A Johannesburg woman has won a legal battle to have her Hyundai H1 returned after it was kept in storage without her consent and racked up a staggering R237,000 in fees.
The South Gauteng High Court ruled that she is entitled to take back her vehicle without paying the charges, after finding that she never agreed to the storage arrangement.
The case began in 2022 when the vehicle developed mechanical problems and was taken to a repair workshop. After disputes over the cause of the breakdown and repair responsibilities, the car was eventually moved to a storage company without the owner’s permission. She later discovered she was being billed daily storage costs despite not authorising the transfer.
Frustrated, she turned to the courts, arguing that she faced irreparable harm as she was still paying off the car loan. The judge agreed, noting that the workshop had only issued her with a repair quote and not a storage contract. The court found that she had even attempted to recover her car before it was moved, but the vehicle was no longer on site.
The judge ordered both the repair workshop and the storage company to return the Hyundai H1 within 10 days, without any storage fees. If they fail to comply, the sheriff has been instructed to seize the vehicle wherever it may be and deliver it to her.