Dealership Worker Does A Car Buyback On A Cadillac Escalade. Then She Reveals It’s All Over A Taillight: 'I Feel So Bad'

A South Carolina car seller detailed how she initiated a car buyback for a new Cadillac Escalade owner whose ride had a broken taillight.

Brooke (@brooksdailydrive) shared her story in a video, in which she highlights how she advocated for patient consumers who would have had to wait two months for a new tail light to arrive at their service center. 

“With their vehicle, they had a taillight go out on its own,” she told her viewers. Several attempts to repair the light proved unsuccessful: the replacement components they received were all damaged, and receiving yet another unit would take a full two months.

Brooke went on to state that while this ordeal was going on, she was advocating for the car buyer and scrambling to ensure the issue with their vehicle was addressed. She added that this facet of being a car dealer isn’t one that’s normally highlighted by folks online. I.e., a dealership worker who is working on behalf of their customer to address a problem with a car purchase.

“There are people fighting for you out there. And I just love it because now we’re gonna buy back that Escalade, and they’re gonna get into a brand new Escalade. Again, this was not a transmission issue, or a powertrain issue, or an engine issue, like everyone’s saying with the Escalade [6.2L engines], right? It was just a tail light, and this customer has been having issue after issue, and finally I was like … 'They’re gonna have to wait two freaking months for a taillight to get in? Like, OK, come on, guys. Let’s do what we can to help these people out.'”

Furthermore, she highlighted the buyback scenario as an instance of what it looks like when customers purchase their cars “from the right place.” She added that while she may not always be able to help a customer out, she will always try her hardest to do so.

What Is A Car Buyback?

Capital One published a piece delineating exactly what a car manufacturer buyback is. In short, it’s a return, but not one that’s as simple as bringing back an article of clothing at a retail store.

“Manufacturer buybacks can be issued if your car is under warranty, repair of your vehicle is required by law, and the vehicle cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts,” the bank wrote.

Additionally, Capital One wrote that “certain types of buybacks are governed by so-called lemon laws.” This stipulates that a number of “terms and conditions” of these laws must be satisfied for a buyback to take place. 

Moreover, the same piece states that, generally, legal requirements will determine whether a buyback can take place.

However, there are instances where automakers will perform “an act of goodwill” for a buyback in order to address a defect with the vehicle. This is what appears to have happened with the Escalade referenced in Brooke’s video. But also, since the taillight wasn’t going to arrive at the dealership for another two months, the customers wouldn’t have been able to legally drive it during that time.

Car Buybacks And Lemon Laws

Brooke’s video also mentions that some dealerships may not be so quick to begin the vehicle buyback process. There are plenty of car owners who’ve delineated what it takes to successfully perform a buyback. Oftentimes, these are rooted in lemon laws. Capital One writes that “in order to qualify as a lemon, a car must have a specific problem, such as a substantial manufacturing defect.”

If a dealership is hemming and hawing about starting a buyback claim, then it must be established that the new car is, in fact, a lemon. This usually entails “three or four unsuccessful repair attempts before the vehicle is labeled a lemon.”

Usually, lemon laws vary by state, so look up your local jurisdiction regarding these legalities before filing a lemon claim. In general, numerous repair attempts for the same issue can constitute a car as a lemon.

In California, for instance, a car is defined as a lemon if: “a defect or condition covered by warranty … substantially impairs the vehicle’s use, value, or safety.” So, providing evidence and documentation that this is the case will go a long way toward proving whether the car is a lemon. Once that’s established, a buyback order can be initiated, even if the dealership is reluctant to proceed.

---

---

One of the biggest Lemon Law buyback cases involved Volkswagen over its “dieselgate” scandal in 2016. Elizabeth Cabraser, a lead counsel for some 475,000 VW car owners, received $10 billion of the $14.7 billion settlement.

Motor1 has reached out to Brooke via email for further comment. We will update this story if she responds.

 

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team