Some customers who have bought vehicles from Garage Plus Auto Centre in Ottawa say they feel the dealership have serious safety concerns about the vehicles they purchased.
She says she was sold an unsafe car. Now, she's warning othersKortney Force says she was sold an unsafe 2013 Mazda CX-5 in November 2022 from a used-car dealership in Ottawa. She got the vehicle thoroughly inspected by another mechanic, who found a list of issues ranging from a 'rotting and leaking' exhaust pipe, a loose ball joint to a 'torn' bushing.
Two customers of Garage Plus Auto Centre agreed to speak on the record with CBC News about their experiences. Some customers told CBC they lost money or sold their vehicles for parts. Others say they sought help from the province or vehicle sales regulator Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council , with no satisfying outcome.
"My first and foremost characteristic was safety," Force said, adding she bought the vehicle while caring for a newborn.Force said she did not receive a copy of the safety certificate upon purchase on Nov. 14, but was reassured by a sales associate's texts.Kortney Force stands in front of the Garage Plus Auto Centre in Ottawa. She says the used-car dealership has wasted her time and money by selling her a vehicle with widespread issues.
Over the next three months Force said her tire kept losing air, so she went to a Canadian Tire store where mechanics found a nail had punctured her tire. They replaced it with a spare. After reviewing the list of issues, one automobile expert told CBC those should have been caught during the safety standards inspection, and her vehicle should have failed the certification.Force drives a vehicle she purchased after returning her issue-ridden 2013 Mazda CX-5 from Garage Plus Auto Centre in Ottawa. She feels there isn't adequate used-vehicle safety oversight in Ontario to protect consumers.
A few days after Force returned her vehicle, a red Mazda CX-5 with the same VIN number was posted for sale again on Garage Plus Auto Centre''s website — this time for $13,995 — $1,345 more than what Force paid."It's in great condition! Fully inspected and certified, why spend more [at] other places," the vehicle description read.A screenshot of an advertisement of a 2013 Mazda CX-5 posted on Garage Plus Auto Centre's website between March and April 2023.
Mechanics at a local Honda dealership spent more than a month conducting a long list of tests to find the cause of the stalling. The Honda report, which CBC has seen, states they replaced a failed transmission, believing it to be the cause, but that didn't fix the issue. Because her 30-day warranty period was over, and the inspection with Honda took so long, Blanchard gave up on finding a solution with Garage Plus Auto Centre.Garage Plus Auto Centre said in a statement it "attempted to amicably discuss" this matter "with the customer to no avail."Another customer told CBC his vehicle experienced engine issues, and said he also sold it for parts.CBC has tried to contact some customers who gave the company a five-star Google review.
Nassrallah demanded CBC disclose this exchange publicly to reveal why his client declined an interview "to explain our reasonable position."
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