“My car has been missing for five days thanks to Geico.”
The thought of your car getting broken into is terrifying. But unfortunately, it’s not that rare.
While vehicle theft dropped by 17% between 2023 and 2024, according to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 850,708 cars were still stolen in 2024.
Even if it doesn’t end up being stolen, having your car broken into often means immediate repair, and that’s where insurance is supposed to step in and make things easier.
According to TikTok creator Em (@em.in.her.head), though, that’s not how things played out for her.
In a video that’s now gotten more than 1.7 million views, Em explains how her insurance company, Geico, allegedly “lost” her car after it was towed following a break-in. As of now, there’s still no resolution to her situation.
“My car has been missing for five days thanks to Geico car insurance,” Em says at the start of her video.
She explains that her car was broken into the Tuesday before New Year’s Eve. She called the police, filed a report, and then contacted Geico to open a claim.
About 30 minutes later, a tow truck picked up her car and brought it to a lot just down the road from where she lives.
Em says she was told the car would be taken to an auto body shop the following morning. Things started to feel off when she got a call from Enterprise about a rental car reservation.
“At the end of the call, I said, ‘Oh, by the way, which location is this?’” she says. That’s when she realized the location was “over 100 miles” away from her, or about a two-hour drive.
When she asked why the reservation was sent so far away, Enterprise allegedly told her the car was scheduled to be taken to an auto body shop right down the road. Confused, Em called Geico back.
“I’m not quite sure why my car is gonna be towed in the morning 100 miles away,” she says she told them, adding that she lives in a large city with plenty of nearby shops. She says Geico then confirmed the car would instead be taken about 30 minutes away.
The next morning, New Year’s Eve, Em got a call from the auto body shop, the one that was two hours away.
“They say, ‘Hey, we looked at your car. You owe us $3,500,’” she explains. That’s when she stopped the conversation. “Why do you have my car?” she says. “My deductible is $500.”
After calling Geico again, Em says the company told her they had no record of her previous call confirming the closer location. She says she had the representative’s name, the claim number, and the time of the call, but Geico still couldn’t find it.
She says Geico then told her they could move the car to a shop about 20 minutes away. “Perfect. Even closer,” she recalls thinking. She later got a text around 1 a.m. confirming the car was being towed. “I think it’s fine. I’m not worried about it,” she says, explaining that because of the holiday, she assumed she’d hear more on Monday.
When Monday came with no update, Em says she called Geico again. She says they confirmed the car had been towed to the correct shop. Not trusting that answer, she called the shop herself.
“They don’t have my car,” she says.
Geico then told her the car had been towed on Friday. When they called the shop, the shop said no one left a key. “So if the car is in our lot, we didn’t know we had it,” Em recalls being told.
Adding to the confusion, Em says she got a notification from Nissan that her tow alarm had been triggered that morning.
“So where the [expletive] is my car?” she asks. “Who has my car?”
In a follow-up video posted the same day, Em says she still hadn’t gotten an answer. She also says she was told both her adjuster and the supervisor were out of town until the end of the week. As of her last update, she’s still waiting.
In the comments, viewers immediately started offering advice.
“Call the police and report it stolen. Then call Geico and file the claim for your car being stolen,” one person wrote. “They will find it really fast because they don’t want to pay that stolen car claim.”
Another suggested retracing every step. “Call the shop that’s 100 miles away. They may still have it. Also call the towing company that texted you at 1am.”
Some commenters claimed inside knowledge. “Geico records all phone conversations. I worked there. Sue them if they can’t give you answers,” one person wrote.
Others shared similar horror stories. “Girl, my car was stolen & later was found. Towed it to body shop to get fixed & when we called the body shop, they had no record of my car. The tow company sold it.”
The same commenter added that they eventually got paid out for the car, calling it “an awful experience.”
According to responses from lawyers on Avvo.com, if an insurance company directs a tow, either the insurer or the towing company typically bears responsibility if the vehicle goes missing.
If neither party cooperates, attorneys generally advise getting a lawyer involved, specifically one licensed in your jurisdiction, who can help determine liability and push for answers or compensation.
Motor1 has reached out to Geico via email for official comment and Em via TikTok messages. We’ll be sure to update this article if either replies.
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– The Motor1.com Team