The Springfield City License Commission voted on Oct. 22 to schedule a prehearing conference for Fastlane Auto Sales and Service Inc., d/b/a Fastlane Auto Sales and Service Inc., following a customer complaint about prolonged repair delays and warranty handling.

The complaintant, identified in the hearing as Miss Ellison, told the commission she had to pay for a rental car after Fastlane retained her vehicle for about two months while she waited for the business to contact a warranty provider. "I should be reimbursed for the time I had to come out of pocket to pay for a rental because he had my car for 2 months and it was just sitting," Miss Ellison said during the informational hearing. She said she later located another shop that would work with the warranty company and that the vehicle is now at that shop for repair.

Noemi De Leon, manager of record for Fastlane Auto Sales and Service Inc., told the commission the dealer’s records show the vehicle had almost 9,619 miles on it when brought in, which exceeded the dealership’s 30-day/1,250-mile warranty window. De Leon said inspection failures are the buyer’s responsibility and attributed the engine damage to lack of maintenance, saying the motor showed "no oil" when checked and that the rod bearings were worn because of lubrication issues. She also said the dealership had requested receipts from the consumer to verify prior oil changes.

Commission staff noted a history of prior complaints against Fastlane (April 2023, July 2024 and April 2025, plus the present case) and recommended the commission consider that pattern. Commissioners discussed whether the dealership’s primary contact, Rodney May, should attend a follow-up session; De Leon said May is the business’s primary contact and was unable to attend because of a personal loss.

Madam Chair moved to schedule a prehearing conference; the motion was seconded and carried on roll call. Commissioners who recorded affirmative votes included Commissioner Cade, Commissioner Dean Delantonio, Commissioner Ramirez, Commissioner Carrie Zamfrenski and Commissioner Espinosa. The commission’s chair told the parties they will receive notice by mail of the prehearing conference.

The commission’s informational hearing did not award reimbursement to the complainant; a commission member said rental-vehicle reimbursement would require a court action rather than administrative relief through the licensing commission.

The commission closed the Fastlane item after setting the prehearing conference; no final disciplinary action or license suspension was taken at this meeting.