ComplaintsforMark McLarty Toyota

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Thursday, June 6, 2024, ** ***** ***** ******, purchased a 2021 Dodge Charger GT from Mark Mclarty Toyota.  After finalizing all paperwork, I noticed that the air conditioner would run continuously for about 15 seconds then it would shut off for 15 seconds. This was a continuous cycle.  I pointed this out to one of my salesmen who noticed this as well. After consulting with him, we both concluded that I should drive the vehicle home for the night and see if this discrepancy corrects itself and if not then I was to bring the car back the next morning. Upon my arrival home, I noticed the passenger side headlight of my vehicle was out and the air conditioning was doing the same thing prior to me leaving the dealership.

  On Friday morning, June 7, 2024, I dropped my vehicle off for the passenger side headlight to be fixed and for the air conditioning to be looked at and fixed. On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, I went to pick up my car and was informed by one of the parts/maintenance reps that their maintenance department could not fix the air conditioning because they needed codes from Dodge that they were not allowed to have. The headlight was fixed but the air conditioner was doing the same thing. I was referred to ***** ******** ***** across the street, **** ****** ***** Sherwood, Arkansas. On Wednesday morning, June 12, 2024, I dropped my car off with ***** ******** ***** for them to diagnose and fix the air conditioner for this vehicle.

  On Monday afternoon, June 17, 2024, I picked up my vehicle from ***** ******** *****. I was informed they were waiting on warranty coverage authorization before they could proceed further to work on or order parts for my vehicle. I was informed that my vehicle needed a new distribution housing, new ac actuators, a new fresh air inlet housing, and a new cabinet temperature sensor. I was stunned that a recently purchased vehicle labeled PROUDLY OWNED AND OPERATED BY MCLARTY AUTOMOTIVE would have so many issues with the air conditioning unit.
  

  On Thursday afternoon, June 25, 2024, I received a voicemail from ***** ******** ***** informing me that the CNA Warranty for my vehicle would not cover the parts needed to fix the air conditioning for my vehicle. I was then informed that for $3539.42, ***** ******** ***** would be able to fix my vehicle air conditioning. After receiving this voicemail, I contacted my car salesman informing him I was on my way there and requested he have a warranty manager or a maintenance manager available if possible.
  

  After arriving at Mclarty Toyota and waiting around for a few minutes a sales manager by the name of Terry Milligan came to talk to me. We went into an office to talk. He first stated he did not know why the CNA warranty did not cover the work I needed to have done. After more conversation, I was given my so-called options, one, I could sell the car back to the dealership and see what price we could work out for the resell, or two, I could bring the car back to the dealership for their maintenance department to look at again to see what DEAL we can make on the maintenance charges. I left the dealership and was stunned once again. My options are to take the car back to the dealership to work out a price for them to buy it back or let their maintenance department look at it again after I was told they couldn’t fix it weeks prior and see if we can make a DEAL on the maintenance charges? I was also informed from this sales manager that my vehicle went through an inspection prior to it going on to their sales lot. I left the dealership stunned once again.

  On Friday, June 28, 2024, I noticed a squealing sound coming from what sounded like the front driver’s side wheel. On Friday, July 5, 2024, I dropped my vehicle off with ******** **** ******* in Beebe, Arkansas where it was confirmed that the squealing sound coming from the front driver’s side wheel was laminate that had been put on the rotor. Upon further investigation ******** **** ******* diagnosed the suspension on this vehicle needing front brake pads, front brake rotors, rear brake pads, rear brake rotors, and a rear caliper. The total for parts and labor was $610.97. The air conditioner still runs the same as it has been, runs for 15 seconds and shuts off for 15 seconds.  I have had one of the car salesmen actually approach me after all of this and apologized to me. I asked, “what are you apologizing for” and his response was, “I am apologizing for my dealership.”
  

