It seemed like a simple errand. Pick up a new AutoZone car battery to replace her old model and get it installed at the store.
Little did she know she’d be leaving the store in a tow truck with an undrivable vehicle behind her.
Online Lifestyle and Fitness content creator Kirstin (@kirstin_ange.l) says she’s never setting foot in AutoZone again after she claims a new battery install made her car undrivable.
She posted her story to TikTok three days ago. So far it has over 194,000 views.
Kirstin’s AutoZone car battery nightmare
“Keep in mind my car was driving fine before,” Kirstin claims in the video’s caption. She also states, “‘I’m never going back to AutoZone!”
“I needed a new battery for my car,” she states, over footage of an AutoZone technician testing her battery in the store’s parking lot.
“He says, ‘I can put it in for you,’” she claims. She films the employee carrying the battery out to the car and continues filming as he installs it in her Honda.
“We’re trusting him because, you know, he offered, so ‘duh’ and it’s AutoZone, so be for real,” she states. However, she encountered major problems once the job was done.
“Tell me why my brakes, my wheels, everything locked up, and I literally was stuck in the middle of the parking lot,” she claims.
Kirstin says a “random” man attempted to help her get her vehicle started again, to no avail.
She says the car engine would start but would die soon after.
“And they just like left us and abandoned us,” she claims of the store’s staff.
What happened next?
She claims she was told, “‘Yeah, we can’t help you, we changed your battery, now it’s your fault something’s wrong.’”
In screen text, Kirstin states that she felt the employee “wasn’t being honest and communicating with me and my sister because we were girls.”
“Basically they were trying to blame it on me like it was my fault,” she states.
She says she had her old battery reinstalled and received a refund from AutoZone.
Kirstin then called a tow truck and had her vehicle (still under warranty) taken to a Honda service center.
“Turns out he [the AZ employee] did something to my transmission, and I had to get a whole new thing for my transmission,” she claims.
She did not offer any specifics but did indicate the repairs were covered under her warranty.
@kirstin_ange.l Im never going back to Autozone! Keep in mind my car was driving fine before😭 #autozone #viral #fail #car ♬ Walking Around – Instrumental Version – Eldar Kedem
What happens when a new car battery is badly installed?
Although there is no way of knowing (especially since she had her old battery re-installed), it is conceivable that Kristin’s car problems were the result of improper installation.
According to Carparts.com, connecting battery cables to the wrong terminals “can have a lot of consequences for your vehicle. If you’re lucky, you might just get away with a blown fuse and nothing else.”
Connecting the terminals in reverse can cause a power surge that can damage many of the electronics modules in your vehicle.
This can affect the car’s alternator, gauges, sensors, and powertrain control module.
“Faulty relays and fuses will prevent certain vehicle electronics from functioning, which include components like the fuel pump and starter. Computers like the PCM are an integral part of a vehicle. Without it, the engine simply won’t function.” Carparts.com notes.
The Daily Dot has reached out to AutoZone via email for a statement.
What did the viewers say?
Many of Kirstin’s viewers believed that faulty installation was to blame for her car problems.
Jewess_mess (@jewess_mess) commented, “He could’ve hooked the battery up backwards that happened to me and I had to replace sooo much in my car afterwards.”
“As a autozone worker (manager) he definitely hooked the battery up the wrong way , and he’s grey shirt which means he a manager so definitely call cooperate!” another viewer added.
Another commenter agreed, “You better call corporate. They did the same thing to my mom. Keep your receipts they will reimburse you like they did her.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kristin via email and TikTok messenger for further comment.
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