Johnson Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram — Local services in Mount Olive

I found a used green 2021 4runner at Johnson I thought would be a nice gift for my wife for purchase the first week of May 2024. She drove a minivan for years as a family vehicle and I thought it would be nice to get her something she liked that was much newer than our norm. We normally drive older vehicles. I called and spoke to Brett at Johnson and asked him the condition of the 4runner and he said it was nice and sent some pictures through text. He stated he was not “pulling my chain” for the deposit, etc. from the way I took it. In other words, I could trust Brett. I was going to fly from North Carolina to New Jersey to drive the vehicle back home, so I wanted to make sure the condition of the vehicle was good according to the price and I would not be disappointed after going that far. When I arrived at the Budd Lake dealership, the 4runner was not detailed as you would expect for the asking price at a dealership, and travel that far to get it as a gift for your spouse. There were several paint nicks/chips, the driver side fender flares were coming partly separated from the body that still must be fixed, there are marks across the headliner, a hole in the passenger side front section of the headliner, one of the lug nuts was replaced that was not made for the vehicle and there were body issues here and there not disclosed pre-travel. The interior had some other issues I was not aware of until getting home. The frame has rust for a 2021 not expected from questions asked before the trip. I spent a considerable time going over the body fixing paint chips, touching up, washing/waxing and thoroughly cleaning the inside. I will need to treat and undercoat the frame to prevent more rust. I believe this all should have been completed by Johnson before my arrival for the purchase, or the price should have been discounted with pre trip disclosure. I do not believe the vehicle was properly prepared before the Johnson advertising and sell, and the Johnson dealership did not have the title properly addressed for the sell. The sell was pre-mature for the condition and title status following the prior owner trade-in of the 4runner on another vehicle at Johnson. Johnson seemed to want to turn-over the used vehicle quickly without regard to the customer purchasing it (us). It was my decision to purchase the vehicle as-is after traveling and seeing it in person. With that being said, the bigger issues were to come. I paid for the vehicle in full (cashier check) knowing I would have to buy it as-is and address any issues later. Brett provided a temporary non-NJ resident tag for May to be able to drive the vehicle home and until I got the title for NC registration. This tag expired and I had to follow-up again for another temp tag for June. Again, the same had to be done for July. We are now on our 3rd month temp tag and it looks like we may need a 4th temp tag for August 2024 to be able to continue to drive the vehicle (it is fully insured in NC) before receiving the title. I have followed-up and wasted so much time trying to get the title for this vehicle. This includes writing this review. It seems like there are undisclosed issues the dealership is hiding from us related to a prior owner lending bank lien, title issues, etc. We do not know what is going on and want to get the title and just have the 4runner registered/titled in NC. I called and left a voicemail for Eddie (sales manager) and Bryce (store manager) in past weeks and heard nothing. I have tried hard to resolve this title issue with the dealership without litigation, but it does not seem to be priority for Johnson. I would be very careful buying a used or new vehicle from Johnson. Update 9/25/2024: We still have no title. Update 10/15/2024: We received the title not long after getting a lawyer involved. The dealer did offer to give a refund of the purchase, but with all time and money invested and how much the wife likes the 4runner, we decided to continue pursuit...

Stay away from their service. Overpriced, charge for misdiagnoses.

Car wouldn't start, seemed like loose terminals. Battery cable tightened and still wouldn't start or jump. Because it showed error codes for an electrical problem called for tow and decided to bring to dealer rather than usual shop. It sat a day for tow (on a Monday). The tow truck operator asked if it jumped. Told him it just turns but doesn't start, fairly new battery, like loose battery terminals, but they were tightened. Told him to give it a shot and it turned over and started like there was no issue. Decided to tow anyway given the codes even though tow operator said codes are probably "because battery has a short or bad connection somewhere". He turned off car and it wouldn't restart so point was moot. Towed to Johnson Jeep only because error codes. Explained the issue. Customer service rep was Erica, she called and advised the technician Brian says the car needs a starter and has a bad oil leak from the oil cooler, even though the car showed no oil leak and it was still full. She specifically said the mechanic didn't find a battery problem. He found a starter issue and "we can replace that" and "see if it works", "but it will also be double labor because we need to drop the catalytic converter". "It'll be $1,750 for the starter, $1,500 for the oil cooler and this is just to see if it starts and we'll go from there, we don't know if this will resolve it.". They said it could be a lot more and repairs may not work. Essentially, trial and error and it may not be worth fixing.

Called our usual shop, explained the problem. They advised that if it is the starter it's 1 1/2 hours labor, won't be $1750, cat converter doesn't have to be dropped, and it seems it's probably not the starter but rather a short since it did turn over and start for the tow operator and the codes were likely caused by the short.

Had car towed to usual shop. Their mechanic found that it was a bad battery ground strap. They replaced it and car started right up. They found no oil leak and specifically checked all areas of the engine. $295 to check for problem, look for oil leaks, replace ground, including the $25 for the part. They gave me the old copper ribbon ground strap and it was oxidized and frayed.

Again, cost $295, as opposed to paying $185 to Johnson Jeep for nothing, a misdiagnosis and an over inflated price to repair things that don't need repair. I called and asked for a refund and they refused.

But wait it gets worse. While Johnson Jeep was waiting to hear back from me as to whether or not I wanted to do the repairs they had a representative, Scott, call and ask if I wanted to sell the car because "we need inventory". I asked why would you want a car that you don't even know if you can fix. He said we call everybody who has a car in the shop. I asked him, so you over inflate the prices of the repairs, make it sound like a car is not worth repairing, then ask people to just sell you the car at a low price. He hung up. He had also sent an...

It is deeply disappointing to encounter such a lack of professionalism and accountability at this service department. My experience here has been nothing short of a frustrating cycle of mismanagement, deflection, and utter disregard for customer care.

When my wife’s car suffered a flat tire, I was relieved to have invested in the "Wheel and Tire Protection Plan" — a premium coverage costing over $40 a month. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a false sense of security. Her car has now been sitting at their facility for over a week, with no resolution and an astonishing lack of communication.

Here’s how this fiasco unfolded:

Initially, I was told the delay was due to the warranty company requiring additional proof of a bent rim. They even suggested I call the warranty company myself to expedite the process. I complied, only to find out from the warranty company that they were waiting on the service department to send the proof. When I relayed this back to the dealership, I was assured the information had been sent. This back-and-forth made it glaringly clear: they were either incompetent, dishonest, or both. To add insult to injury, after giving up on the replacement altogether, I simply asked for the spare tire to be put on. I was assured it would be done, and yet, I received no follow-up call. Now, it’s Saturday, the service department is closed, and my wife is still without her car — with a storm looming on the horizon.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Over a month ago, they also managed to break our windshield during service, and that repair is still pending.

In every interaction, the staff at this dealership seem more concerned with dodging responsibility than providing solutions. The constant finger-pointing, lack of communication, and refusal to accept accountability are hallmarks of an operation that is failing its customers at every level.

If you value your time, money, and sanity, I strongly advise against entrusting this establishment with your vehicle. Their service department embodies everything you hope to avoid in a customer experience — unreliable, unresponsive, and unapologetically careless. Proceed elsewhere and save yourself...