  This whole experience, in my opinion, has been wrong. It is wrong that I have had so many problems with a vehicle that was supposedly inspected and certified from a well-known and some may say respected dealership, Mclarty Toyota. They may say that it is not certified, but this vehicle was listed in the certified preowned section on their website. That is where I came across it at. The pictures of the vehicle on their website had the caption, PROUDLY OWNED AND OPERATED BY MCLARTY AUTOMOTIVE. That to me says that they are proud to have this vehicle on their lot even though the air conditioning unit does not work properly ($3539.42), and the brake pads and rotors weren’t in good shape ($610.97). Obviously, this vehicle was not certified or even inspected prior to going to their sales lot. So how many other customers are going to have to encounter this insaneness from this dealership and be dealt with the out-of-pocket expenses I have been in a vehicle that is so called PROUDLY OWNED AND OPERATED BY MCLARTY AUTOMOTIVE? Shouldn’t I as a customer shopping for a newer car be confident that the vehicle, I purchase from a known dealership be safe to drive and have all the major parts such as the air conditioning work as they are supposed to?
  With those questions being asked, I feel it is fair that the vehicle I purchased should be equipped with working air conditioning and that should have been taken care of prior to this vehicle being placed on the sales lot. The same should have been done with the brake pads and brake rotors and caliper. One, the air conditioner is a luxury that every car is equipped with and brake pads and rotors and caliper are a necessity for the vehicle to obviously drive in a safe manner. I feel that the air conditioning should be fixed free of charge and the expenses already paid out of my own pocket for the brake pads and brake rotors and left caliper ($610.97) should be reimbursed to me since these things should have been identified through an inspection and fixed prior to this vehicle being placed on the sales lot.

  
  

  (See Attached Letter for full complaint and Attachments)

  

  Business response

  08/07/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau,

  I represent Mark McLarty Toyota, and I have reviewed the complaint made by *** ***** ******. It is my understanding that the dealership has been in touch with *** ****** directly, but he has been out of town. The dealership is willing to address his concerns and repair the vehicle at no charge to him as soon as he makes an appointment to bring it in.

  Should you need additional information, please feel free to contact me.

  **********
  ***** *********
  Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  In response to and to give an update on this matter, contact was made with Mclarty's service department the middle of last week to arrange a time for my vehicle to be brought in.  My vehicle was dropped off to them at 8:15 this morning, August 12, 2024.  I was informed by ***** last week that they will need 3 days to look at and fix my vehicle and I was informed by ****** that they will need 5 days if not a week and a half to look at and fix my vehicle.  At the moment, I am on standby and after talking with ****** this morning the consensus is that if I have not heard anything from them by Wednesday afternoon that I would reach out to them to see where we stand on things. Thanks.  
  
  **********
  
  ***** ******

  

  Business response

  09/11/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau,

  I reviewed *** ******'s response. The dealership will agree to repair the scratched door. The dealership will also agree to reimburse *** ****** the $610.97 shown on the July 5th invoice from ******** **** ******* if *** ****** will agree to sign a release. It is a used vehicle that was purchased "as-is." The dealership wants to make clear that it does not intend to provide any further reimbursements or ongoing repair services for free. *** ****** can reach out to me directly, and I will send him a release agreement to review. 

  Thank you,
  ***** *********
  Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP
  Email: *************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Went ******** grocery to pic up a few things placed bags in the trunk before headed to my appointment I have scheduled Jan. 24, 2024 at 1:00p.m. with Mark McCarty Toyota in NLR for an oil change. I pulled in and was greeted by the service man. Told him I have a appointment for a oil change he check my mileage and then asked if I wanted to get my tires rotated. I asked how much would that be, he gave me a price I then stated that was too expensive and declined. I told him, just want a oil change and he says OK. As I get out of the car I grabbed my phone charger and purse. He asked if I would leave or wait and I said I was going to wait in the waiting area. Couple of hours goes by and I am thinking why so long for this scheduled oil change. Finally my car arrived in the garage, I noticed a woman driving it, I later found out she was the technician that did the oil change. She gave the paperwork and keys to the Service man he let me know my car ready I went to pay for service and left the dealership and head home. I get home pop the trunk to grab my grocery and freaked out because I noticed that the things and grocery bags has been disarranged. I have quite a bit of personal items and heirloom in my trunk that I had planned on transporting earlier that week. I emotionally broke down and felt violated. I called 911 as I drove back to McLarty Toyota to talk to the Manager. The manager ***** ***** was who i spoke with, she said she would look at the video and then told me that the tech should not have been in my trunk if I came for an oil change. I had a bag of old coins and some were missing from the bag. Gifts are broken and damaged my groceries were scattered and out of the bags. McLarty Toyota never help me with the situation but did call to confirm she did go in my trunk to check tire spare pressure. I then told them that my paperwork says she did not check tire spare. In fact I declined any tired service. They felt like their tech did nothing wrong.

