ComplaintsforLiberty Subaru Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a used 2013 ********* used from this dealer and within the first month or so we discovered that the A/C was broken. They agreed to split the cost of it with us.A month later we noticed that the car was making a weird noise and my husband checked the oil and nothing read on the dipstick! He put oil in it and we called the dealer. We had to do an oil consumption test so we made an appointment with a local dealer, Liberty is 45 minutes away without traffic. We didn't know what that involved. The local *** wanted to charge us for it and suggested we go back to Liberty. We did and then had to drive the 1200 miles and have it checked. It was checked today. They tell me that it needs a new engine! and the car was sold as is. I am sorry but we went to a reputable dealer, or so we thought, and they will not cover it. This is ridiculous as they never should have sold a car that needed so much work as in good working condition without disclosure. We want them to fix it. I cannot even sell the car to cover the loan on it. I have the receipts also. According to them they are supposed to do a 50 point inspection which includes the A/C. we could not see if it worked because it was cold out. We had a warm spell and that's how we found out/Your help with this matter would be greatly appreciated

  

  Business response

  07/29/2024

  To Whom It May Concern-

  I am in receipt of this complaint.  I apologize for the delay, I've been out of the office and received this link this morning.

  As the customer has noted, this car was sold "as is".  That said, had we known that it was consuming oil at an unacceptable rate, we would not have sold it...rest assured, we'll come to an appropriate resolution.  I wanted to respond right away, but do need some time to see what options we have.  We will reach out within the week.

  Customer response

  08/05/2024

  
  Complaint: 22010466
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They finally called us with another vehicle. It had more miles on it. They gave us a projected cost. We would have had to pay off the existing loan but would not have enough to do so. Then there was additional money that would have been owed on the second car. I asked the salesman what their rate was and I never got an answer. I left a message with our bank to see if they would give us a loan on a car that had over 100k miles on it that was reasonable. We were waiting for an answer.  I also expressed that if they would fix the car we would keep it. They said that they do not know what is wrong with it so they could not do that. If you go online this is a common problem that was fixed under warrantee, so they know what is wrong.

  My husband drove 60 miles down to see the second car but they had sold it already. Apparently, they gave us 48 hours but never told us that. We live quite a distance from them so getting there after work can be difficult.  They said they just took in another car that they showed my husband but he said he could tell that the car had not been taken care of and has more miles on it.

  We are not sure what to do now. We have a car that we just purchased that needs an engine. We also paid to fix the A/C also..
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  08/22/2024

  We are in receipt of ********************** rejection.

  While we understand that ****************** would prefer that we replace the engine in the car that she purchased, that is not an option due to the fact that the cost of replacing the engine would equal roughly 75% of her purchase price.

  We continue to work with ****************** to find a suitable resolution.  So far we have offered to:

  -buy the car back for the full purchase price, less a very reasonable 15 cents per mile

  -trade the vehicle toward another, for the same value.  Unfortunately, there are very few options that fit into the required budget, but we continue to look

  -lease a new vehicle at a steeply discounted price

  As stated, had we known that this car was consuming oil at an unacceptable rate, it would not have been sold...there is no easy way for us to test for this condition.  We will continue to work with ****************** to find a resolution that makes sense for all parties.

  Customer response

  08/25/2024

  
  Complaint: 22010466
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We have a certain budget and they had a car that my husband drove 60 miles to see, the salesman was aware, and they sold it out from underneath us. We probably would have taken the car.

  At this time they have nothing in our budget. We asked if they would fix the car and they declined. 

  At this time we are considering legal action because we can't sell the car in good conscience or turn it back in as we need a car.

  In addition to the motor, the car required a new A/c unit within the first 2 months and tire pressure sensors. I would have thought when they checked out the car those things would have shown up.  

  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  08/26/2024

  We feel badly about this situation...as previously stated, had we known this vehicle was consuming oil, it would not have been sold.  Replacing the engine would be the correct fix, but it is not a reasonable solution.  If we find another vehicle with similar mileage in similar condition for a similar price, we're happy to trade as stated, or we're happy to provide a refund as previously stated.

  Customer response

  08/29/2024

  
  Complaint: 22010466
  
  I am rejecting this 

  We had a budget and their offer doesn't fit into our budget. They had a car that my husband drove 60 miles to see. The salesman knew he was coming, and they sold it out from underneath us. 

  Just because we had asked about fixing the car doesn't mean we weren't exploring all options.

  We cannot even in good conscience sell the car.

  They knew these problems existed. Why didn't they check it out? 

  We also had to replace the a/c unit and the tire sensors need work also.

  What did they checkout before they put the car out for sale?

  We are considering contacting an attorney to see what can be done for us. 

