Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a used car in March 2024, and the car was not inspected by the state prior to the sell. I received a call from NKY in May 2024 stating I needed to meet the employee for an inspection at the ********* ******. During the inspection the ******* stated there could not be a temp tag on the car because the car was not ready to be sold. I was given a new temp tag after the inspection. It is now August 3rd 2024, and the car is still registered to *** Auto. Further, the sales person stated the car was from an "estate sell". However, the ******* stated the car was totaled due to "belts". I have put 2,500 miles on the car. Meaning, the car had 71,000 miles on it when I bought in March 2024. The car has 73,500 miles on it in August 2024. During that time, I have had to replace the tires, brakes, tie rod, and intermediate drive shaft. Last weekend, the transmission went out. The car supposed to have a 134 point inspection prior to the sell, according the the companies website. I would have thought this kind of thing would have been caught by the inspection. I'm assuming this inspection wasn't done or maybe was "rubber stamped" through. Now, I have a car that I cannot drive. I cannot sell or junk the car, because *** Auto technically still owns the car. I would like to get the car repaired or a refund of the purchase price. The repairs after purchase were my responsibility. I feel pretty taken advantage of. Thanks, ****

  

  Business response

  08/05/2024

  ****, thanks for sharing your frustration and I certainly am disappointed to hear that your transmission went out after just 5 months of ownership.  I know we offer our buyers the option to purchase 1 year powertrain warranty but suspect you  did not do this because if you did then obviously have them replace the transmission.  I understand it is tough to buy a $417.50 warranty when the entire car is $6,100 so I get it.  

  As for the title I am sorry you have had to wait so long.  I my 15+ years in the car business I have never seen it this slow. It is frustrating for all of us and certainly understand where you are coming from.  A group of car dealers have actaully picked the Motor vehicle commission just last week raising these same concerns over how backed up all the title processing is.  I wish I could do something to help speed up the process but assure you that our title agent will be in touch with you as soon as we get the title in hand.  I appreciate your understanding on this and look forward to getting it taken care of for you.

  Thanks

  M*** R***

  

  Business response

  08/15/2024

  Spoke with Mr ****** and agreed to purchase the car back from him.

  Thanks

  M*** R***

  Customer response

  08/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

  The dealership gave me my money back. The complaint can be closed. 
  
  Thank you,
  ****
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Bought my car in March of 2023, I called in January because my check engine light came on to be told that I would have to pay $65 for them to see why the check engine light is on. I asked about the warranty that came with the car, but was told it doesn’t cover the test. So I take my car to another car lot to get a FREE check engine light check and was told it is timing work. I call Mark at NKY auto and he says the timing work isn’t covered. What is covered? I then take my car to another shop to get the timing fixed & they tell me I need a new engine $7300! NKY auto tells me my warranty is now expired! I have a car with 77k miles on it and owned for a year that i can’t drive no longer. This needs addressed!

  

  Business response

  04/22/2024

  Mr Knippenberg,

  I truly am sorry that you are having these issues with your ******.  After having the car of 15 months and 17K miles to have the engine go bad I'm sure was disappointing. Unfortunately you are correct that our craftsmanship warranty that we offer standard with all our cars only covers the work we performed while repairing/reconditioning the car.  As you may recall when you purchased the car our salesperson offered you a powertrain warranty for an additional fee to cover your engine and transmission.  Unfortunately you declined this at the time and now that your engine has gone bad it is too late to purchase the powertrain warranty.

  This is a touch situation and both sad and frustrating.  If you are interested in having the engine replaced I can talk with my service manager about getting you a discounted cost that could come it at less than the $7,300 you have been quoted elsewhere.  I will instruct him to do it at our cost to save you on both the parts and the labor.  

  Glad to help any way I can.  Feel free to reach out to me personally at the dealership.

