Lake Charles Kia Dealership Fires Service Manager After Parts Swap Caught on Camera

LAKE CHARLES, La. — A Lake Charles woman says a Kia dealership used parts pulled from her SUV to repair a different customer’s vehicle without ever telling her, and she has video of a service manager admitting to it.

Shirley Poullard brought her Kia Telluride to Kia of Lake Charles on June 17 after a tire blowout on the interstate. The SUV then sat at the dealership for more than a month, and Poullard says she got little communication from the service department about what was actually happening with her vehicle.

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How the Confrontation Unfolded

Frustrated by the silence, Poullard drove to the dealership to check on her SUV in person. When she got there, she found the hood already up, with components visibly missing from under it. She started recording on her phone.

Poullard says she asked repeatedly why her engine was apart. The service manager told her multiple times that no one had touched her vehicle, then admitted on camera that the dealership had pulled parts from her SUV, including the fuel injectors, to service another customer’s car.

“Taking something without permission is stealing. Which is what y’all were doing is stealing,” Poullard said during the confrontation. “Because had I not come up there, I wouldn’t have known. Y’all would have just threw my car back together and expected me to drive it. And later down the line when something went wrong, I would’ve been the person they tried to say was at fault.”

The video spread quickly across Lake Charles social media after Poullard posted it, and it shows the confrontation taking place inside the dealership’s service bay.

Dealership Response and the Service Manager’s Exit

After the video circulated, station crews visited Kia of Lake Charles, located at 1900 Siebarth Drive, and spoke with the owner. The dealership said it launched an internal review that ended with the service manager’s termination.

“We took your feedback seriously and immediately began an internal review,” the dealership said in a statement. “Following that review, the Service Manager is no longer employed with our company. Our team is held to a high standard of customer care, professionalism, respect, and honesty. Every customer deserves to be treated with dignity, and we sincerely apologize to the customer involved.”

What Comes Next for Poullard and Other Customers

Poullard has her SUV back, but she still doesn’t feel comfortable driving it now that she knows the dealership swapped parts without her consent. She’s seeking legal representation, and she’s hoping her story warns other Kia of Lake Charles customers who may not know what happens to their vehicles once they’re out of sight in the service bay.

The incident is a reminder for any Southwest Louisiana driver leaving a car for extended repairs: ask for documentation of exactly what parts are being used, and don’t hesitate to follow up in person if a shop goes quiet for weeks at a time.

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