Her Engine Blew a Month After an Oil Change. The Mechanic Says It’s ‘Not His Problem

A routine oil change turned into a costly nightmare for a New York mother who says a simple maintenance left her with a destroyed engine, stalled insurance claims and months without a car.

Jada Gibson’s troubles started with routine maintenance on her 2016 Ford Escape. On Oct. 21, she was at Star and Sons Automotive for an oil change and other work. Everything seemed fine at first.

But about a month later, a warning light appeared on her dashboard.

That’s a red oil lamp.

From warning lights to catastrophic engine failure

Given the recent service, Gibson figured it might be a minor event. She planned to return to the mechanic for a quick inspection. Around the same time, she was heading out of town and decided to park her vehicle and deal with the problem after the trip.

When she returned and drove again, things quickly deteriorated. She heard a clanking sound and felt something was wrong. What she didn’t know at the time was that her engine was running out of oil.

According to Gibson, her mechanic later sent her a photo showing the oil cap and oil filter were missing. He speculated in the text message that when the oil warning light came on, the filter may have fallen off or cracked, causing the engine oil to flow out. Without lubrication, an engine can suffer catastrophic failure.

The results were devastating. The engine was damaged and Gibson’s Ford Escape had been undrivable for more than two months.

Who will compensate for the losses?

When contacted, the boss of Star and Sons Automotive declined to comment and said the matter had nothing to do with him. However, he referred Gibson to his insurance company, Erie Insurance Company.

At this point, the controversy entered a new stage.

A few weeks later, the adjuster informed Gibson that Erie would bear 70 percent of the loss. She was told the remaining 30% was her fault because she didn’t stop driving immediately when she heard the unusual noise.

From an insurance company’s perspective, a red oil light is an emergency warning.

Ford advises drivers on its website that if the red oil pressure light comes on, they should pull over safely, shut down the engine and not continue driving, even if the oil level appears normal. Continued operation of the vehicle may result in serious engine damage.

Insurance representatives pointed to this guidance when explaining the partial denial.

But Gibson argued she did not understand the seriousness of the warning and relied on the mechanic’s advice. Before leaving for her trip, she texted the store to report that her oil light was on, the engine was knocking, and she noticed metal shavings.

According to her, the mechanic did not instruct her to stop driving immediately but told her that she could bring the car over when she returned.

As she was driving back to the garage, the engine failed completely.

Consumer advocates get involved

Amy Bach, executive director of the consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, believes Gibson has a reason to push back.

Bach argued that comparative negligence should not apply in this case and suggested that the insurance company may be testing whether the policyholder would challenge the decision.

After accepting media inquiries, Yili Insurance issued a statement saying that it had reviewed the claim file again and confirmed that it was being processed in accordance with the applicable coverage and the facts and circumstances of the loss.

Meanwhile, Gibson is fighting on multiple fronts. She has been without a car for weeks, disrupting the daily life of a working mother. She has begun creating a paper trail by documenting correspondence and contacted the New York State Department of Financial Services for help.

Ultimately, this was yet another case of routine maintenance turning into a complex dispute over mechanical liability, driver awareness and insurance liability. For Gibson, the battle is about responsibility and the cost of a mistake she says she can never afford.

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