  Matt R***

  General Manager

• Initial Complaint

  05/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dangerous business. I bought a **** ****** ****** (18k out the door) late summer last year. Was told by sells person that "wiring harness" was damaged (water damage) but all they had to do was replace radio and "everything worked fine". Less than 7 months later I'm almost in major car accident (collision censor malfunctioned), radio won't work, A/C works intermittently. I was told by Mike (service manager) that they had replaced radio and everything else checked out. They NEVER replaced radio, called me a liar, implied that i'm a con-artist (Actually I'm a critical care respiratory specialist), and manipulator . Owner never called me back. They offered to buy vehicle back..... for half the price i paid for it. Kicker.... They cant find where they actually fixed the reason it was "totaled" in the first place. The car wasn't even legal to sell. Sales manager laughed at situation.

  

  Business response

  05/13/2023

  I'm sorry to hear about your experience as it sounds frustrating and expensive.  We strive to always provide the best quality cars at the best prices so I am disappointed any time I hear of someone who has not shared that experience.  I have been made aware of your situation from my service manager Mike, my shop foreman Joe and my sales manager David.  As I am sure you are aware we have taken your car to two different Nissan dealers (at no cost to you) and both of them have performed complete diagnostic checks and road tests of your vehicle and found no issues or concerns.  I understand you feel their is a issue however we can not fix something that is currently not broken or able to repeat itself.  We have provided free loaner cars for your use while doing repairs to your car also at no cost to you.  You have mentioned that your radio is not working and your A/C is not cold.  As you know we provide a 1 year warranty on all our cars so if you would like those issues looked at and repaired all you would need to do is make an appointment with Mike and we will get them addressed.  I understand you also have a desire to sell the car and if that is what you want to do then Dave can help you if you with that.  Thanks Matt R***

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased a used vehicle with a 6 month warranty that covered damage from what deemed the car a salvage vehicle with a salvage title. The company is not responding to phone or email messages to multiple contacts. Transmission is faulty 3 days after sale and in need of repair. ***** ******* and ****** ** ********* realize that it has a problem shifting and tells me that a rebuild is required. Price is an estimated $4,600.00. I will have to seek legal action in order to find out what should be covered under the 6 month warranty coverage. Customer support has been non existent after the sale.

  

  Business response

  07/15/2023

  Good morning ***** and thanks for your recent purchase.  I am sorry you are having troubles with your new purchase and want to make sure that everything is taken care of.  As you know our cars do come with a warranty that covers anything related to the work we performed on the vehicle.  If you believe this is related please do not hesitate to contact us.  We have a full time service manager Mike Lepore that manages our 8 mechanics and schedules our 6 loaner cars.  Mike is available Mon - Fri from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at ###-###-####.  If for any reason you feel like Mike isn't helping you to your satisfaction please dont hesitate to contact me Matt R*** the general manager and I will be glad to assist in any way I can.   Thanks Matt R

  Customer response

  08/09/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****
  

  Customer response

  08/11/2023

  They would not respond to my emails, ******** messages, phone messages and messages left with employment by phone or in person. They finally responded to you after a few months.  I was not able to let a car that I just paid for sit 6 months to see if they would finally repair it or even tell me what the warranty is or would cover.  I repaired it on my own at the cost of $3,321.66 for a transmission rebuild.  Did they respond in 4 or 5 months to you?

  Customer response

  08/11/2023

  yes

  Customer response

  08/11/2023

  I received no response.  I would like them to tell me what my warranty covered.  It was a six month warranty so it has expired surprisingly on the day they responded.  The warranty needs to be extended as well.  Possibly pay for the repair bill if it is covered.

  

  Business response

  08/27/2023

  We purchased the vehicle back from ** *****.  This has been resolved.

  Customer response

  08/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  They did not buy my vehicle back as they stated.  If they are saying they will buy it back I will accept that.  I have not been contacted in any way such as a phone call, text, mail or email since I filed with the BBB.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****
  

  

  Business response

  10/13/2023

  I'm sorry for the confusion.  The vehicle that was purchased back was a different vehicle.  If there was a problem with a car we sold within 3 days of the sale then all you would have needed to do was bring it to our service department and they would take care of it.  We do not reimburse for repairs made at other repair shops or dealers.  At this point all that would be covered is what is under the warranty.  

