GREENSBORO, N.C. — Lauralynn Brannock remembers liking it the moment she saw it. It was perfect. Big enough to haul around all her stuff and yet nice enough for the family.
The 2017 Chevy Equinox really was exactly what Brannock was looking for.
“I really like it,” Brannock said.
It didn’t take long before Brannock drove off the lot with her new car. She paid around $13,000 for the SUV and could not have been happier.
“I felt good about it,” Brannock said.
A couple of days later, Brannock noticed a rattle coming from the SUV. She wasn’t sure what it was, so she decided it was best to take it to a mechanic. What she discovered made her cry.
“He said it was unsafe to drive. He (didn’t) want me to drive it home that day,” Brannock said.
The SUV, according to the mechanic, needed several things repaired including the frame. The undercarriage and several parts were covered in rust.
“I wish it was safe to drive,” Brannock said.
After that, Brannock reached out to the dealership and asked for a refund or a different SUV. Brannock said the dealership was unwilling to help and refused to refund her money.
“I’m still making payments for the car and it’s not safe to drive,” Brannock said.
Not sure what to do, so she contacted WFMY News 2 to see if we could help. We tried calling the dealership, but no one returned our calls. After several weeks of leaving messages, we went to the dealership.
A man who said he was a salesperson showed us some paperwork associated with the sale of the car and told us we needed to speak with someone else. He said the owner was out of the country and we had to speak with him.
We waited a few weeks and called back. We tried to speak with the owner but again our calls went unanswered. So again, we went to the dealership.
We spoke to the same salesperson who again said the owner was out of the country. He said he was coming back in a week and to call back then.
We have called on several occasions and our calls either go unanswered, unreturned or we are hung up on after identifying ourselves.
The salesperson said the SUV was sold “as is” and passed a safety inspection before being sold. That safety inspection is mandated by the state, but it does not include a thorough inspection that could identify worn-out parts, extensive rust, or a damaged frame.
After the dealership basically refused to refund Brannock her money or have the owner return our calls, we wanted to see just how safe or unsafe this SUV was.
We had the Owner of Pat’s Auto Body and Towing inspect the SUV. Sandra Scarlett had the SUV on a lift and showed us all the problems with the SUV.
She immediately pointed out several rusted parts and showed us where the frame was bent and cracked.
“This car has been in an accident; probably more than one,” Scarlette said. “If you look at all the rust on this (SUV) this is trash.”
We asked Scarlette on a scale of 1 to 10 how safe this SUV is, she gave it a 2.
“I wouldn’t feel safe in this car,” Scarlette said.
The SUV Scarlette said was in such bad condition her shop wouldn’t feel comfortable trying to repair it. She said the body would need to be welded, making the frame weak. Scarlette said the SUV's remaining repairs would be well over $7,000.
In most cases, the buyer would be limited in what they could do. The car was sold “as is” meaning the buyer, in this case, Brannock assumes all responsibility for any repairs. This may end up being the case but it doesn’t change the fact this SUV is not considered safe according to at least to mechanics.
There is also the case of a document the dealership had Brannock sign at the time of purchase. The document states the vehicle has not been damaged by collision or other occurrence to the extent that the damage exceeds 25% of its value at the time of the collision or other occurrence.
Brannock has filed a formal complaint with the DMV License and Theft Division. The case is currently being investigated. When a decision is made, we will be sure to let you know.