A Louisiana woman says she was left stunned after taking her Kia to a dealership following a tire blowout, only to discover that parts from her vehicle had allegedly been removed and used to service another customer’s car.
Shirley Poullard took her SUV to Kia of Lake Charles on June 17 after one of its tires blew while she was driving on the interstate.
What began as a routine request for repairs quickly became a much bigger dispute after Poullard said she struggled to get updates from the dealership.
Poullard Finds Her Car With the Hood Open
According to Poullard, she was initially told that the damage to her vehicle was not covered by her warranty.
Weeks later, she returned to the dealership and was shocked to find the hood of her Kia open.
A confrontation with a member of the service department, whom Poullard identified as Adrian Walker, became heated.
She began filming the encounter and later shared the footage online.
In the video, Poullard pointed toward the engine and questioned why it appeared to have been worked on when she had brought the vehicle in because of a tire problem.
Dealership Admits Parts Had Been Removed
During the confrontation, a service manager told Poullard that two injectors had been taken from her vehicle.
The manager said the parts had been “borrowed” and would be replaced at no cost to Poullard.
But that explanation only intensified her anger.
Poullard questioned why anyone at the dealership would remove components from her vehicle when she had never given permission for them to be used elsewhere.
‘Did I Send My Car Here for You to Borrow Parts?’
Poullard made clear that she believed the dealership had crossed a serious line.
She argued that she had brought the Kia in for a specific problem and had never authorized employees to take parts from it for another vehicle.
The situation was particularly frustrating because Poullard claimed she had initially been told that nobody had touched her car.
She later discovered that the engine had apparently been accessed to remove the injectors.
Woman Says Her SUV Now Runs Worse
Poullard also claimed the condition of the vehicle had changed since she originally brought it to the dealership.
She said the SUV now drove and sounded worse than it had before the dealership worked on it.
The dispute also involved a $175 diagnostic fee. Poullard said the dealership’s general manager eventually apologized and decided not to charge her the fee.
For Poullard, however, the issue went far beyond the cost of a diagnostic inspection.
Poullard Warns Other Kia Owners
After posting about the incident online, Poullard’s account gained significant attention.
She warned people in the Lake Charles area that the owner of another Kia Telluride could potentially have received used injectors that had been removed from her vehicle.
Poullard described the unauthorized removal of her parts as theft and said she believed taking something without permission amounted to stealing.
She also said she intended to pursue the matter further.
Dealership Launches Internal Investigation
The allegations prompted Kia of Lake Charles to conduct an internal review.
The dealership told local media that it took Poullard’s claims seriously and investigated what had happened.
Following that review, the company confirmed that the service manager involved was no longer employed there.
The dealership also issued an apology to Poullard, acknowledging the importance of maintaining high standards when dealing with customers.
Service Manager No Longer Works at Dealership
In its statement, Kia Lake Charles said the employee responsible was no longer with the company following the investigation.
The dealership stressed that its staff are expected to maintain professionalism, honesty, respect and a high level of customer care.
It also apologized to the customer involved in the dispute.
The statement did not end the matter for Poullard, however, as she says she is considering taking legal action.
Legal Action Could Follow
Poullard told local media that she plans to seek legal representation over the incident.
She remains unhappy with what she says happened to her vehicle and is particularly concerned about its condition after the alleged removal and replacement of the injectors.
The controversy has now moved beyond a disagreement over a repair, with the dealership having confirmed disciplinary action following its internal review.
Poullard and Kia have both been approached for additional comment as the dispute continues.
