This Windsor, Ont., man is paying for a car he can't drive. He's calling for stronger consumer rights

A Windsor, Ont., man who has spent months without a vehicle as his SUV sits in the dealership's lot, awaiting parts, following an accident is calling for stronger consumer laws.

Mohamed Ahmed says the March car accident left his then month-old vehicle undrivable. He said he wasn't offered a replacement, and was "shocked" to learn he doesn't have a legal right to one.

Ahmed financed a 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan in February. He is still waiting for the arrival of two main parts — a steering rack and rims — so his vehicle can be fixed.

"There is no ETA on the parts, which is causing me lots of frustration," he said. 

Ahmed said he works for a Toronto-based company and is supposed to be there in person at least twice a month, but he's unable to get there. 

"If I want to travel, meet my clients, meet my team — I'll be so much stressed with everything going up in the roof now with prices. I need to save every penny not to spend it on car rentals." 

Ahmed said he's had to rent a car a couple of times to make it to meetings in Toronto. He also said he used his wife's car and she missed work in Windsor as a result. 

"I contacted Volkswagen several times. There is no response from them or there is a, 'We acknowledge that your car is there with us, but there is no ETA on the parts for now,'" Ahmed said. 

"I'm paying for a car I don't have. I'm paying for a car that I don't know when it's coming back." 

When reached for comment, the dealership, Volkswagen of Windsor, referred CBC News to Volkswagen Canada. The company did not respond to requests for comment by the time this article was published, but it will be updated should we receive a response.

Ahmed, a Canadian permanent resident, was hoping Volkswagen would offer compensation similar to the one he got from the company a couple of years ago when he had troubles with a pre-owned Audi while he was in the Middle East. 

He said his Audi had to be taken to be fixed for a couple of months because of a faulty spark plug, and Volkswagen compensated him by giving him another car of the same value to use in the meantime. 

"So why not here? Why Canada doesn't have this" same consumer protection?

Ahmed's insurance package doesn't cover car rentals after accidents. He said he has upgraded his insurance to try to prevent going through this type of situation again.