Though these types of incidents are quite rare, we have seen a few instances where dealerships have wrecked customer vehicles over the years, which isn’t exactly the kind of phone call one would want to receive after taking theirs in for service or repairs. Typically, these incidents happen during joy rides in more powerful vehicles such as the Ford Mustang, as we saw a supercharged example smashed by a dealer tech a few years ago. Just this past December, a 2000 Mustang SVT Cobra R was also crashed at a dealership, but this time, by an errant driver that smashed into the showroom it was sitting in. Now, a dealer in Colorado has wrecked a customer’s Ford Bronco.
According to 9News in Aurora, Colorado, the owner of the Ford Bronco brought it in to Schomp Ford to have the thermostat replaced recently, but was quite shocked when she received a notification from the FordPass app shortly thereafter that her vehicle had been involved in a collision. According to police, a dealer employee reportedly took the Ford Bronco for a test drive, but proceeded to run a red light and smash into another vehicle, as verified by surveillance footage.
Making matters worse, the owner of the Ford Bronco – Janay Henderson – tried to call the dealership when she received the warning on her phone, but no one answered. “I start calling Ford, [saying,] ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ No response. No response,” she said. She proceeded to head over to the dealer, at which point she saw her crashed SUV in a service bay. “I get there, my car is destroyed,” she noted.
In a statement, Schomp Ford’s general manager said that the dealer didn’t call Henderson right away because it was still gathering information and didn’t want to give her incomplete details. The dealer did provide Henderson with a loaner vehicle at no cost and said that she has “no financial responsibility for this incident.” Henderson is currently working with Schomp Ford’s insurance company as the two sides are reportedly close to reaching an agreement on how to proceed from here.
Comments
Poop happens…especially at stealerships!
Oh Snap!! I’d make them give me a brand new Bronco!!
Turned it into a Brnco.
I had a new Mustang that I brought in to the dealership because of a rattling sound. And of course they never hear it. So I went for a ride with the service manager in my car and he kept starting off in second gear, riding the clutch. Total idiots at these dealerships. I hate having to deal with dealerships for any reason even warranted work.
At least the dealer accepted responsibility and offered up their insurance coverage. When you leave your vehicle for service (or even with a valet parker) the document you sign or claim ticket you receive from the valet will have tons of fine print on it. That language is called a Bailment. And will usually also contain language stating the person taking possession has no responsibility for damage. That language does hold up in court and usually what happens is the car owner has to make a claim to their insurance company who will fix or replace the car. They will then subrogate the claim back to the dealer or shop’s insurance company and get their money and in many cases your deductible back. It’s no different than if you lent a friend or family member your car and they wrecked it. Your car, your insurance is primary. Moral of the story is, be careful who you let use or drive your car.