Action 9 helps car owner get repairs covered on new SUV

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — In an ongoing Action 9 investigation, Channel 9 learned that another car owner was having difficulty getting repairs to her new SUV covered after the exterior trim started to warp.

Angie Mullis bought a 2021 Honda CR-V last year. She told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke that about six months after she purchased the vehicle some of the trim started to warp.

Mullis says the dealer told her the cause is probably environmental — that the sun must be reflecting off house windows in such a way that it’s concentrating on her SUV like a magnifying glass. But Mullis doesn’t know which windows would be causing the problem and says she isn’t convinced that’s even the reason because it doesn’t seem to be happening to anyone else on her street.

“I’m just very upset about it,” she told Stoogenke.

She’s also upset that Honda wouldn’t cover the damage, despite the SUV being well within warranty.

Stoogenke asked Honda about it and the company told him it would not discuss her case for privacy reasons, but that it would reach out to her to address her concerns.

The company said that, in general, “it is a long-established fact that focused sunlight can heat surfaces and cause damage” and that “Honda’s limited warranties do not cover damage.”

The automaker also pointed out that this doesn’t happen to only Hondas.

In November, Stoogenke reported on a Mazda owner who experienced the same problem.

“I was very, very upset because I have a brand new car and I am stuck with the damages,” Mullis said.

Mullis preferred not to spend her own money on repairs since it could continue to warp.

On Friday, she told Stoogenke that Honda has agreed to cover the cost of the repairs.

Stoogenke offers this advice to car owners:

- When a warranty won’t cover something, you usually have to pay out of pocket.

- Check with your car insurance company to see if it will cover the damage. However, most of the time, insurance only covers bodywork because of a crash, fire, break-in, etc.

- Consult with a consumer protection lawyer or government agency such as the Attorney General’s office, but you may have to wait a while for results.

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