It was a day like any other for elementary school teacher and track and field athlete Nikki Smith – that is, until her car exploded on August 29 in the parking lot of the automotive center of a Phoenix Walmart SuperCenter.
Smith said she visited store # 5189 near Indian School Road and 51st Avenue about three times to have her oil changed before the explosion because of its low cost and convenient location.
Her dream car, the black 2014 Jeep Cherokee SUV that she bought last year, never had any problems. Unless you count a broken wiper.
That is, until she was left without a vehicle after two oil changes under Walmart’s supervision.
Oil began to leak under the bonnet, the jeep did not accelerate after the oil change
The first oil change on August 12th seemed to have gone smoothly.
After that, Smith drove her vehicle for a couple of weeks before realizing that parts of oil had leaked under her hood.
She returned to Walmart early that morning on August 28 to report the leak.
The auto repair shop kept their vehicle for an additional four hours from the time they brought it in. The oil was then replaced and she was told that she would give her a free oil change the next time she returned.
“I feel like they knew something was wrong with my car, but they were just trying to fix it and I didn’t find out,” said Smith.
But after that second oil change, her vehicle did not accelerate over 20 mph and was smoking. So she went back again and was told they needed Smith to run a diagnostic test on their vehicle to fix the problem with the car as they didn’t have an electronic reader.
Car went out shortly after arriving at Walmart. up in flames
Smith returned the next morning as soon as the center opened, armed with information she thought would solve her problems.
She was only spending two minutes at Walmart when a mechanic walked in and told her their vehicle was smoking and they thought it was going to catch fire. Smith thought that she might have to pack some of her personal belongings and park the vehicle.
But when she reached the driver’s side, the vehicle exploded. What could have caused the explosion is still unclear.
Although one of the staff told her they would put her in a rental car, no such action was taken.
She told them that she would have to work the next day, but said that she was told that nothing could be done until the case was dealt with and the investigation was completed.
Since that conversation, Smith has reached out to the Better Business Bureau and Walmart Customer Service in vain.
Walmart “did not contact me personally” to ask if I needed help with anything or that they were sorry. So I just feel like I’m doing everything by myself, “she said.
A Walmart representative told the Arizona Republic on Tuesday, “They are aware of the situation and will work with the customer until the matter is closed.”
GoFundMe raised over $ 7,000
All Smith really wants right now is her car back.
“I want what I came here with. I don’t ask less or more. You can put me in the same Jeep in the same year and model,” she writes on GoFundMe.
Reliable transportation would certainly cost less than the $ 400 she currently spends on a rental car each week to get to work as a teaching assistant at the Sahuaro Ranch Elementary School in Glendale and as a coach at BASIS Phoenix. Especially when all of her bills had to be paid late because of it, she said.
“I do everything alone – for myself and my child. I don’t have any extra money, ”she said.
Nikki Smith created a GoFundMe to help pay for vehicle rental costs. She raised over $ 7,000 by Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m just grateful that my daughter and me are alive and that we weren’t in the car when it happened. I just want them to do things right. However you feel that you can do it right, I just want you to do that. “
Reach out to current reporter Amaris Encinas at amaris.encinas@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @amarisencinas.
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