LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Recently, it seems that the auto industry was put into the spotlight. Whether it be the autoworkers strike, recalls dealing with certain parts, or even talk of electric vehicles.
Now, one Arkansas man has shared how he has been waiting more than 100 days for his truck to be repaired, and with auto part shortages going on around the country— he’s almost certainly not alone.
"I don't have a lot of money,” said Monty Vickers. “I can't buy a new truck."
The 78-year-old from Mayflower bought his vehicle, a 2018 Ram pickup, in 2021. This year, the brakes began to seize up, and that's when he said the trouble began.
"This was the last week of July,” Vickers said. “I figured it out. Since they started to work on it, it’s been 143 days today."
The truck is currently at the Landers dealership in Little Rock, though it also spent time at On Call Tire in Mayflower.
He did get it back briefly about a month ago— but not for long.
"They finally tell me around the first of November that it was fixed,” Vickers said. “Well, I picked it up and started home, and it locked up on me on Interstate 40."
We reached out to the Landers dealership, and one employee explained how it was because the part the dealership got from the manufacturer wasn’t working.
They’re now waiting on a replacement part, which the employee said they hope to have within the next 30-45 days.
Deryan Coleman, a mechanic at Coleman and Son Automotive, said while this is a particularly long time to be without your car, he's not shocked to see it.
“Ever since COVID-19 hit, we've just experienced a shortage in parts and delivery time, all the way around the board in the automotive industry," he explained.
Coleman also said there's been a labor shortage, and Vickers said he’s been told the 2023 United Auto Workers Strike could be impacting wait times as well.
While Coleman said these problems have gotten better since the pandemic, manufacturers aren't done closing the gap.
"They said it was a supply and demand issue,” he said. “They had more cars sold during that time [and] we're trying to catch back up.”
For Vickers, it can't come soon enough.
"When you're out of a vehicle for this long and you can't get it fixed the dealer has to do something," he added.
Per the Landers company policy, employees are not allowed to give official interviews or statements.
However, the same Landers employee reiterated over the phone that the dealership does not make the parts— they only install them, and can’t do anything until they get the part from the manufacturer.