Customers Report Smoke-Smelling Cars, Tire Issues, and Missing Trade-In Refunds After Buying from Carvana

A consumer purchased a car through Carvana with only 14,000 miles on it and initially noticed no issues upon delivery. However, a few days later, she discovered a strong cigarette odor inside the vehicle and found that two of the tires were in poor condition. The smell was so severe that it transferred to her clothing, prompting her to request a return within Carvana’s seven-day, no-questions-asked return window. She also requested a refund of the amount that should have been credited for her trade-in vehicle. Carvana arranged for a driver to retrieve the car but did not issue the refund on the spot. Initially, customer service informed her the refund would be processed via ACH transfer, yet by the following Monday, she still hadn’t received the funds. When she called again, she was told the company’s system showed the transaction as completed, mistakenly indicating she had already received the refund. Carvana has since opened a ticket to track the payment, but as of her public statement, she had neither gotten her trade-in credit refunded nor recovered her original vehicle, and the issue remained unresolved. The consumer subsequently turned to a traditional dealership to purchase a car and said the experience was far better. Other users commenting on related videos have reported similar problems, including new vehicles missing critical air conditioning components.