  I just looked up this car in our system and we did not do any work to the transmission so it would not be a covered item under our standard warranty.  If you did not purchase the additional powertrain warranty then their is no coverage on our end.  I am sorry you are having these issue and wish it had not happened.  Unfortunately cars are mechanical devices that do need to be maintained.

  Thanks Matt

• Initial Complaint

  10/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Northern Kentucky Auto Sales I purchased a vehicle from Northern ky auto sales on 8/5/21 and the repairs have not stopped. I have experienced multiple safety concerns with a the air bag system. The vehicle was prompting air bag service needed , took it to a ********* dealership and found out the seat belt clip was never replaced from air bag deployment of a prior collision , the wire harness had damage and for some reason there was a resistor solder in line with the damaged harness. After that repair, car was still prompting air bag service, this time it was the spring coil system inside the steering wheel , it was faulty due to the replacement part being foreign to the vehicle, wire harness from foreign spring was spliced and taped with ********* connectors for so called repair. Once summer came , I realized then the evaporator was punctured and needed to be replaced. Front end axle body were damaged and was rigged at mounting location with multiple washer and other fasteners. Front control arm needed to be repaired. Rear bumper, passenger side has come loose from faulty repairs , there was 1 bolt fasten to car body and some type of adhesive applied to inside of bumper body to hold it in place. As of today 10/18/22 the car is again inoperable due to transmission failure, repair shop states that it will have to be a full rebuild to drive again. $4,500. To date I have spent $5,117 on repairs and a authorize ********* dealership has stated this vehicle need additional repairs costing $4,055.18.

  

  Business response

  10/26/2022

  Thanks for reaching out regarding your request for a refund. I am disappointed that you have had issues with your car and certainly hope that it doesn't continue to give you troubles.  As we talked about on the phone the other day cars are mechanic devices and they unfortunately do need to be repaired to keep them running in optimal condition.  I was disappointed to see that you declined the warranty that we offered you at the time of purchase so their for didn't have financial protection to help cover these additional maintenance expenses.  In regards to buying your car back from you I did agree to use the same % of retail that you purchased the car from us to establish the buy back amount based off the current value of the car. In addition I offered to pay you this amount even though the car currently needs a transmission.  As you mentioned the transmission is a $4K cost to get repaired and as I mentioned it will cost me about $3K to remarket and sell the car.  

  You declined the warranty, your having issues that are not covered by any other protection plan, and I have offered to help ($7K) despite having no obligation. I wish you were not in this situation and certainly hope that my offer can be of assistance to you.  Thanks Matt R***

• Initial Complaint

  10/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My daughter purchased two vehicles from Northern Ky Auto sales. The first car was exchanged with Northern KY auto sales since they could not title the car in Ohio where she is currently residing. This took over 6 months to figure out. Complaint 1. They should have never agreed to sell a vehicle where they new it would be difficult or impossible to title in **. We found an equitable solution by returning this vehicle and purchasing a second vehicle from them. However, the second vehicle had a similar problem and took 5-6 months for car to be titled in **** and my daughter to receive plates. After driving the car for less than 4 months, in July the turbo charger and transmission sensors failed which cost $ 1400 to repair, in August, the fuel pump failed and yesterday the car died again with a dead battery. My daughter purchased this car for around $ 15000 of money she worked and saved for around 4 years. As I found out later, Northern KY Auto sales fills their lots with cars with rebuilt titles. Which makes them difficult to title in other states. Our experience is that the vehicles are mechanically unreliable and unsafe to drive. My daughter has been left on the roadside with broken down car three separate times. Clearly their inspection process to ensure vehicle reliability and safety is faulty.

  

  Business response

  11/08/2022

  I have just read your email and am sorry you are having issues with your ******.  I remember working with you and your daughter on the previous issue and am glad you were able to get the ****** but disappointed it has been breaking down on you.
  
  
  I have reviewed the two receipts you provided previously for the Fuel pump module and the turbo wastegate.  Yes it is frustrating and expensive to deal with and unfortunately there's no way to test or check these parts to know if they are going to fail at some point in the near future.  They are not like brake pads that can be inspected or motor oil that lasts specific mileage. 
  
