Consumer complaint received 2016-01-12
Company: NISSAN MOTOR ACCEPTANCE COMPANY LLC
State: AZ
Product: Consumer Loan
Sub-product: Vehicle lease
Issue: Managing the loan or lease

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX I leased a Nissan Leaf ( all-electric vehicle with an XXXX mile range per charge ) from XXXX Nissan for a 3 year term. In XX/XX/XXXX my wife filed for divorce and I decided to move to Oregon. Driving the car to Oregon was out of the question. My attorney requested I find what the " walk-away '' value of the lease would be. In XX/XX/XXXX the dealership calculated the final lump payment to be {$6200.00}. In XX/XX/XXXX I requested information from the dealership on how to return the vehicle. I was instructed to contact Nissan. I did so and was first referred to an independent evaluation service who determined the vehicle in excellent condition for return. I took the vehicle to the dealership and completed the transfer. I was told I would receive a certified letter within XXXX weeks from XXXX with the final payoff amount. I never received that letter. In XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from Nissan accusing me of being 2 months past due on my lease payments. I told them I had returned the car but they claimed they had no record of it being returned. I called the dealership who confirmed it had been turned over to XXXX in XXXX. I called XXXX again and was referred to their " Concern Department '' and told an investigator would be put on the case and I would hear back within a few days. I never heard from them again. XX/XX/XXXX I received a document from Nissan dated XX/XX/XXXX that listed the vehicle as " repossessed '' and that I owed {$19000.00}. I called Nissan and was transferred to an individual by the name of XXXX. He was obnoxious and condescending in his attitude and response. He insisted the dealership should have told me the car would be classified as " repossessed. " I told him that not once in the entire process did anyone ever disclose, suggest, or warn that turning in the car it would be considered as repossession and that on multiple occasions I was told the pay-off would be in the {$5000.00} to {$6200.00} range. XXXX then asked why I had n't made a final lump sum payment the day I turned in the vehicle. I replied I was instructed by the dealership to wait for a certified letter. XXXX declared that Nissan did n't want the car back and that I owed them {$19000.00}. I asked if there was someone else I could talk to and he told me to talk to the credit bureaus and to my attorney. I tried to contact the General Manager of XXXX Nissan but he never returned my phone call. I followed all the steps I was instructed to follow but now in XX/XX/XXXX, I have no resolution in this matter except for a document that says we owe {$19000.00} and a FICO score that has dropped from XXXX to in the low XXXX 's. 
I ask that the dealership and Nissan be investigated for unintentional negligence because they misled, misrepresented, or concealed material facts pertinent to the surrender of my leased vehicle. They failed to warn me of any negative circumstances or damage to my credit as a result of returning the vehicle. For constructive fraud because they were careless and negligent in misrepresenting, concealing, and making false statements regarding the status of my surrender of the leased vehicle. They " lost '' the vehicle, then " found '' it and subsequently classified my return as a repossession is an attempt to cover up their own mismanagement of the return. And for actual fraud due to intentional concealment of material facts, false statements, and deceit with regard to the status of my voluntary surrender of the leased vehicle. The damage done to my credit rating and the insistence of payment of {$19000.00} for a vehicle that I no longer have in my possession or access to is tantamount to extortion and blackmail. I was told on several occasions by the dealership that the pay-off amount would be between {$5000.00} and {$6200.00} depending on when I returned the vehicle. I am willing and prepared to pay the remaining balance due on the lease.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation