, tied to defects in software, including excessive mileage tally. 9/2016: volkswagen/audi had a recall on software, including my vehicle. 11/30/2016, ended lease and returned vehicle to audi, after they refused to replace a defective mechatronics unit. audi financial services sent me a bill for excessive mileage. I immediately sent audi financial services 3 written requests, 2 certified mail, one email in correspondence, for them to provide ... read more »
- 2009 Nissan Altima: anti theft lock out This is the second time we had to replace the steering lock. Bought the car used about 5 years ago, and it happened almost immediately. Luckily it was still under warranty the first time. I didn't realize that this would be a CONTINUOUS problem for the rest of the life of the car. I guess I just have to be ok with spending another $1000 every five years to fix this? Ridiculous. This last time I seriously could have died. I was stuck on the side of the road with no cell reception, in 20F degree weather. How is this ... read more »
- 2017 Jeep Cherokee: irregular shifting At 2300 miles my Jeep Cherokee started rough shifting, not shifting, drop shifting into gear, accelerating and over riding the braking system in drive and reverse, shifter not properly going into gear, having to turn the Jeep off while it was accelerating from 30 to 40, 50 60, 70mph, and throwing the accelerating vehicle into park to try and get the braking system to respond. I had the Jeep at the dealer and they let it sit for 6 weeks and drove it 6 miles and returned as "unable to duplicate." The Jeep ... read more »
- 2003 Mini Cooper: car caught on fire while parked As background information to establish context, I'm an American currently working in Italy in a government position. I've lived in an apartment in the heart of downtown Vicenza for two years and have been driving the same Mini Cooper One for about a year and a half. I park in a double-storied parking garage usually fairly occupied with other tenants of the downtown area and have had no significant issues with the car until recently. Returning from work late one night I parked the car in the same parking garage I ... read more »
- 2015 Jeep Cherokee: limp mode Hello, I have had one of the worst customer service experiences of my life with Jeep/Chrysler Financial. I currently lease a 2015 Jeep Cherokee which since February 2017 has gone in to what Jeep calls "Limp Mode" four separate times while driving. Limp Mode is what happens when the vehicle has a major electrical error, which causes the vehicle to no longer allow for acceleration, all emergency indicators on the dash come on, brakes become stiffer the more pressed, power steering becomes almost none existent and ... read more »
- 2016 Nissan Rogue: air bags failed to deploy I was involved in a major collision where the front of the car was totally destroyed. Air bags failed to deploy. Luckily only had a few bumps and bruises was wearing a seat belt which did not tighten either. Contacted Nissan customer service and in their exact words, do you have any broken bones, if not ,we are not interested in looking at your vehicle to see why the air bags did not deploy. I think this was a lame excuse and im sure there is an issue with the sensors in these vehicle. One probably has to be ... read more »
- 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe: airbag failed to deploy May 2016 I call Hyundai with concerns about my airbags not deploying and I explained everything to the lady I spoke with and was told they should have deployed. I was offered a new Hyundai I provided all information documentation and pictures and everything to my knowledge. I receive a letter from Hyundai consumer affairs in July saying that my case would be closed if I didn't provide information asked for. so I provided it to them at the email provided on letter. david osario called me and stated that if I sent ... read more »
- 2011 Toyota Tacoma: customer service and management issue at dealer Hey it's me again. Took my 2011 Toyota Tacoma for a check for cracked headlight lens. Upon arriving I asked if they had a drink machine to buy me a drink. one of the tech advised me that they had free coffee free drinks, free hot chocolate and free cookies and free bagles offered in the waiting room and I replied to him mmmmm java. and thank him for his courtesy I had my phone, keys in hand. and walked to the waiting room in this brand new dealership was very impressed with the dealership and was looking forward ... read more »
- 2011 Hyundai Sonata: engine caught fire Hello everyone, I would like to start by introducing myself and telling you all about my bittersweet 10 months with my dream car and how it could have killed or seriously injured me and every passenger that sat in it. My name is Tara Harrell and at the age of 16 I drove past what was, Berryville Ford, and saw a blue Hyundai Sonata parked out in front and I fell in love instantly. I did research and worked towards keep my 96 Pontiac Grand Prix running until Icouldnt afford to not trade it in or had to buy my dream ... read more »