A woman is calling out Carvana after claiming her car experienced a catastrophic failure just outside the warranty window.
According to TikTok user Charisma Gould (@charismalael), she purchased a vehicle from Carvana in August. In the time since, she discovered numerous issues with the car.
Now she claims that two separate mechanics offered to defend her in court in a case against Carvana.
A Carvana purchase gone wrong
Gould says that issues with the car began as soon as it left the Carvana limited warranty window. This lasts for 100 days or 4,189 miles, whichever comes first.
After a brief honeymoon period with her car, a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe, Gould says she began noticing issues that she believes were present before she bought it.
“They gave it to me with bald brake pads. Bald brake pads, bald tires,” she states. “Had to replace the tires. Apparently the tie rod was broken. Probably still is. I’m not even sure what all was fixed on the car.”
While these problems may seem minor, what happened next was anything but.
“The car starts shaking like it’s having a seizure as I’m going down the road,” Gould recalls. “What the [expletive] is that?”
Gould says that she read online that it could be an alignment issue. She claims she got the alignment. Rather than fixing the problem, she says the shaking became more violent.
Another attempted fix
After changing the tires, the shaking reduced. Still, Gould says she’s convinced Carvana had sold her a lemon. So she contacted the company — and was allegedly told that, because she was out of warranty, they could not help her.
“I did not cause these issues to this car,” she declares.
She claims these issues culminated when Gould was driving down the freeway and the car stopped completely.
“I just pulled over to the outside of the interstate, try to turn the car back on, and just starts making this rapid clicking noise. Click, click, click, click, click,” she recounts. “All of the [expletive] lights on the dash start flashing. I’m like, ‘What the [expletive] is happening?’”
Gould says she had to pay $400 to get the car towed to her house. At this point, she called a mobile mechanic, which reportedly cost another $125.
“The mobile mechanic’s like, ‘I’ll go to court with you.’ He’s like, it’s that [expletive] bad. I’ll go to court with you. I’m filing claims as we speak right now because it’s that [expletive] bad. You’ve got an oil leak in your motor.’ He told me the motor could have blown up with me and my kids in the car,” Gould states.
Just to be sure, Gould says she had the car towed to a Firestone location. She claims they, too, determined that the car’s issues were numerous.
“Firestone calls me back and says, ‘We’ll go to court with you. We’ll testify that they sold you a [expletive]-up [expletive] car,’” she explains.
Gould claims that she is now pursuing a case against Carvana using the legal benefits at her job. In the meantime, she is driving a rental car.
What About Carvana’s Inspection Process?
In her video, Gould specifically notes Carvana’s alleged 150-point inspection process. Per the company, every vehicle it sells goes through a rigorous process to determine the status of numerous mechanical and safety systems, including brakes, tires, and electrical systems. If a part does not meet Carvana standards, it is supposed to be replaced.
From there, the car is covered by the company’s limited warranty for 100 days or 4,189 miles. This warranty does not cover wear-and-tear like tires and brake pads — but it should cover the engine, braking systems, and steering, i.e. aspects involved in Gould’s issues.
If the car truly was a lemon at the time it was sold to her, she may be protected under the law.
Gould appears to be in Virginia. In the state, licensed dealers must complete vehicle safety inspections before the car can be approved for highway use. If the vehicle fails this inspection, issues must either be corrected or disclosed in writing to the buyer prior to purchase. This would cover problems like bald tires, worn brake pads, and a damaged tire rod.
Virginia’s Consumer Protection Act also prohibits businesses from misrepresenting the quality or condition of goods sold to consumers.
Carvana detractors pile on
In the comments section, users shared their opinions of Carvana
One wrote, “Too many horror stories from Carvana and Kia for me to even consider buying from either.”
“I was always told to sell your car to Carvana never buy from them,” offered another.
“After selling my car to Carvana and they didn’t check anything I just knew they didn’t care,” declared a third.
We’ve reached out to Carvana via email and Gould via Facebook and TikTok direct message.
