A woman on TikTok documented her troubles with a Nissan dealership after purchasing a 2018 Titan XD pickup truck. Jenna (@mom_needs_booze) says that the car’s engine began giving her and her husband issues.
After bringing it to the dealership to assess the problem, she was slapped with a $25,013.26 bill to repair the damage it sustained. However, she showed additional price quotes from the Texas car seller’s service department to display much different figures. Initially, she claims, the cost to fix the engine’s turbo was $4,900.
This assertion came with a photograph of a receipt that reads “$4,900 + tax.” Next, in another image in the same video montage, she says the dealership reneged on this first quote. Instead, the department stated the amount was jacked up to $7,564.39. On top of that, she showed another quote page stating it would cost an additional $8,040.
Ultimately, this was before they were hit with a charge of an “additional $25k to get it running.” Jenna then took the car to another mechanic and went with their “second opinion.” Subsequently, the work this other service tech performed was successful.
“Second opinion showed that was a lie and it’s running now,” Jenna writes at the end of her slideshow.
Calling Nissan out
Furthermore, in yet another video, Jenna emailed the dealership to let them know of her poor experience. She stated that the service department kept charging her and her husband for turbo replacements, despite this not being the issue. Additionally, she highlighted in her correspondence with the business that they had “reneged” on a purchase offer.
According to her, the dealership had offered to buy the truck to put towards the purchase of a new car. However, she says, the dealership went back on that proposition due to the condition of the truck. Jenna also told the dealership that her husband had pointed out the truck’s coolant reservoir was empty. But auto techs ignored her husband’s observation and went on to hit him with additional quotes for service.
Fed up with what she called “a deliberate attempt to mislead” her husband “for financial gain,” the car was brought to another mechanic. Jenna said the tech was able to get the truck on the road “within three hours.” This mechanic confirmed that the vehicle’s coolant reservoir was empty.
Moreover, there was “air in the fuel system,” which the other business corrected. Also, “bolts on the coolant tube” were found to be “missing or loose.” The mechanic also saw that there was an “unresolved error code on the turbo speed sensor.”
Jenna speculated this was connected to the dealership’s replacement of the car’s turbo modules.
In the same email she sent the dealership, she entertained the idea that they may’ve had a “serious lapse in diagnosis” protocol.
Did this Nissan dealership start harassing her in response?
In yet another follow-up video, Jenna uploaded a clip of her discussion with the Nissan dealership’s service manager. She delineates her concerns with how they were treated regarding the car’s “turbo” troubles.
Now, Jenna says the company has resorted to harassing her and her husband. The TikToker stated that her significant other received numerous calls from a private number. As it turns out, it was a representative of the dealership. After answering one of these calls, the rep claimed Jenna wasn’t legally allowed to record their discourse. However, Jenna said she had a right to do so.
“So the saga continues. The service manager has been calling my husband’s phone from a private number,” she says in a clip. “Since like 6 o’clock this morning, and I told him to answer just now in the car. And chimes in and goes, ‘It’s illegal to record somebody.’ And I said, ‘No, it’s not, we’re in Texas. We’re a one consent state.’”
She’s referring to the Lone Star State’s audio recording laws. According to the Texas State Law Library, folks in this jurisdiction are legally allowed to record phone calls. That’s because it’s a “one-party consent” state. This means that you can save the audio from a conversation. This is the case even if other people involved in the discussion aren’t aware they’re being recorded.
Jenna goes on to state in her video, “We were in an area with the door open. Where there were other people mulling around. So, apparently they are now harassing us as well. So, whenever y’all see this, do what you do.”
@mom_needs_booze Service Manager is now harassing us. Do what you do by boosting this post @cavendernissanrockwall TX is a one consent state
♬ original sound – Jenna
Commenters react
Folks who followed Jenna’s documentation of her woes with the Nissan dealership sympathized with her plight.
One person concurred that there was no wrongdoing on her part in recording her conversation with the service manager. However, the business could find itself in hot water for intentionally misleading customers. “‘It’s illegal to record somebody.’ Nah bro, it’s illegal for a dealership to scam somebody,” they said.
Someone else added that any business afraid of being recorded more than likely has something to hide. “Only people scared of being recorded are those doing what they know they shouldn’t be doing,” they wrote.
Another commenter recommended that she contact her local Department of Motor Vehicles regarding the matter. “You can also call the TX DMV they have a Dealer Enforcement Division. And they will interview you to investigate,” they suggested.
One user on the application believes the dealership’s behavior is indicative of their approach to all customers. “This makes you wonder how many people they have already done this to and got away with it. Called fraud,” the commenter said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nissan via email and Jenna via TikTok comment for further information.
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