Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Lithia VW's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Lithia VW

  3335 Del Webb Ave NE Salem, OR 97301-0365

• 

  Lithia VW

  745 Liberty St NE Salem, OR 97301

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On June 6th, 2024. I purchased a 2018 Tesla Model 3 and traded in my 2015 Highlander. The issues is the dealership told me that I qualified for the Clean Vehicle Tax Credit for $4000. I gave the dealer the credit to put towards the Tesla final price. They did not tell me about any income I had to meet to qualify for this credit. The only thing they said was the vehicle meet the qualifications. After finishing signing documents. I did my taxes and it stated I made more then $112,500 for 2023 or 2024 and I did not qualify for the credit. I have to now pay back the $4000 to the Government. I called the Dealer Finance person and said they can not do any thing about this. He also stated that they always do a verbal asking the consumer how much they make. They did not state anything about my income or even check how much I made, to see if I qualified for the $4000 credit. I did not sign anything stating my income was less then $112,500. They told me they can not legally check my income to see how much I made. Stating that why do they not wait a day or 2 so I can check how much I made that year. Seems they just wanted to hurry and sign docs. I need help to see if they will reimburse me for the $4000. I think its a breach of the contract on their half. They should have stated to me I must make less then $112,500 or I will have to pay it back if I don't qualify for the credit. Nothing was stated. I attached the only paper work they gave me.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2025

  THIS CUSTOMER STATES THE "DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT I QUALIFIED FOR THE CLEAN VEHICLE TAX CREDIT FOR $4000." THE CUSTOMER SUBSEQUENTLY SIGNS THE ATTACHED IRC SECTION 30D/25E SELLER REPORT WHICH STATES CLEARLY THE SELLER IS NOT PROVIDING ANY TAX ADVICE UNDER THE TAXPAYER-PURCHASER ATTESTATION. WE DO NOT MAKE ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO WHETHER A CUSTOMER QUALIFIES OR NOT FOR A REBATE. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/10/2025

   
  Complaint: 22925283
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The form I signed only states the qualifications for the vehicle and never states the customer had to make an income qualification.
  Why was it not stated for me to check my income. They (Dealership) had me sign a form IRC Section 30D/25E Clean Vehicle Tax Credit Seller ***ort that goes the **** This proves the dealership was aware the consumer has income verification that need to be checked and was not asked at time of the sale. The only item mentioned was the car qualified for the rebate, and I could use the $4000 towards the price of the car. I just had to sign the document.
  This is a miss leading form stating the dealer is only checking his part and not telling the consumer there are other items to check. Instead, the dealerships put in fine print consider consulting a CPA or tax attorney before claiming the credit hoping this covers them in court if the consumer does not qualify. This makes it easy for the dealership to get their money from the Government quickly and let the consumer having to deal with qualification they are unaware of. 
  They (Dealership) only put the wording the Seller is not providing tax advise to hope this covers them in court, so they can make a quick sell and not worry about the consumers qualification. This is breach of contract, and the dealer will be held liable for the not mentioning remaining items to check for a rebate.  Income verification should be a line item for the consumer to check and sign. Consumer never knew of the credit rebate until it was mentioned by the car sales *** and head of finance.
  
  As stated in dealer response:
  A: We (Dealer) do not make any suggestions as to weather a customer qualifies or not for a rebate.  (False)
  When I (Consumer) called the head of finance, he stated they always ask verbally for a verification of income for rebates qualification. He told me that legally a dealership can not request for a verification of income, so they only do a verbal. He stated he asked me at time of purchase if I made more than $112,500 a year so I would qualify for the rebate. I informed him he did not tell me this at the time of sell.
  Its immoral and criminal to state that you did not make any suggestions as to weather a customer qualifies or not for a rebate, when your head of financial informed me (consumer) over the phone conversation we had. That I qualified for the rebate, and it could be added to the deal.
  
  As reading and stating the info above: Is the dealership willing to help me find a solution for this $4000  that I must pay back? I am open to any offer that might help me.
  
  If the dealer does not offer any help and says it is the consumers fault, and they will not help me resolve this issue.
  Then I will continue to contact the Oregon attorney general (*** ********)  to inform  Oregon house of Representatives of this Clean Vehicle Tax Credit dealership loophole and to bring awareness to the consumer.  Consumer protection is an issue here.
   My legal council will help me with the next steps if the issue is not resolved out of court.

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/09/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid them $500 for a car that broke down 2 hours after buying they gave me a rental while they got me another vehicle..when returning the rental and picking up the other vehicle they told me I needed another 500 down witch I did not have any they kept my original $500 downpayment and harassed me the whole time I was there

  Business Response

  Date: 03/06/2025

  I HAVE PROCESSED A SECOND CHECK FOR $500 IN THE NAME OF THE CO-BORROWER **** ****.  THE FIRST HALF OF THE DEPOSIT WAS $500 AND A CHECK WAS SENT TO **** **** FOR THAT ON OR ABOUT 2/3/25.  THE SECOND CHECK WILL GO OUT BY *** ON 3/7/25.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/17/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I love my new car. However, I am very unhappy with the blatant lack of integrity this dealership exhibits. I worked out a deal with a saleswoman named ******** on August 5th. She even let my daughter test drive the vehicle as I live 6 hours away. I told her I would be there the next day to purchase the vehicle. After a 6 hour drive, I show up and they are expecting me, but ******** is not there. I get to the end of the deal and we are signing paperwork. I was expecting to get some money back as the vehicle I was purchasing was $21700 and my trade in was worth $25500, in addition to the $4000 federal credit for buying a used electric vehicle. They told me they were only sending money to the dmv for my taxes, but that I would be responsible for the title and registration. I asked them why and they said it was because I was out of state. I then noticed the charge for ************* and said that I did not want it. They told me all of their vehicles had it and having it removed was not an option. They even took the rest of the money I should have received and put it towards a longer subscription of *************, completely against my wishes. Since I had driven So far, I decided to just let it go. Yesterday, Friday August 16th, I went to the local DMV to get my license plates and register the vehicle. I was charged over $700 for the registration because it was expired in July. It did not matter that I just bought it. I was responsible for the penalties from the previous owners. So here I am, with an anti theft service that I didnt want and have recently learned does not give an insurance discount in ********** (even though the dealership told me it would) and paid an extra $700 for penalties that should have been taken care of by the dealership. Do not buy a car at this dealership. They will lie and take advantage of you in every way that they can.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/15/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I want to cancel the aftermarket dealer warranty I was told I could cancel at anytime.I made an email inquiry about getting this done.I keep getting told by ***************** the request has been referred to a manager. He won't say what manager though. Phone contact with a manager is impossible.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/13/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new VW ID.4 from VW of **********************. Because it was an electric car i wanted some extra peace of mind and purchased the extended warranty which covers a rental car free of charge. the car doesn't even have 3000 miles on it yet, but i need to bring it in for an issue that they say will take days. I told the receptionist that i will require a rental car and she told me that they were "first come first serve" and that it would be a guarantee that I would be able to get a vehicle the day I dropped it off. I told her that I have a contract that said otherwise and that I will expect a vehicle. She said she would have someone call me. I had a gentleman call me and inform me that they have a budget for curtsey cars and that they have already reached that threshold. (obviously the receptionist lied - or is it him?). He offered me to rent a car at $35 a day and then he said he would discount it to $20 a day. When I declined that suggestion, He said if I waited until April 6th, the money would re-populate and I could get a car at that time. I told him I would take the appointment under duress. So now I have an appointment in April while every week my breaking system and rotors are getting more and more damaged along with everything else attached. VW of Salem needs to do what they are obligated to do without further damaging my car.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/05/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a 2018 Range Rover, $54,678, with a 60 day or ***** mile warranty on October 9, 2023. The beginning mileage on the contract, warranty, and reported to ********** was ******. On December 8, 2023 the Range Rover started smoking and the engine died. The car was still under warranty. I called Volkswagen of Salem the next day and spoke to *******************, Financial Manager. He said not to worry I was under warranty. I was transferred to *****************, Service Manager, I told him what happened, he said I could tow it 36 miles to Salem (I was in *********** at my sons home) or I could tow it to a mechanic of my choosing. He said the car leaked engine like a sieve he had to put in a lot of coolent. He told me not to worry I was still under warranty.I had car towed to ********************** which specializes in Range Rovers. Kings Cross checked the car and said there was a catastrophic engine problem due to a drive chain failure. It needs a new engine, a $25,000 to $30,000 plus to fix. The car will never drive again with that motor. I called **** immediately, would get back to me after he talked to Kings Cross. ***** called wanted the mileage currently on the odometer. The mileage at the time of the engine failure was *****. ***** said he would get back to me. ***************** called me the next day and told me ***** had put the wrong mileage by mistake on the original contract documents. Beginning mileage on the contract should have been ****** not ******. He said I drove ***** miles in 59 days! **** said he was sorry but the car is not under warranty after all. He repeated "you are not under warranty" three times as if I was hard of hearing. I absolutely did not drive even close to ***** miles! They are not interested in talking to me now and I am out $54,678. If an odometer is tampered with, or misrepresented, isn't that supposed to be a felony? When false information is on a contract, the contract should be voided.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Short version. I purchased a car from them. They said the tires were good and signed off on the paperwork. The tires had cord showing, they were bad. They said they would replace them. Have not heard from them. They do not return my calls. This started last week November 21,2023.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On April 3rd, 2023 my husband and I purchased a Model 3 Tesla from Lithia. The vehicle had some scratches and dents on the rear bumper, and a broken driver side mirror. We wrote into the purchasing contract that it would be fixed for **. After signing the contract, we were told the vehicle would be ready to go within one day with the mirror fixed. This changed to three days, but then we were told we could take the vehicle and that we would receive a call within 2 weeks to schedule repairs to be fixed on a future date. We took the vehicle on April 4th. We didn't receive a phone call until April 18th to schedule the fixes. My husband brought the vehicle in on April 26th, at 7:30 am. At this time, he asked about painting over another scratch on the car, but they told him that they would not even paint the damaged bumper-that they would only fix the dents, not the paint because that was what was written into the agreement. We were under the impression that the damage would be fixed completely. Then, we were told we were going to pay for a rental car for this one day fix. This turned into a three day job. They did cover the cost of the rental car for our inconvenience. Upon picking the car up, the rear damage was not fixed. As well as this, the car was tracked going 75 mph in a 25-30mph zone at 3:06 pm. Within a 1 mile trip, the car used 487/wpm which diminished 2 percent of its charge, when on average it uses 233/wpm per trip. This led ** to believe the car was driven very recklessly in the hands of this dealership. Upon approaching the sales staff about the situation, they claimed the car was picked up at 2:30. This was not true based upon the phone call timestamp where my husband got off the phone at 2:57, and was told that the vehicle was not on their lot at this time. We are extremely disappointed with how we were treated at this business, feel taken advantage of, and hate that our property was misused as well. This is not an ethical way to do business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a 2013 Jetta TDI on Monday OCT 3rd 2022 at Lithia VW in Salem, OR around 11:30 AM. I paid $18,000 for the car. It is a manual transmission with 64k miles on it. I flew to ******** and drove the car back to ******* **, where I live. On Friday morning OCT 7th 2022, I was driving in ******* meeting my friend for a hike and the clutch wasn't working properly. The clutch pedal was loose and spongey. When I would let off the clutch, the pedal would sink down. I was driving down the road and the car would not shift into 5th or 6th gear. I somehow made it into a nearby parking lot and the car would not shift past 3rd gear. By now the catch point was about a centimeter from the ground. I barely let off the clutch and the car would stall. It might as well have not even be a manual transmission at that point. Also by then, the car wouldn't shift into any gear. I had to get the car towed to the nearest Volkswagen dealership (VW Mall of *******) for repairs. I'm still waiting to get it fixed. It may need a brand new clutch. I called the dealership in OR and asked what was going on with the car. I told them the clutch wasn't working properly. They told me it passed their inspections with flying colors and there was nothing they could do to help me. it was out of the 3k mile warranty after I got the car back to *******. There is no way it would have passed inspections with the clutch like that. Either they honestly missed something, or they knew about it and sold it to me anyways. Because a clutch doesn't go out in 4 days. And on my drive back to ******* from ********, I was barely engaging the clutch pedal, due to being on the highway, so wear and tear wasn't really present. And I've been driving this specific manual car for years and I've never had this issue. I should not be liable for any repairs, warranty or not. This was malpractice by the dealership and is something I would expect from a third party seller. Not a certified VW dealership. They need to fix it.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2022

