I purchased a 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe from Indy Auto Man on February 6 for approximately $24,000. At the time of purchase, the dealership stated the vehicle had been inspected by their mechanics and passed their checks. They also represented that the vehicle came with a 7-day warranty and told us the vehicle could be exchanged within that period "for any reason," even if we simply wanted a different color.
Within days of purchase we discovered numerous mechanical and equipment issues and began contacting the dealership regularly by day five. On February 11 we had the vehicle inspected by our mechanic. During this inspection we were told the vehicle needed multiple repairs including brakes, tire pressure monitoring sensors, an engine air filter, and that a piece of the sway bar was broken off. We were especially concerned that the vehicle had supposedly passed the dealership's inspection while missing a portion of the sway bar.
Over the next several days additional problems appeared. On February 24 the vehicle exhibited one small jerk once while driving. The following day the issue became severe and the vehicle repeatedly jerked, nearly stalled, and I was concerned I might not make it home safely. A transmission specialist diagnosed a transmission failure requiring replacement.
Transmission failures typically develop gradually and show warning signs over time. In this case the problem appeared extremely suddenly, going from one small jerk one day to severe drivability issues the next. This raises concerns that the transmission may have had an existing issue that was masked prior to sale.
Throughout this period we repeatedly contacted Indy Auto Man asking them to honor the 7-day warranty. They later stated that because the vehicle now had so many problems it was worth far less than what we paid and that any exchange would be based on the vehicle's reduced value and include a 10% restocking fee.
We have now spent approximately $10,718 in repairs, inspections, and parts, including about $8,000 for the transmission replacement, and the $1,411 sway bar repair still has not been completed. read more