‘I See a Lawsuit Coming With All That Evidence:’ Woman Visits Nissan Dealership. It Doesn’t Go Well

"I had the most traumatic experience."

Photo by: kayandwill4life & Kenjiro Yagi

By: Chad Swiatecki

Aug 2, 2025 at 9:00pm ET

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The dash cam was meant for safety. Instead, it became evidence. A young woman in McDonough, Georgia, says her car camera captured dealership employees eating and smoking inside, and even taking her brand-new Nissan Kicks home overnight, all while it was at the service department for repairs.

The clip from creators Kay and Will (@kayandwill4life) details their months of frustration during which they say they were trying to get a simple service light addressed by the staff at McDonough Nissan. The problems started with dismissive, unprofessional behavior to their face, they say, and escalated when the car was left alone, based on the recovered dash cam footage.

Kay and Will say their experience began just one day after purchasing the 2025 Nissan Kicks SUV from McDonough Nissan. A warning light for the crash mount system appeared on the dash, then disappeared after a restart. When they returned to the dealership for assistance, they say they were brushed off.

“I had the most traumatic experience,” Kay says.

Over the next few weeks, the couple returned to the dealership repeatedly—sometimes multiple times a week, they say—but say staff consistently downplayed the issue or blamed it on aftermarket equipment like their dash cam and subwoofer. With little progress and growing frustration, Kay says they escalated the issue to Nissan’s corporate customer care team, who instructed them to drop off the vehicle for extended diagnostics and promised to cover a rental.

But when they returned to the dealership at corporate’s direction, they say the service department initially refused to provide a rental, citing their age (both are under 25). After further pushback, the couple was eventually taken to a third-party rental agency, where they waited hours for a Nissan-branded SUV.

Meanwhile, their Kicks remained in the dealership’s possession.

What allegedly happened next was only discovered by accident. While retrieving their dash cam to use for an unrelated reason, Kay noticed open snacks and drinks in the cabin. Kay says reviewing the footage revealed dealership staff using the vehicle for personal errands and keeping it overnight, eating and smoking inside, and at one point leaving a door open long enough for the battery to drain.

“They smoked in it, they ate in it, they drank in it, they took it home,” Kay says.

‘There’s More I Don’t Know’

Kay and Will say their only reliable communication came from their case manager at Nissan corporate, with no help from the dealership, which they said provided no updates while the car was in their care. Instead, messages were relayed thirdhand, creating confusion and delays.

When the dash cam footage was brought to the dealership, Kay says her attempts to share it with the general manager were rebuffed. She says she waited for over half an hour at the store, but the manager reportedly refused to leave his office. Meanwhile, the service manager who appeared in much of the footage continued to handle the car until he was removed from his position, according to Kay.

Kay says she received little acknowledgment or apology for what the dash cam revealed: Staff lounging in the car, eating peanuts and drinking Red Bull, taking the vehicle to a liquor store and a fast food restaurant, and even driving it home overnight. The dash cam was removed from the vehicle shortly after the couple confronted the dealership, they say, but not before they downloaded the clips.

Experts generally say dash cam footage can be used in disputes with dealerships, particularly if the camera is mounted in public view and installed before the service visit. It’s not unheard of for dash cams to capture joyrides, rough handling, or inappropriate use of customer vehicles.

When Kay reached back out to Nissan corporate, she says her case manager told her there was nothing more that could be done, citing the independence of dealerships from Nissan North America.

Kay and Will say they attempted to initiate a buyback process under Georgia’s Lemon Law, though the criteria for eligibility can be strict and time-bound. They purportedly also tried to cancel add-on service packages like gap coverage and tire protection, but say that dealership finance staff refused to process the requests. At one point, they were reportedly told a credit check would be run, something they hadn’t requested and firmly rejected.

When the warning light issue was finally repaired, the couple claims their car came back damaged: Paint scraped from the door sill, scuffs on the headliner, and new marks on the interior trim. A window left open during a storm soaked the cabin, and Kay says the lingering presence of ants was the result of staff eating in the vehicle.

“It looks like they were just mishandling the car,” Kay says.

Kay wonders what else the dealership may have done to her Nissan Kicks.

What do you think?

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“There’s more that I don’t know because they took my dashcam out,” Kay says, adding, “Basically just stay away from that dealership.”

Motor1 reached out to Kay and Will via direct message, and contacted the dealership via phone and email contact form. We'll update this article if either responds.