  

  Business response

  04/02/2024

  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  My law firm, ******* ******** * ****** **** represents Mark McLarty Toyota. Please consider this McLarty’s response to the complaint made by *** ****** ******. In her complaint, *** ****** claims that some old coins were taken from the trunk of her vehicle while the vehicle was getting an oil change at McLarty. She also claims that gifts were damaged and her groceries were scattered in the trunk. McLarty does not agree with *** ******** allegations.
  
  To be sure, McLarty takes *** ******** complaint seriously. In fact, it investigated her allegations alongside the local police. Although not mentioned in her complaint, Ms. Laster called the police and an officer came to the dealership the evening on the day in question. At that point in the day, nobody was on site to pull the surveillance camera footage, so the officer explained to *** ****** that the officer would return the next day to watch it.
  
  The next day, the officer watched the video footage with the service director and general manager. The footage clearly showed McLarty’s technician removing the items from the trunk and gently placing them on the ground. The footage then shows the technician checking the tire pressure and placing the items back in the trunk. The technician never opened anything, took anything, or left anything on the ground. Instead, the video footage clearly shows that the technician put everything back in the trunk as it was found. Both the service director and the police officer called *** ****** to let her know that the video footage showed nothing was taken and that the technician was simply checking the tire pressure. Checking the tire pressure is a standard part of routine maintenance, even if it is not specifically noted on the customer’s paperwork.
  
  In sum, McLarty did nothing wrong, which the video footage and the police investigation proved. McLarty does not owe *** ****** any compensation, and it considers this matter closed.

  
  Sincerely,
  ***** ********* ******* ******** * ***** ***

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Horrible service. I bought a 2023 Toyota Camry 3/24/2023. I did not have the car 8 hours and the rubber on the tire came off while I was driving down the freeway. When I called them, they said it was my fault that I must have hit a pothole. No, I did not. needless to say, I had to pay for that and a rim. My Ac went out (10/2/2023) in my car I took it to them, and they said a rock just flew past the shield and put a hole in the condenser. I do not even have 19000 miles on my car. They want me to pay 1800.00 to fix it. It is still under warranty. I told them no I'll get a second opinion they made me pay almost $400.00 just for them to tell me this. By the way don't ask to speak to the main manager they will not call you back, when I picked up my car Adam said no one else was there to talk to. The worst dealership in the state. McLarty Toyota has the worst customer service experience I have ever had with a car dealership, and I would suggest that no one bothers to buy a car from here. I need my car fixed.

  

  Business response

  10/19/2023

  Dear Investigator Jewell,

  My law firm represents Mark McLarty Toyota, and I received the complaint made by Ms. ******* about the service she received at the dealership. While McLarty regrets that Ms. ******* is dissatisfied with her experience, McLarty is not responsible for the issues Ms. ******* has raised.

  With regard to the tire, it had 254 miles on it when it failed. Despite suffering a blowout, the car continued to be driven on the rim. As a result, the tire was lost, the rim was damaged beyond repair, and McLarty informed Ms. ******* that she would have to go through her insurance in order to pay for the new tire rim and new tire sensor. The total cost of the repairs was about $1,400. As a gesture of good will toward Ms. *******, McLarty did not charge her for labor and sold her the parts at cost. Thus, she had to pay her deductible but did not have to pay the full $1,400.

  When Ms. ******* returned earlier this month regarding the a/c, McLarty informed her that she would be responsible for the freon and labor if the issue turned out not to be warrantable. Upon inspection, McLarty technicians observed a hole in her a/c condenser that was likely caused by a rock from the road. Unfortunately, Toyota’s warranty will not cover this type of damage. Again, Ms. ******* was informed that she would have to go through her insurance to complete the repair.

  McLarty understands Ms. *******’ frustration, and because she is a valued customer, it attempted to help her by previously reducing costs and not charging for labor regarding the tire rim and sensor. McLarty, however, is not obligated to fix the a/c condenser for free.  The warranty on the vehicle is from the manufacturer, not McLarty.

  I hope that this clarifies matters, but should you need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me. 
  

