DENVER — Family Trucks And Vans (FTV), a used car dealership located on South Broadway in Denver, is facing renewed scrutiny following a series of customer complaints. Contact7, a local investigative news team, is looking into allegations that FTV knowingly sold vehicles with undisclosed mechanical problems to the public. Despite these accusations, the dealership denies any wrongdoing.
Amanda Frausto-Ruiz, a mother of four, purchased a 2015 Dodge Journey from Family Trucks and Vans to transport her children to school. Soon after her purchase, she experienced issues. “My check engine light came on, and I believe that was two weeks later,” Frausto-Ruiz stated. The initial warning light was just the beginning of a cascade of problems. “It started leaking. All this oil is from this one,” she explained, pointing to significant oil stains in her driveway.
Frausto-Ruiz repeatedly returned her vehicle to the dealership’s service department over several weeks, seeking repairs. Ultimately, her husband discovered metal shavings in the engine oil. According to Frausto-Ruiz, a Dodge dealership informed them that the engine might fail due to the severity of the issues, indicating a potential internal knocking. Purchasing the vehicle “as is,” Frausto-Ruiz believes she was sold a defective vehicle, commonly known as a “lemon.”
The investigation into Family Trucks and Vans began after Contact7’s previous reporting on The Sharpest Rides, a related dealership, prompted numerous viewers to come forward with their own negative experiences with FTV. These complaints reveal a pattern of customer dissatisfaction.
One customer reported purchasing a vehicle that was allegedly “full of recalls,” including safety issues like airbag and seatbelt malfunctions. Another customer claimed to have bought a truck which was repossessed before the first payment was even due, only to have a salesman attempt to resell the same vehicle back to her.
Family Trucks and Vans has also attracted the attention of regulatory bodies. The Colorado Department of Revenue’s Auto Industry Division has investigated the dealership at least three times in the past two years for “misrepresentation.” One investigation, accessed through a Colorado Open Records Act request by Contact7, detailed a complaint where a customer was allegedly not informed that a Dodge truck they purchased had been imported from Canada, thereby voiding the factory warranties.
Further compounding the dealership’s reputation, Family Trucks and Vans holds a “pattern of complaint” designation on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. This designation highlights the dealership’s failure to address pre-existing damages identified prior to vehicle sales, according to customer reports.
In response to these mounting complaints, Naiche Sedillos, General Manager of Family Trucks and Vans, addressed the allegations in an interview with Contact7. “We wouldn’t be in business that long at the same location if we didn’t do things right,” Sedillos asserted, defending the dealership’s practices.
Sedillos characterized the complaints as minimal in comparison to the dealership’s long history and sales volume over 43 years. When questioned about the “as is” sales policy and accountability for vehicles that break down shortly after purchase, Sedillos stated, “No, we shouldn’t be accountable,” emphasizing that warranties are available to customers as an option.
The similarities between the complaints against Family Trucks and Vans and those against The Sharpest Rides are notable. Robert Lipp, General Manager of The Sharpest Rides, offered a similar defense in a previous Contact7 investigation, stating, “It’s a pre-owned vehicle. It’s got moving parts and oil, and things happen.” Intriguingly, Kevin Sharp owns The Sharpest Rides, while his father, Jon Sharp, owns Family Trucks and Vans. Sedillos downplayed this connection, stating, “There’s not any other connection really than that.”
However, a significant link exists in the shared repair facility, The Sharpest Automotive, used by both dealerships. When questioned about this shared facility, Sedillos acknowledged, “We do, in a sense.”
Ruben Castillo, a former employee of The Sharpest Automotive, previously spoke to Contact7 during the initial Sharpest Rides investigation. Castillo claimed he was instructed to return vehicles with mechanical issues back to the sales lots for resale, a practice he reportedly witnessed repeatedly during his two and a half years of employment. When asked if such vehicles could have been sent back to Family Trucks and Vans, Sedillos conceded, “Possibly.”
Despite these serious allegations and connections, Sedillos insisted that Family Trucks and Vans has acted ethically. He highlighted the dealership’s charitable donations and efforts to assist customers with poor credit. Sedillos denied ever clearing check engine lights to conceal problems or knowingly selling vehicles with undisclosed issues.
For customers like Frausto-Ruiz, these denials offer little comfort. “I’m going to be paying for a car that’s not working,” she lamented, facing the financial burden of a vehicle that has proven unreliable and potentially unsafe for her family.
Previous Contact7 Investigations on The Sharpest Rides:
