It’s possibly the most horrifying used car purchase a buyer could make. One Florida woman alleges that she bought a vehicle only to later learn it was infested.
TikTok creator Kimmy (@petalandpawttery) purchased a 2021, Gold-Certified Toyota Corolla on Easter weekend. After driving it home, she says she discovered cockroaches in the vehicle. She claims she notified the dealership of the issue immediately.
Woman Discovers Roaches In Her Toyota
The video opens with the lens trained on an open glove compartment, where roaches scurry about.
Then it cuts to Kimmy saying, "This is all my opinion. My story. And my experience." She also does not disclose the name of or tag the Toyota dealership that sold her the Corolla. But she does hold them responsible.
In the caption to the video, which has been viewed 91,600 times, she notes, " In my opinion they did not care that this was a biohazard and they were more upset that I was asking for their help on a car that they lost 1.3k dollars on."
"After being gaslit for an hour about how this possibly could have been my fault, and the cockroaches could have gotten in my car after I drove it off of the parking lot, I was done talking," Kimmy adds.
"I almost crashed the car when I felt it crawling up my leg," she also says.
What Does Gold-Certified Toyota Mean?
To answer whether she saw roaches during the test drive, she speculated that the car had been sitting for a while. She thinks that as the car warmed up, so did the roaches.
In the comments on each of her videos, users offer sympathy, outrage, and advice. Much of it centers around the fact that the vehicle was sold as a Gold-Certified Toyota. That designation is supposed to offer buyers a modicum of surety and confidence.
Though this is largely a dealership problem, Toyota’s website states that Gold-Certified vehicles all get a "Quality Assurance Inspection," and a free Carfax report (among other things). The inspection is supposed to cover 106 points, including the exterior and interior.
Additionally, the vehicle was purportedly detailed twice by the dealership, meaning that both times the roaches were presumably missed.
Resolving A Biohazardous Problem
Because Kimmy noticed the problem the day before Easter, she had to wait until the following Monday to meet with management. When she arrived at the dealership, she claims she was passed from one manager to another. Neither would commit to giving her what she wanted: professional pest treatment and detailing by a third party.
But for many users, the problem is now bigger than bugs.
"You need to bypass everybody and call Toyota consumer affairs; you bought a Toyota certified car. You should have said that in the beginning. Go straight to Toyota," said one.
Davin Ozanne concurred, writing, "Call corporate, dealerships are private owned and are hardly influenced by corporate. See what they can do."
While others suggest the power of the press, "Call your local news station and have a reporter do a story. They will be able to get answers from the dealership faster and usually this makes them help because they don’t want the bad press."
Is Toyota Gold-Certification Worth It?
Edmunds calls Toyota’s Gold-Certification program "a smarter way to buy pre-owned," Redditors get to the crux of the problem.
Redditors have discussed issues with differing quality among dealerships. "Assuming the dealer is trustworthy overall (and that doesn't speak to the individual salesman necessarily), a Toyota certified used vehicle is a pretty safe bet mechanically," wrote one.
"The vehicle should look and run very nearly like new if it was properly certified," they added.
Another user allegedly had a bad experience with a certified Toyota: "There are enough little issues that I'm sure they just skimmed over everything," wrote u/originalJaan.
How Long Do Roaches Take To Hatch?
In the last video about the saga, Kimmy says she’s in contact with the Toyota executive office, and they’re talking with "all the stakeholders." In the meantime, she’s DIY-ing pest control.
It’s worth noting that in her video, Kimmy shows baby roaches (nymphs) to the camera. According to Orkin, baby roaches take from 24 to 38 days to emerge from their eggs. That’s longer than Kimmy says she's owned the car.
Motor1 reached out to Kimmy via TikTok direct message and with a comment on her post. We reached out to Toyota via their media portal. We’ll update this if either responds.
@petalandpawttery @Toyota Dealership sold me a car infested with cockroaches. I do have a longer video that I am debating on posting but I am extremely disappointed with how this Dealership chose to handle this situation. In my opinion they did not care that this was a biohazard and they were more upset that I was asking for their help on a car that they lost 1.3k dollars on. They also said that it was impossible to prove that those cockroaches did not get into my car in the 1 hour of me signing the contract and driving out of the lot. I am extremely disappointed with Toyota and urge other people to research carefully before buying a car even if its from a delearship. #storytimes #toyota #cartok #fyp #florida ♬ original sound - Kimmy
