A Nissan owner is claiming that a dealership broke her car during a preventative repair, and now it wants to sell her a new car instead of fixing it.
TikTok user Leighla (@leighlakazen) posted a video detailing the situation on Sept. 15. She captioned it: “Never have I ever taken a vehicle to the dealer for maintenance and they BREAK IT beyond repair while working on it.”
According to Leighla, she brought her daughter’s Nissan to the dealership for a scheduled oil pan seal replacement, a relatively major but manageable repair.
The issues started when technicians allegedly broke a bolt for the catalytic converter while preparing to replace the oil pan seal. This mishap, Leighla says, resulted in a $2,700 repair. Problem solved, right? Not quite.
Leighla says that after the catalytic converter was replaced, the dealership test-drove the car, only to report that the radiator housing had broken and coolant was leaking, causing the car to overheat. This led to additional repairs, including new hoses and a new radiator, according to Leighla.
Leighla says that although the service advisor tried to work with her on the pricing, her frustration grew when they discovered yet another issue—this time with the transmission. At this point, she admits to being too upset to fully absorb the details.
“‘Who is working on this car? Why is everything breaking after y’all are working on it?’” Leighla recounts asking the service advisor. “Everything was fine. When we brought it here, there were no engine codes. There was no check-engine light. There was nothing going on.”
The service advisor’s suggestion, according to Leighla? Just fork out more money and buy a different car from the dealership.
@leighlakazen Do better NISSAN! the car broke whole in your care… you should take some responsibility here! #carrepair #fail #nissan ♬ original sound – Leighla 🐸
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users didn’t hold back. Many characterized the dealership’s actions as suspicious. The consensus was clear—something seemed off.
One commenter stated, “NOPE… don’t do it. Get that thing towed to a trusted independent licensed mechanic.”
Another added, “Something isn’t adding up. If they broke it, they fix it free of charge.”
Some commenters warned against going to car dealerships for non-warranty repairs. “Only do warranty work at dealerships. They’re the least trustworthy repair shop. The mark-up on parts alone is a reason not to go there,” one of them advised.
Others suggested more drastic action. One wrote, “Hard pass. I’d be lawyering up. They wouldn’t get to keep the evidence that they broke it.”
Who should foot the bill if the dealership damaged the car?
While Leighla’s situation might seem extreme, it’s not unheard of for vehicles to be damaged during repairs.
According to Badell’s Collision, repair shops can be held liable if they cause damage during the repair process. As it explains, “If a mechanic fails to exercise reasonable care or skill while performing repairs and this negligence leads to damage or harm to the vehicle or its occupants, they can be held legally responsible for those damages.”
This includes “cost of repairs, replacement of damaged parts, diminished value of the vehicle, and other associated expenses.”
The Daily Dot reached out to the @leighlakazen via TikTok comment and to Nissan via email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