  
  I get that you are disappointed and feel like the dealer that sold you the car should have somehow known these parts were going to fail but we simply have no way of knowing.  We take pride in our pre-sale inspections and how thorough we are with looking over every car that we sell and making sure that anything that can be addressed has been.  As you know cars are mechanical machines and there are items that can and will fail without any warning.  It sounds like you have had a bad string of repairs and I am sorry to hear about this but from reading the receipts these are not items that we missed on our inspections nor would any dealer be able to even check on an inspection or predict eminent failure. 

  When you purchased the car you were given the opportunity to purchased a 3 year mechanical warranty that would have covered these items however you opted not to.  We strongly encourage people to get the protection plans if maintenance costs could be problematic for them.  Unfortunately their is nothing we can do now to change the past.
  
  
  I am sorry this has happened and certainly hope you have better success with the car moving forward.
  
  
  Thanks
  Matt R***

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a used vehicle from them about 1.5 years ago. The title is “new” however both Chrysler Jeep’s Regional Manager and my mechanic have confirmed it is essentially a rebuilt. With 1.5 hours of research we discovered this- so clearly Northern Kentucky Auto Sales did too and is hiding it, or didn’t do an inspection. I bought the CarFax too- not on there? I have spent thousands fixing a car with 30,000 miles. Northern Kentucky Auto Sales did not disclose the truth to me about the vehicle- that it had extensive flood damage. I would not have purchased the vehicle had I known. When we called them to discuss the issue, they transferred us to the original owner of the vehicle so we could fight it out amongst ourselves! That is incredibly inappropriate and an invasion of privacy for that owner. My quarrel is not with the previous owner but with the company that advertised as having done an inspection on a vehicle that they either did not do an inspection on OR lied about what they found. I bought the car under the impression that it passed an inspection but my mechanic confirmed to me that it would have never been able to do so. The first time I brought the vehicle into my mechanic after purchasing it (within 60 days of purchase) he laughed and said it’s a rebuilt with severe damage everywhere. Chrysler Jeep’s regional manager said they have “never seen anything like it”. I would like to prevent other people from being fooled by this group and purchasing “lemons” like I did. If there is any compensation to be had, I would take literally anything to just have a functional vehicle. I have ran my savings account empty just to keep this car running and it still is breaking down on me. I cannot even trade it in worth anything without continuing the lie that Northern Kentucky Auto Sales has started. Whether that be paying for repairs, trading it in for one of their vehicles, etc. I have been wronged. I am a 25 year old just trying to make ends meet.

  

  Business response

  08/22/2022

  ****** I am disappointed to hear that you are having troubles with you Jeep.  We take pride in our work and reconditioning process and always take the extra steps to make sure our cars are right during our rebuilding process.  As you know this was not one of the cars that went through our reconditioning process like the ones we purchase from insurance companies but instead this was a trade in unit from someone who purchased a different car from us.  We did the same thing you did and checked the carfax and didn't see any negative history. 

  I did get a chance to speak with you husband the other day and reviewed a couple items with him as well as offered to help with some of the repairs:

  1. You all turned down the opportunity to purchase an extended warranty from us when you purchased the car.

  2. The car did not come with any warranty that covers any of the items you have had an issue with.  

  3. I do frequently help customers that have recently purchased a car and are having difficulties by performing work under good faith.  However this is usually limited to within the first 2 weeks and not 1.5 years after the purchase.

  Please do not hesitate to follow up with me anytime as I am always available and look forward to hearing from you.

  Thanks

  **** ****

   

