A Father Trying to Do the Right Thing for His Daughter — When Everything Went Wrong

I don’t usually share personal experiences like this publicly, but this situation has been very difficult for me as a father, and I feel it’s important to speak honestly about it.

My daughter worked hard to earn her driving permit. She passed the test multiple times, but despite that, she was nervous about actually driving and owning a car. She would often come up with reasons to wait. It took a long time to reassure her that she would be okay—and that I would take her somewhere I trusted, a place where I myself had purchased two vehicles.

This was her first car, and I wanted it to be something meaningful—her dad helping her take that next step in life. She’s a wonderful daughter: kind, responsible, and genuinely one of the sweetest people I know. My goal was simple—to do something right for her.

When we went to CarMax in Oak Lawn, Illinois in October 2022 to purchase a 2014 Volkswagen Passat, I truly believed I was making a good decision on her behalf. I expected a safe, dependable vehicle from a company I trusted.

Within about six months of purchase, the engine failed and had to be completely replaced. That replacement was handled through CarMax’s MaxCare warranty, where the repair was authorized and coordinated through MaxCare, performed through Volkswagen, and supervised, inspected, and approved before the vehicle was returned to us. At the time, we believed that would fully resolve the issue.

Unfortunately, about a year and a half later, that replacement engine has now failed as well and requires replacement again. The vehicle is no longer drivable. At no point was any of this caused by my daughter.

What made this even more painful is that the car actually broke down back in November, but she didn’t tell me right away because she was nervous and didn’t want to worry me. I found out in December, and since then we’ve been trying ever since to figure out how to make this right.

We’ve reached out repeatedly—to the dealership, to corporate offices, and to consumer protection resources. Each time, we were told the same thing: nothing further could be done because the warranty period had ended. Along the way, we also learned that similar issues have been reported with this type of engine, which only made this harder to understand and accept.

What hurts the most is watching my daughter continue to carry the financial burden for a car she can’t even use. As a father, that’s a terrible feeling—knowing you were trying to help your child, and that your effort ended up putting her in a difficult position instead.

She didn’t deserve this. She did everything right.

We are not asking for anything extra or unreasonable. We are simply hoping for a fair outcome—one where the vehicle could be taken back and the loan resolved so she isn’t left paying for something that no longer serves its purpose.

I’m not posting this to place blame. I’m sharing it because this experience has been genuinely hard, and I’m asking a sincere question of the community:

When something like this happens—when a major repair fails again so soon—what is considered fair for the customer?

If you feel this is worth sharing, please do—awareness can help others better understand situations like this and may help lead to a fair resolution.

For a complete summary of this situation, please refer to the case summary:
ewsacademy.org/VEHICLE-FAILURE-CASE-SUMMARY.HTML

Additional documentation:

Letter to CarMax:
https://ewsacademy.org/CARMAX-LETTER-1.html

Letter to Volkswagen:
https://ewsacademy.org/VW-LETTER-1.HTML

Eric W. Stiles Sr.
Father of Vehicle Owner / Authorized Representative