  Sincerely,
  Kathy *********
  Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP
  Email: m*********@fridayfirm.com

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased the free oil changes up to 90k miles or 72 months I’m at 56k And the dealership told me I have expended all oil changes. Appearantly I was suppose to be changing my oil every 10k miles and they have been changing it every 5k When I was upset about this and why had I not been told. They treated me without care at all and said “we don’t make any money on these anyhow” Basically not my problem attitude I purchased that for peace of mind and I have been robbed of that. If your mom was suppose to get her oil changed every 3k And she has been going every 1500 miles wouldn’t you want them to tell her, Save her? I was not aware it was suppose to be 10k and was never even hinted that This isn’t right Thier attitude wasn’t right They just didn’t care But they did try to sell me a new one By sending a sales associate to my job. “Hey you’re out of coverage now! (Kinda our fault but) buy a new one or screw off. Your problem” I trusted the Toyota name. Serviced it and babied my tundra Was a forever customer. I have an appt at Chevrolet this weekend. I’m Just sad this happened to me. I’m always so cautious and love warranty. I Don’t mind spending extra for peace. And my peace was taken. ……almost forcing me to buy another. It’s just not right. They should honor up to 90k miles as promised or 72 months. They have yet to even acknowledge that I exist and that this happened. I asked to speak to thier manager and they assured he would call. Nothing!

  

  Business response

  06/23/2023

  Dear Investigator *******,
  
  Our law firm represents Mark McLarty Toyota, and I have received a copy of the complaint made by Ms. *****. For starters, McLarty regrets that Ms. ***** was not happy with her experience and interactions with the service center. McLarty values Ms. *****’ business and takes her concerns seriously.  To that end, several representatives tried to reach out to her to discuss this issue. Ms. ***** purchased the vehicle and service contract from another dealership. So, when she came to McLarty and asked for an oil change and tire rotation at each visit, that is what the service department did. The dealership did not know that Ms. ***** was apparently unaware of the terms of the service contract as she states in her complaint. 
  
  In any event, McLarty has since spoken to Ms. *****, and she has visited the dealership. Ms. ***** decided to trade in the Tundra toward the purchase of another vehicle. Again, McLarty values Ms. ***** as a customer, and we hope the matter is now resolved.
  
  Should you have questions or need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** *********
  Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband and I purchased a used car from McLarty Toyota in North Little Rock on 02/11/2023. It was a 2017 Ford Mustang. When test driving the vehicle there was an obvious knocking sound that our salesman was present for and also heard. He assured us this sound would be taken care of and the car would be in working order before it left the lot. We offered to leave the car there so they could continue their inspection and fix the issue, but we were asked to stay and told that wouldn't be necessary. We were told the sound was due to a loose jack in the trunk. After leaving the lot the sound was still there. We called the dealer to inform them they had not fixed it and didn't receive any calls back. We had to pay a $200 deductible for another dealer to work on the car. It still was not fixed. I called McLarty again and was told to bring the car in for an appointment on 03/16/2023 at no cost to us and they would check the car out and try to fix it. A service technician rode in the car with my husband and stated the car was making a very obvious noise and they would get started on it soon. We received a call today, 03/21/2023, from McLarty asking us to retrieve the vehicle because they do not work on Ford vehicles and do not have time to look at it until next week. I called McLarty again and asked for a manager but have not received a return call. I also emailed their general manager but have not received a response. This is very poor customer service. I do not feel as if we should have had to pay to have this vehicle fixed. I don't understand why we are being asked to pick it up. I feel that the dealership should be responsible for fixing the car when the problem was pointed out during the test drive, and we offered to leave it there.

  

  Business response

  04/14/2023

  Dear Investigator *******,

  My law firm represents Mark McLarty Toyota, and we have reviewed the complaint made by Ms. ******* ***** regarding a 2017 Ford Mustang she purchased on or around 2/11/23. McLarty is sorry to hear that Ms. ***** was not satisfied with her customer service experience. As a gesture of goodwill to a valued customer, McLarty repaired the vehicle and delivered it back to Ms. ***** on March 31, 2023. We believe this matter has now been resolved. 

  Should you or the Better Business Bureau need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

  Thank you,

  ***** ********* ******* ******** * ****** *** ************************* ***** ********

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Wednesday, August 3, 2022 I made a payment to McLarty Toyota in the amount of 500 dollars to secure a place in line to be notified for a 2022 Tundra when available. McLarty Toyota stated this is a fully refundable amount and only gives me the right to view and test drive a Tundra when it arrives. In October I informed the finance department I would like a refund as I no longer wanted to wait for a new truck and they had not contacted me with information about one to view. I left 3 messages and never received a return call. I asked the operator to speak with the sales manager and was informed he did not take phone calls concerning refunds. Since they will not return my calls nor let me speak to a manager, I am contacting BBB for help in getting this refund.

• Initial Complaint

  10/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased 2022 Toyota Highlander from McLarty Toyota 3/29/22. We are residents of TX and were told by the finance person with whom we worked that they were handling the transfer of the registration on the trade-in vehicle to the purchased vehicle. They placed the tags and sticker on the new car for us and indicated we had nothing additional to do related to the registration. On 9/21/22 when we went to RENEW the registration, we discovered the registration transfer had never occurred. We followed up with McLarty Toyota and they appeared to follow up on the issue at that time. (At this point, we had been driving the car illegally, unbeknownst to us for about six months.) Upon follow up with them, they indicated the state of TX was charging an additional $398 late fee in order to register the vehicle and that we must pay that before they would proceed with the completion of he registration. It is our opinion that the late fee is the result of negligence of McLarty Toyota not having immediately taken care of the transfer of registration, but they are currently indicating they will not take care of the late fee and will not issue us a temporary tag. So, in effect, we purchased a vehicle from them, driven it illegally for six months because of their negligence, and are now in a position where we cannot drive it at all because we do not have a registration for it (after they committed to completing the registration on our behalf). We would have gladly taken any action needed if they had reached out to us timely, but they waited until we followed up with them - and then followed up on it and discovered there was a late fee associated with it. We would like for McLarty to finish up the registration and pay the late fee themselves in order for us to finally have the ability to legally drive the vehicle we purchased from them almost seven months ago.

  

  Business response

  11/07/2022

  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  
  We received Ms. *****’s complaint about her vehicle registration. As stated in her complaint, Ms. ***** purchased a Highlander from McLarty Toyota and took it to Texas. Registering the vehicle out of state ran into some difficulties, but it has now been resolved. McLarty Toyota regrets any inconvenience that Ms. ***** may have experienced, and it has paid the late fee of $398.00 on her behalf. It is our understanding that Ms. ***** picked up (or was able to pick up) her plates and registration in Texas last week.

  If the BBB needs more information or has questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

  Sincerely,

  ***** ********* ******* ******** *** ****** *** *************************

  Customer response

  11/07/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that the basic premise of the response is accurate, and our vehicle is now legally registered in TX. 

  Our experience with the salesperson at the dealership was very pleasant and the gentleman with whom we worked was wonderful to deal with. The exception I take with the response supplied on behalf of the dealership is that it phrases it in a manner which makes it sound as if the delay was due to the complexity of the out-of-state purchase. The delay was attributable to the finance group at the dealership's delay in taking any action after the purchase and waiting until we followed up with them once we discovered it was not registered - six months later. Further, ***** ****** at the dealership attempted to bully us into paying the late fee and refused to provide a temporary tag after the extra fees were discovered. 

  Thankfully, we also reached out directly to Toyota and actions taken by the customer relations manager were much more reasonable, fully admitting that there was no logical way to conclude that the late fees were attributable to anything on our part. We greatly appreciate the work **** ******* did to help us reach a resolution. I fully believe that we would be in the same situation at this time if it were not for the fact that we reached out to Toyota directly. 

  There is nothing further we want from McLarty Toyota, but we felt the need to ensure our thoughts as related to the response provided on behalf of McLarty were recognized. We would be happy for our complaint to be included on your public site to allow others to see the experience we had. Again, we have nothing but positive to say about our salesperson and the Toyota customer relations manager with whom we dealt, but others with whom we dealt appeared to negligent and refused to take responsibility for that negligence. 

  
  Sincerely,****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Went in to McClarty Toyota Service department on 4/30 and was told I needed a wheel alignment - paid 239.68. Went in again on 8/15 and was told I needed a wheel alignment - paid 347.15. After second visit, returned because the front wheel on drivers side sounded very funny and they did not snap a siding piece back in place. I asked them to check the tire out and was told that it just needed to wear down. Additional services were also done on both days. Beginning of September, my car wheel was shaking really bad so I took it to a tire shop to have tires looked at again. Immediately, they told me there were two tires that needed to be replaced because they were separating/tearing from inside and that a wheel alignment should have never been done - I needed NEW tires. Paid this place to replace the bad tires. Returned to Toyota on 9/7 and spoke with Service Manager, showed him the bad tires and he agreed he would reimburse me for one of the wheel alignments. I expressed how this situation could have turned out to be detrimental to my safety and my children’s due to their negligence. He said he would mail a check - almost a month later and nothing.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