Consumer complaint received 2025-04-30 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Repossession — Voluntary repossession
Company: MEI AUTO FINANCE INC
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I have 107 pictures of the condition of the vehicle plus 11 videos. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX Remaining Loan Balance : {$13000.00} What MEI says I still owe : {$4000.00} Purpose : Response to the Surrender XX/XX/XXXX ( This is the date they picked up the truck after I called for Voluntary Surrender ) Date of Letter From MEI : XX/XX/XXXX Date of Certified Letter XX/XX/XXXX To Whom It May Concern, The purpose of this letter is to inform the reader about my entire experience while fulfilling my obligation to paying on the vehicle mentioned. It all began the day I came in the MEI dealership on division. I was there solely due to credit issues and income was not a concern. The dealership only allowed me to purchase the truck I ended up with and didnt seem to care about my needs. I chose the truck because I needed a vehicle, and the previous truck I bought from this dealership had been good. That truck was totaled in a wreck where I nearly lost my life. I returned, hoping to get a decent vehicle without many issues, but I was wrong. Every truck there had an excessive amount of rust, but Ill explain what was found later. 

Two days after the purchase, I was hit by another vehicle close to where I live. Following my insurances advice, I took it to a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. After their assessment, they told me they couldnt work on it due to the extensive rust, as it would be a liability. I called MEI XXXX  to see what they would say, and the service department told me to bring it in. Although I didnt trust this, I took it in because I needed my vehicle fixed somehow. I had to wait until they had an opening to bring it in so they could give me a loaner vehicle, which they dont normally do. I dont know where they had it first, but the second place was XXXX XXXX on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Texas . My vehicle was in the possession of MEI and XXXX XXXX for at least two months. During that time, they fixed my A/C, which was having trouble. 

When I finally got my truck back and was driving home, I realized the steering wheel was very loose. I then took it to XXXX XXXX near my home, and they said they were glad I brought it in because my steering wheel could have disconnected while I was driving. The drive was straight highway for about 45 minutes. From then on, I was dealing with it. I questioned the quality of work done on my truck. How could a reputable collision center refuse to work on it, but MEI could? What could I do with a dealership that has horrible reviews and rips off most people who come to them? 

After all of that, my truck seemed to be functioning properly. Eventually, the A/C went out again. I called the service department, and they told me they were booked for about two weeks. They said I would have to drop it off and leave it, with no timeframe for when it would be ready. I needed to be able to go to work to continue paying for this vehicle. They offered a 12-month or XXXXmile warranty, whichever came first. I stayed under the mile limit and even had less than XXXX miles per month. Of course, after the warranty expired, the check engine light came on. I tried to get quotes but couldnt find anything I could afford. I called the Service Manager again, but they didnt know when they could get it in, and even with it being the engine, I couldnt get a loaner. This meant paying for a rental, which is expensive these days, while they held onto it for an unknown amount of time. Then there was the question of whether I would be required to pay upfront or if it would be added to my vehicle payment, which would increase my payoff on a vehicle that wasnt worth half the amount at the time. From there, I couldnt bring it in due to my work schedule and not having a vehicle to get to and from work. Eventually, the transmission started having problems, and the engine became worse. It had issues changing gears, didnt accelerate well at all, would jump if I barely touched the gas, and when I used the brakes, the RPMs would stay up, making it take additional time to get to 1st gear. 

Lets talk about the rust. I have 107 pictures documenting every angle of the truck, along with videos capturing the sounds and the water trapped inside my door. When I shake the door back and forth, you can hear the water sloshing around. One video even shows water leaking out from the bottom of the door. The rust is pervasive, covering the frames, and at any moment, something crucial could fall off. This isnt just about a vehicle ; its about my life and my familys safety. If you research the trucks on the lot at that time across the entire MEI organization, youll realize all the trucks including mine was brought in from XXXX. This explains the rust. The truck I had before this one wasnt from XXXX and was in good condition, but this one is absolutely horrible. 
After enduring two years of no A/C in record heat for our area, dealing with engine and transmission issues, and the pervasive rust, I constantly feared the truck would completely fail on me. I had hoped to pay it off and pass it down to my son. Eventually, I had to get another vehicle that wasnt worthless. When I tried to trade in the truck, I was only offered {$3000.00} for it. You can see how much I owe at the top. No one would roll over {$10000.00} onto a different vehicle. I tried to handle everything properly to avoid this situation. Trust me, I dont want this on my credit when Im trying to improve it for a house. This was absolutely my last option. 

What I hope to achieve is to avoid having this on my credit as a voluntary surrender. I hope the balance will be marked as {$0.00}. I would like it not to show any negative remarks or issues that would lower my credit score. I coordinated with the tow truck driver and made it easy for him to access the vehicle. All my payments were made on time, and I did everything necessary to uphold my end of the deal, even though the truck was a lemon from the start. I was not going to jeopardize my life or my familys life any longer. 
I appreciate your time in reading this and hope to hear good news that MEI will not negatively affect my credit and will wipe the slate clean.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation