The last thing anyone wants is a sudden brake failure while out on a test drive. That is something that could become even more alarming if the car you were driving had a clean CarFax report, but sadly, that is exactly what happened to TikTok creator Jemm (@jemmllc), who posted a video on his account about the incident.
Jemm had gone used car shopping with his daughter, in an attempt to create a nice memory and buy what would have been her first car. After looking at a few options on a dealer’s website, they had settled on one car with a clean CarFax report and decided to take it for a test drive.
However, there were some red flags even before driving the car, such as dents in the front and back that had not been visible online. Yet things became even more alarming when they got into the car to take it for a drive, leading to a scary incident at an intersection that could have ended a lot worse than it did.
Incredibly, it appeared that the dealership tried to take no responsibility for the incident. In fact, according to Jemm, they even tried to get more money out of him and his daughter to rectify a major brake problem with the car.
What Happened to the Clean Carfax Car on the Test Drive
@jemmllc The Fastest “NOPE” at a Car Dealership Description: Went car shopping for my daughter and found every red flag possible in one test drive. “Clean Carfax,” visible accident damage, and brakes that barely worked. Then the dealership wanted US to pay for repairs after saying it passed inspection. We were out. Trust your gut when buying a car. Keywords: car dealership, bad car buying experience, failed brakes, clean carfax, used car problems, dealership red flags, car shopping, test drive gone wrong, unsafe car, brake failure, used car scam, buying a car, daughter car shopping, auto inspection, wrecked car Categories: Autos & Vehicles, Lifestyle, Consumer Awareness, Family Hashtags: #CarShopping #UsedCars #DealershipDrama #CarFail #TestDrive ♬ original sound – JEMM ❌
Jemm and his daughter had found this particular car online via the dealer’s website, and it looked like an excellent option. But upon inspecting the car, they found dents in the front and back, with the car not looking as nice as it had on the website. Despite this, the two decided to take it for a test drive anyway, as they had made the effort to at least look at the car.
This is when things took a sudden turn for the worse. While his daughter was driving the car, she pressed on the brakes, and they simply didn’t work. And this happened right as they came to an intersection. “My daughter almost went through the intersection because the brakes didn’t work,” said Jemm.
That was a scary enough experience on its own. Yet incredibly, things got even more frustrating for the two when they returned to the dealership. After reporting the incident to the dealership, they were told they would have to pay for a full set of brakes and brake pads. No apology was given by the dealer to Jemm and his daughter for the near-miss.
The Content Creator Decided To Abandon the Deal
With such an awful experience and feeling incredibly mistreated, Jemm decided the best thing he and his daughter could do was to walk away. “I quickly ran out of there,” he said. “Trust your gut when buying a car,” he added in the video’s caption. With the signs already bad after the images not matching up with reality, walking away was the best move the two could have made.
What puzzled Jemm the most was how the car had a clean CarFax report. In theory, it shouldn’t have had any major issues, especially a brake failure like this. But CarFax’s own website states that the report may not account for the entirety of a vehicle’s condition. Not every incident or piece of information about a car is included in a vehicle’s database. Clearly, a CarFax report is no longer enough in 2026.
However, what is alarming here is how the dealership tried to force Jemm to pay for repairs himself. There was no apology made for the brake failure, and according to the video, Jemm was told the car had passed inspection. Whatever inspection that was, it clearly wasn’t thorough enough.
Other TikTok Users Sympathized With Jemm
The video got a huge response from other TikTok users, with some even referencing similar experiences of their own. “Did have a similar experience, but unfortunately, I did buy it. And after 1 year, it had it towed,” said one user. “So scary! I’m glad that you guys are okay and found out before buying it,” said another. Hopefully, though, Jemm and his daughter have since found a good car for her, but one with working brakes this time.