Land Rover of San Francisco's negligence put me at risk of being in an accident.

I have lived in San Francisco my entire life. For nearly a decade, I’ve been a proud and loyal customer of Land Rover of San Francisco, choosing their dealership when I purchased my vehicle and trusting them for service ever since. But what should have been a simple recall repair turned into a long, frustrating, and dangerous ordeal—one that has left me questioning how a brand known for luxury could allow such negligence and avoid accountability for their mistakes.

On June 26, 2024, I brought my vehicle in for a routine recall fix. As I came to retrieve it, a mechanic drove my car down the service ramp—and that’s when things went terribly wrong. A stray bolt, one of their own, punctured my front left tire. A warning light came on immediately. I returned to the service desk, where the Service Coordinator and the Service Manager quickly acknowledged the damage was their fault. They assured me they’d replace the tire at no cost, pending a confirmation from Michelin that the remaining three tires had sufficient tread for just a single replacement.

I trusted them. On July 12, 2024, I picked up my car, believing the issue was behind me. I couldn’t have imagined that this careless mistake would continue to affect me nearly a year later.

Fast forward to March 25, 2025: during a routine service at a trusted local shop, a technician informed me that the tire Land Rover had installed wasn’t just slightly different—it had a completely different tread pattern and series number than the other three. My vehicle’s manual and Michelin’s guidelines are clear: mismatched tires on an AWD vehicle can create drivetrain stress, destabilize the car, and significantly increase the risk of an accident. I had unknowingly been driving for 5,400 miles in a potentially hazardous condition—all due to Land Rover’s mistake.

I returned to the dealership immediately. The service coordinator and service manager confirmed the error, admitted the mismatch, and acknowledged that replacing just one tire—now with over 10,000 miles of tread difference—was no longer safe. They promised to replace all four tires with the correct Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 model. I was relieved and expected the matter to be resolved promptly.

Instead, I was met with more delays, inconvenience and disregard. For weeks, I waited. The tires arrived—only to discover they were again the wrong model and of noticeably lower quality. I escalated the issue to General Manager Ralph Colon, reminding him of my long-standing loyalty and the clear safety risks involved. He assured me they would make things right.

Then, the final blow: on April 18, 2025, Mr. Colon offered to replace just the one mismatched tire—despite his own service staff previously confirming this was dangerous and inadequate.

Let me be clear:

• It was their bolt that punctured my tire.
• It was their service team that installed the wrong replacement.
• It was their parts department that repeatedly failed to order the correct tires.
• It was their management that delayed a resolution and ultimately refused to do the right thing.

For nearly a year, I have carried the cost—financially and emotionally—of their repeated negligence. In the end, I had no choice but to replace all four tires at my own expense, prioritizing my safety where Land Rover of San Francisco would not. I have since filed a formal complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repair, State of California. I am also pursuing a small claims lawsuit in San Francisco's Superior Court.

To anyone considering entrusting your vehicle to Land Rover of San Francisco: don’t. I’ve supported this dealership for nearly a decade, believing they upheld the standards of the Land Rover brand. But when it mattered most—when their mistake put my safety at risk—they failed me, and they may fail you, too.

Accountability should not be optional. Safety should never be negotiable.