Owner Alleges Kia Dealer Borrowed Parts From Her SUV - Manager Later Fired

A Louisiana Kia owner says she discovered something alarming while her SUV sat at a dealership for weeks. Shirley Poullard alleges that staff at Kia of Lake Charles removed parts from her Kia Telluride without permission while the vehicle was waiting for unrelated repairs.

Poullard brought the SUV in after a tire blowout on the interstate. She says it remained at the dealership for weeks with little information. Frustrated, she went to check on it and found the hood open and the engine partially dismantled. She began recording. In the video, the service manager first said nobody had worked on the vehicle, then acknowledged that a couple of fuel injectors from her SUV had been “borrowed” while repairing another customer’s vehicle.

“Taking something without permission is stealing,” Poullard told the staff. She added that if she hadn’t come by, the car would have been reassembled and handed back with no explanation.

After the video spread quickly online, the dealership launched an internal review. Kia of Lake Charles confirmed that the service manager involved “is no longer employed with our company” and apologized directly to Poullard, adding that customers should always be treated with professionalism, honesty, and respect.

It remains unclear why the dealership allegedly resorted to borrowing parts. Poullard has since picked up her SUV, but she reportedly does not feel comfortable driving it and is looking for legal representation.