  Hello,
  
  
     We have received and reviewed the complaint levied against ** by **********************************  I have personally spoken to this customer already.  When he purchased the vehicle from ** it was in excellent running order, it passed our full mechanical inspection with no issues.  The vehicle was inspected by a VW factory certified technician, and the only repair needed was a door seal replacement.  We also replaced the air, pollen, and fuel filters, and performed a brake flush which were due maintenance items.  The clutch functioned totally normal, and there were no indicators of additional wear.  The customer admitted that the vehicle drove great with no issues, for thousands of miles, all the way to his home in Georgia.  VW of Salem is not liable for the wear and repairs caused to the vehicle under the customers ownership.
  
  Thank you,
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/06/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ****************** performed service on Volkswagen Jetta TDI on 9/30/2022. Vehicle was dropped off at 7:38 am and was ready for pick up at 3:08 pm. Their hourly shop rate is $185 per hour for labor. Lithia service department charged $2005.00 for 7.5 hours of labor ($267.33 per hour). Their explanation is that they bill for hours that it can sometimes take on other vehicles based off of billing software, even if they get the job done faster. We were billed for hours that were not used and the service manager insists that its normal practice to charge customers for the additional hours, in our case 7 hours of labor cost $2005. When you know that an hourly labor rate is $185 per hour you dont expect to be charged for additional hours (in our case over 10 hours of labor was paid for when the vehicle was only on the property for 7.5 hours).