“Less than 30 days from when we bought this truck.”
One couple thought they’d found the perfect truck.
Now they say that they learned the hard way that once you hand over your money to a dealership or buyer, the chance of them playing fair when something goes majorly wrong is slim.
In a trending video with more than 41,000 views, content creator @dnsmith_09 shared how a truck purchase turned into a monthlong ordeal that left her and her husband deciding not to no longer be loyal to General Motors.
“Our GM story for the last 30 days and how we have lost complete faith,” the text overlay on the video reads.
Smith says that she and her husband have been longtime GM customers and after spending months searching for the right truck, they found what seemed like an ideal option at Elder Ford in Tampa, Florida.
It was a used 2024 GM truck in what Smith describes as perfect condition, with about 18,000 miles on it. Better yet, it still had its original factory warranty, plus a certified pre-owned warranty from the Ford dealership.
The couple bought it on Aug. 30, she says, yet by the next day, they were already having problems. The truck stalled while her husband was driving, but it started working again, so they initially brushed it off.
Then, on Sept. 3, Smith claims it happened again. Her husband managed to get the truck to the dealership, where technicians reportedly couldn’t find any diagnostic trouble codes. Smith says they replaced the fuel pump module and sent him home.
That fix didn’t last, Smith says.
On Sept. 14, the truck stalled again on his way to work. This time, it wouldn’t restart and had to be towed to the dealership. Once again, mechanics couldn’t find any codes indicating what was wrong. They replaced the fuel pump itself and kept the truck until Sept. 18, he says.
Three days later, on Sept. 21, the truck stalled while her husband was driving 70 mph on the interstate. He managed to get it back to the dealership, where technicians kept it for several more days. According to the woman, a mechanic drove the truck roughly 200 miles trying to recreate the problem but couldn’t find anything wrong. So on Sept. 25, the couple picked it up again.
That same evening, they took the truck out to dinner. On their way home, it completely lost power and wouldn’t restart.
Another tow. Another trip to the dealership.
Smith said the dealership told them the truck needed a new engine. But at that point, it only had about 19,000 miles on it, and the couple had owned it for less than a month.
The engine replacement would reportedly be covered under the original factory warranty. But that wasn’t much consolation because they say the dealership told them it could take anywhere from three to eight months to get a replacement engine.
“We literally just want to say, here’s your truck, do whatever you want with it, give us what we paid, and let us buy something else,” she explains.
But she says neither GM nor the dealership would agree to take the truck back. In the meantime, they’ll need a rental, which presents another issue. Her husband regularly uses his truck to tow his boat for fishing and the rental company told them they wouldn’t be allowed to tow anything with a rental car.
The experience has also left her frustrated with what she believes are limited protections for used-car buyers.
She says the couple cannot pursue a lemon law claim because they’re the truck’s second owners, although whether that is the case depends on state law and circumstances.
Elder Ford did not respond to a voicemail seeking comment.
Buying a used car doesn’t automatically mean you’re out of luck if it turns out to be defective.
According to the Florida Bar, Florida’s lemon law can cover second and even third owners, as long as the vehicle is still within 24 months of its original delivery date.
The law generally applies to substantial defects that affect a vehicle’s use, value, or safety and that the manufacturer can’t fix after a reasonable number of attempts.
A vehicle may qualify if the manufacturer fails to repair the same defect after three attempts and a final opportunity to fix it, or if the vehicle spends at least 30 cumulative days out of service for repairs. If a vehicle qualifies as a lemon, the manufacturer may be required to replace it or refund the purchase price.
Smith says that they now have a call scheduled with the GM. But she isn’t particularly optimistic about the outcome.
“So less than 30 days from when we bought this truck, and it needs a new engine, and we are literally just out of luck,” she says.
Now she’s warning other drivers against buying used vehicles altogether.
“This is your PSA to never buy a used vehicle ever. Don’t do it. If you can’t buy new, just don’t even buy it,” she concludes.
“What an awful experience,” she adds in the caption.
Smith didn’t respond to a direct message seeking comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she does.
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