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  12/23/21 purchased a **** ***** ****** ppwk states tires had 5/32 tread. When questioned, the salesman, David said tires were great; he had driven the car to ****** **. On 2/2/22, driving to/from *********/********* in a substantial rain, I found I was sliding, fishtailing, with the back tires unable to maintain traction. I never drove more than 40 mph, most of the time with my flashers blinking. I phoned the dealership that day; no one returned my call 2/2, 2/3, 2/4 or 2/5. On 2/7, I phoned the owner, Matt R***. who agreed to replace the tires at HIS costs, which was $6.32 less than what I had to pay. At *******, I was informed that not only were the 2 back tires bald, 1 had a sizeable gash in it, and the mechanic was surprised that I had not suffered a blowout. On 2/16, the car died in a parking lot. I phoned the owner, who told me to have it towed to their repair shop. On 2/18, I phoned the shop. talked to Mike, who stated the car was scheduled to be seen at noon. I was shocked my car sat there for at least 48 hours! From my estimation, the car was not looked at until after 3 PM. 2 phone calls later, Mike deemed it was not a loose battery cable, and 'it must be something else'. I have heard nothing more. I was also denied reimbursement for the towing expense. I have since found out it is illegal to sell a vehicle that is unsafe, which is clear that it was and still is. I firmly believe that their lack of making the vehicle road worthy before the sale, lack of working on the vehicle, lack of contact, and lack of reimbursement for towing is related to my age and also because I am a woman. I am being taken advantage of by this company. Mike also informed me that I would not receive the towing bill refund because 'we have done enough for you in replacing the tires". I want my vehicle fixed completely at no expense to me, and I want to be reimbursed for the cost of the towing bill of $196.10. My car to be delivered to **** ****** location because loaner also unsafe.

  

  Business response

  03/26/2022

  I am truly sorry that ** ****** is unhappy with her purchase and am glad to work with her to make this right.  At this time we gave ** ****** to option to return the car for her money back.  She did do this and we returned to her the 100% of the money she paid us for the car and all of our dealership fees.  The car had been transferred into her name so unfortunately the DMV has no process for her to apply to get back her sales tax since she did have the car for over 3 months.

   

  As for the tires I understand her concern and we did help her with this cost but please know the tires still had 150% more tread on them than the manufacturer recommended replacement.  The manufacturer recommends replacement at 2/32 and the tires were still at 5/32.  Brand new they came with 10/32 so they were a little under half life so we did this out of good faith.

   

  I hope ** ****** is able to find a car that she is happy with and look forward to the opportunity to work with her again someday should the opportunity arise.

   

  Thanks

  Matt R***

  General Manager

   

   

  Customer response

  03/30/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below. 1. R***'s explanation re: tires is a total lie. He even changed his story from what he said 10 weeks ago. The salesman David K***** claimed the tires were 'great'; the ppwk claimed the tires were 5/32 tread. I personally saw the back 2 tires, including the huge gash in 1; the tires were bald, completely smoothe, flat. Lie #1. 2. I was NEVER EVER offered my $ back. After the car completely died on me 3 separate occasions, I started asking for my $ back. So, Lie #2. 3. The 1st time the car died, it sat in their parking lot, untouched, for 2.5 weeks, before they finally took the car to *****. I did not get the car back for almost 3 weeks. 3 days later, it died a 2nd time. It sat on their lot for 2 weeks, untouched. They refused to take it back to the ***** dealership, even though they KNEW it needed to be returned there. I did not get it back for over 2 weeks, after they slapped a battery in it because 'we don't really know what's wrong with it; maybe it is the engine.' (per Mike, repair shop mgr). 3 days later, it died again. I was informed that the car was just sitting in the lot, and when I finally did receive some of my money back at my request, the car was exactly at the spot where it was towed to. So, for all the headache, the lies, the lack of reliable transportation, having to miss family events, church, and physical therapy, and selling an unsafe vehicle to me, then R*** refuses to return the sales tax. If he ever gets this car fixed, he will sell it and make all his $ back. If he has to junk it, he will also make $ selling it for parts, salvage and also as a tax write off. I was so poorly treated; I came in to this business as a partially disabled, middle-aged, and single woman. I was used and clearly, taken advantage of. Also, when my trade in was returned to me, it was clearly used by several people. It was filthy, garbage had been left on the seats and floor, this inside windows were smudged up and the passenger side windshield wiper was broken. So, more work and loss of $ due to their negligence. No, I am not satisfied with his explanation filled with falsehoods. NKYASS needs to be held responsible for their poor, illegal business practices, including discrimination. Refund ALL of my money, and answer to the legal system for the laws they break.
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ******* * ******
  
  

*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. ↩