I rented a truck one way from Grandview, Missouri's U-Haul to Springfield, Missouri and returned the truck to the South Campbell location. 10/18/97 The front end and steering was bad. The U-Haul location said it was normal that the steering column had two inches of play when going over small bumps in the road. I told them that the truck was hard to control. I was told that after I loaded the truck, this would smooth out the problem. At 11:00 PM CST The truck was loaded. I told my wife she had better follow behind me because I was having a problem controlling the truck and I was afraid that I would lose control and run off of the road. The U-Haul location was closed and the truck was loaded. I started off with a 1/2 tank of fuel to Springfield. When I got to Appleton City, Missouri I noticed that I was low on fuel. The U-Haul manager said I had enough fuel to make it to Springfield but I thought it would be best to stop. My wife complained of smoke coming from the rear of the truck and she was feeling sick. I told her to stay behind me anyway, due to the problems I was having.

The next morning I went out to find a large puddle of oil under the truck. I figured all the oil had leaked out and combined with all of the other problems I had with it, that it was not safe to start the truck or drive it. I called U-Haul's help line and they dispatched a service person to inspect the truck. The mechanic said that the oil sending unit was broken, all the oil had leaked out and he added 4 quarts of oil, which did not fill the truck but it was all that he had with him. He said it was still safe to drive the truck.

I showed the mechanic my wife's car covered in oil and the driveway. The Mechanic told me that U-Haul would pay to have cleaned. When I took the car to the South Campbell U-Haul, the manager said that all he could give me was $20.00 to have my car cleaned, I would have to fill out a form and someone would call. No one ever called.

After seeing the 20/20 report on television tonight (11/07), I decided that everyone should know how I was treated and how dangerous the trucks really are.

Please e-mail me, or contact the media if you have had any problems. I hope this will be the last bad truck U-Haul puts on the road! E-MAIL Dave Billings Visit Anna Maria Island Contact 20/20 ABC News Download Original Photos Always Do A Pre-Trip Inspection Everyone should be held responsible for safety!

Since 10/15/2000 I Previous Complaints Posted Via E-Mail | Complaint Posting Board I Another New U-Haul Complaint Website I I Cruel Haul! - Our Uhaul rental nightmare I WebBoard - Complaints.comI U.S. Department of Transportation I TSI - Transportation Safety Institute