  How about a refund of some sort? The car is certainly not worth what we paid

   

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  09/03/2024

  In my previous responses, I've stated that there is no practical test for oil consumption, and had we known that this car had such an issue, it would not have been offered for retail sale.  I've also offered to either refund the full purchase price (less a very reasonable 15 cents per mile), or trade the vehicle toward another for that same value.  We continue to look for a suitable replacement that fits the necessary parameters and budget.  If ****************** would rather not wait for us to find another car (which is understandable), we're happy to refund her purchase price, as described multiple times.

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In January of 2020, I went to purchase a vehicle at Liberty Subaru where a sales rep and others knew of me prior to me purchasing the vehicle. He abused me and discriminated against me as a paying customer of **********************. They planned to offer me a lower price for a vehicle that I was trading in; I went in a couple of weeks prior when a Sales Rep named **** said he was going to give me $1,000 dollars for my trade in. When I returned to actually buy the vehicle, ***************** planned to offer me a lower price, so he could conspire with this group of people who are speaking out against me and who are violently abusing me. He also gave me an inappropriate key. I've had many issues with my car and I am now paying over $1500 dollars for something that should be recalled for.

  

  Business response

  10/27/2023

  10/27/2023
  
  To Whom It May ****************** are in receipt of complaint ********, submitted on 10/26/2023.
  
  Ms. ********* desired settlement is Refund, however, Im unclear as to what she is asking to be refunded.  She makes reference to paying over $1500 dollars for something that should be recalled for, however ************************* has not been to Liberty Subaru for service since May 11, 2023 to have her battery replaced.  Accordingly, it is reasonable to assume that the work and associated charges referenced in her comments were not performed by Liberty Subaru, and should therefore not be refunded by Liberty Subaru.
  Further, a VIN search in Subaru of Americas system confirms that there are no open recalls on Ms. ********* Forester.
  With regard to Ms. ********* comments referencing her purchase experience, please be aware of the following:
  Nearly four years ago, when ************************* was shopping for a new Subaru Forester, she inquired about the trade value of her 2010 ***** Civic with over ******* miles on the odometer. Since she did not have the car with her at the time she inquired, an estimated value was provided, with the caveat that the vehicle would need to be appraised before a trade value would be finalized.
  When ************************* subsequently brought the vehicle to the dealership to be appraised, it was in very poor condition, and the trade value was adjusted to reflect the actual condition.
  Ms. ********* characterization of this adjustment as a conspiracy between one of my Sales Managers and a group of people who are speaking out against (her) and who are violently abusing (her) is defamatory and grossly inappropriate.
  As stated at the beginning of this response, I am not clear on what is being asked of Liberty Subaru in this complaint.  While I recognize Ms. ********* dissatisfaction with the trade value of her ***** in connection with the purchase of her Forester nearly four years ago, I am unable to discern a current problem to be resolved.

  Customer response

  10/27/2023

  
  Complaint: 20786560
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They are lies.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I decided to trade my car in to get a bigger one for my growing family. I went to carfax.com and found a a car that I wanted. I filled out information and a few later received a call from a sales person from Liberty Subaru. That phone started a week long process to secure a car loan. My brother is co-signing for so they wanted a lot of paperwork, which we provided. I gave the sale associate my credit card information so that he may place the car on hold for me. After a week of a bunch of back and forth they were able secure a loan. Then I was told that car I wanted and supposedly placed a hold had a bad transmission. And it will not be fixed for a few months. One of my brothers is a parts manager for ****** and he made a call to some friends over at another Subaru dealership and he was told that the part in question, upon request should only take about 4 days to arrive at the dealership. After complaining to my sales person, he got his manager on the phone with me. He mentioned that there was another car same make and model but it was $10,000 *************** the one I wanted. The sales manager then proceeded to discount the the vehicle because of the mixup. To his credit the discount seemed significant and I agreed to proceed with the purchase. Then I got a phone from my sales explaining that because of the price difference the bank would give me a loan at almost double my initial offer. This was the final straw(or so it seemed). Because after some complaining from my end I was made aware from the sales associate that my first loan offer from the bank l, which I was told 9.2% was altered. At this point even after finding out this information, I was still willing to try to work a deal with them. But after some more back and forth I decided to cut my and move on to another dealership.

  

  Business response

  04/21/2022

  To Whom It May ****************** are in receipt of complaint ********, submitted on 4/20/22.
  
  Unfortunately, the first vehicle that **************** was interested in is no longer available for sale.
  
  **************** wanted a particular color, and the only other Ascent we had available in the right color is significantly more expensive than the original vehicle.  *** (Sales Manager) reduced the price of this vehicle by $4,000 in an effort to keep the monthly payment on the second vehicle within ****************** budget.
  
  Unfortunately, when the new loan application was submitted to the bank, the interest rate went up as a result of the greater loan to value ratio.  The increase in rate is beyond the control of the dealership.
  
  ****************** desired settlement is a call from the dealership.  *** has spoken with **************** to review different options with respect to financing, and *************** is scheduled to pick up his Ascent on Monday.

*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. ↩