JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man said he was left in the lurch after the used car dealership where he bought his pickup truck suddenly shut down — leaving him with a broken engine.
Robert Abernathy said he bought a 2016 Ford F-150 from Duarte Automotive on Beach Boulevard in July. Within a week, he had issues with the engine, he said.
“It was just like buying from any other place. I mean, they were polite, eager to sell a vehicle,” Abernathy said.
After a few months went by with only promises to fix the engine, Abernathy said he showed up in person to find the dealership was gone.
The engine has a knocking sound, and after taking it to a mechanic in October, they recommended the engine be replaced.
Sales paperwork shows Abernathy paid almost $25,000 for the truck from Duarte Automotive. The truck now just sits in his driveway most of the time.
Abernathy said he can’t get a response from the dealership.
A man who was on the dealership’s property on Wednesday told the News4JAX I-TEAM he’s been renting the lot since October and plans to open an auto shop there.
News4JAX tried to visit the dealership’s website online and ran into an error message. Google also lists Duarte Automotive as “temporarily closed.” Our calls were forwarded to voicemail.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles told the I-TEAM Duarte Automotive has a dealership license that’s still active until April 2024. They said they’ve received four complaints about the dealership in October and November.
“He loved that truck. That’s the thing is like, he has worked so hard to get this dream truck. And then for it to end up and be a lemon and not have them be accountable for it just is horrible,” Nicole Carver, Abernathy’s girlfriend, said.
Abernathy said the car is getting repossessed in two weeks. He said he hasn’t been making the payments because of the issues, so he’s concerned about that going against his credit.
News4JAX also tried reaching out to the owners of Duarte Automotive by email and have not heard anything back.
If you’ve had issues with Duarte Automotive, you can file a complaint with the state by filling out this form.