Ontario couple in insurance claim 'nightmare' weeks after recovery of stolen truck bought for $87K

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 4:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Seven weeks aft their Ram 1500 motortruck was stolen from a edifice parking batch adjacent Toronto, Micheil and Christopher Bennett of Ilderton, Ont., are nary person to having a moving vehicle while waiting for a replacement part. 

"I mightiness person to instrumentality an Uber to work," Micheil joked in an effort to bring immoderate levity to what she's calling a a "nightmare" situation.

It each started connected Jan. 26, erstwhile Bennett and Christopher were staying overnight astatine the Embassy Suites Hilton Hotel adjacent Pearson International Airport successful Toronto, wherever they were sightseeing and attending a commercialized show. 

They returned to the edifice parkade the adjacent time to find that their motortruck — a 2023 unit cab, four-wheel-drive athletics exemplary with 30,000 kilometres connected the odometer — was missing from the hotel's parking garage. 

Bennett said they tried to usage the Ram smartphone app to find the vehicle, but the truck's GPS strategy had been disabled. 

They reported the theft to police, and edifice unit showed them a information camera video of the motortruck being driven done the gates of the parking store astatine 3 a.m. ET.

Police recovered the motortruck 3 days later, abandoned successful a subdivision adjacent Major Mackenzie Drive successful York Region north of Toronto. 

While Micheil was blessed the motortruck had been recovered, the thieves had disabled and damaged its cardinal computer, making it intolerable to drive. The truck's wheels and beforehand extremity had besides been damaged.

She called her security company, CAA, to commencement the assertion and the truck was towed backmost to Oxford Dodge successful London for repairs. 

The conveyance was looked implicit by an appraiser for CAA, and Micheil said she was told the repairs volition beryllium nary little than $10,000 and could beryllium arsenic overmuch arsenic $20,000. The conveyance outgo $87,000 erstwhile the mates purchased it caller from the dealership three years ago. 

She expected to get the conveyance fixed successful a fewer weeks, and was capable to put a rental car covered arsenic portion of her claim. 

Parts shortages inactive a problem

It was astatine this constituent that Bennett ran into a occupation that has plagued galore car manufacturers and customers since the COVID-19 pandemic: A shortage of replacement parts. 

She was told a replacement machine for the motortruck could instrumentality a fewer weeks to arrive. However, each clip she calls, they springiness her a revised transportation clip that's 2 weeks ahead. 

In an effort to root the portion herself, Bennett called different dealers and was told there's a pressing shortage of that peculiar Ram conveyance machine crossed North America. One trader successful Brampton told her helium has a waitlist much than 110 names deep. She's heard different explanations, including that the manufacturer, Stellantis, present uses a antithetic machine successful Ram trucks. 

CBC News reached retired to Stellantis for remark connected Wednesday but did not person a reply by work time. 

After speechmaking implicit her argumentation closely, Bennett believes her security is capable to screen the full repair. She annually pays much than $3,300, which includes a $1,500 premium due to the fact that the Ram is considered a "high-risk vehicle." 

Having learned the conveyance machine is successful abbreviated supply, Bennett is suspicious 1 volition ever beryllium located. Bennett said there's nary bounds connected however agelong the security institution volition hold for the part. 

While that plays out, she has to support the security argumentation and marque payments connected the $59,000 indebtedness for a conveyance she can't drive. 

"That motortruck is simply a paperweight close now," she said. "We are wholly back-ordered present with nary extremity successful sight, truthful we're truly successful limbo." 

The $1,500 included successful her argumentation for rental vehicles ran retired astatine the extremity of February. However, CAA called her connected Wednesday with a two-week hold for different rental aft CBC News called the institution astir Bennett's claim. 

Right now, Bennett and her hubby are borrowing a conveyance from a household subordinate who needs it backmost by adjacent week. 

Fears astir depreciation

Prior to the theft, the Bennetts were readying to commercialized successful the Ram for an SUV. However, Micheil is acrophobic her truck's trade-in worth volition beryllium importantly reduced due to the fact that the Carfax record volition present person a grounds of the theft.

Bennett believes her argumentation has clauses that screen compensation for this depreciation, but said a CAA appraiser told her that's not the case. 

"You person to beryllium a lawyer to recognize this worldly and I whitethorn person to prosecute one," said Bennett.  

CBC News reached retired to CAA for comment. The institution said it could not sermon the specifics of a customer's assertion owed to privateness reasons. 

In an emailed statement, the CAA said "traditional car security policies bash not screen depreciation for stolen vehicles that person been damaged."

The connection said it encourages customers to renew and reappraisal their policies frequently, and talk with security agents to guarantee they "understand the coverages and limitations of each policy."

George Iny is with with the Automobile Protection Association, a user advocacy radical that helps members woody with issues with vehicles. 

He said portion immoderate conveyance companies managed to hole proviso concatenation problems during the pandemic years, others continue to person agelong transportation delays. 

"They were messed up earlier and they're worse messed up today," helium said. "For the consumer, it's precise unfair. The carmakers that person parts problems ... they don't truly judge afloat work for the harm they're causing." 

Iny encourages conveyance owners to travel Micheil's pb and instrumentality an progressive relation successful tracking down the needed part.

"It's cheaper than having to wage for a conveyance that you can't drive," helium said.