The Intense Harm of Carvana

How One “Routine” Vehicle Detailing Caused a Medical Crisis in Our Home

Why This Story Matters

This is not a story about inconvenience.

This is a story about severe harm, avoidable exposure, and a business practice that puts people at risk.

I live with severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). Exposure to fragrances and chemicals causes asthma, neurological symptoms, pain, and systemic reactions. We structure our entire lives to reduce toxic exposure.

Then Carvana entered our home.

Why We Trusted Carvana

My husband Keith wanted to buy a different truck so we could pull a fifth-wheel trailer.

Carvana’s seven-day return policy sounded like the perfect solution for someone like me. If there was a problem, we could return the vehicle without risk, or so we thought.

We found the truck we loved:

A 2019 Dodge Ram 3500 long bed with a fifth-wheel puck system.

We never buy new vehicles because new cars off-gas toxins for months or years. Used vehicles, when fragrance-free, are often safe for me.

Before delivery, I explicitly requested that the truck not be detailed. I was told this was impossible. Every vehicle is detailed. No exceptions. If there was a problem, we could return it.

That answer should have stopped us, but we trusted the return policy.

Delivery Day: The First Red Flag

Tuesday, January 20

The truck was delivered in the evening and parked in our driveway.

We parked it next to our current truck—one that is completely safe for me.

For reference:

• Our existing truck consistently measures below 250 VOCs

• The last time we checked it was 150

• Green/safe is under 250

• Over 500 VOCs is harmful to everyone, according to public health guidance

  
  

The VOC Data That Changed Everything

Wednesday, January 21

At 5:30 a.m., Keith placed one VOC meter inside our safe truck and another inside the Carvana truck. He did not sit in or enter the Carvana truck. He reached in briefly, put the VOC meter on the dash and replaced the cabin filter with a HEPA filter.

He then:

• Removed his clothes in the garage

• Showered immediately

• Washed his hair

  
  

Every precaution was taken to protect me and our home.

The Readings:

• Our truck: 46 VOCs

• Carvana truck: climbing rapidly

  • 210

  • 280

  • Then solidly into the yellow zone above 250—while it was cold outside

    
    

Cold temperatures should lower VOCs. The Carvana truck was actively off-gassing chemicals.

Keith told me the truck smelled of Armor All.

When the Toxins Entered Our Home

Within hours, I began coughing violently in our bathroom.

This was shocking. I had never entered the truck.

Despite:

• 5500 and 2200 AirDoctor purifiers in our bedroom/bathroom

• A 5500 AirDoctor in our kitchen

• A 2200 in my office

• Another 2200 in the spare bedroom

…the VOCs in our living room increased steadily all day from 80 to 1,384 at 1:15

I became dizzy, developed severe asthma, and experienced pain.

Keith threw away his clothes. There was no saving them.

Days of Illness, Loss, and Fear

For seven days, our home has remained contaminated.

I experienced:

• Severe asthma

• Dizziness

• Intense shoulder, neck and ankle pain

• Sinus blockage

• Eyes watering, sinus congestion and blockage

• Gastrointestinal distress - stomach pain and nausea

• Cognitive impairment (losing words during reactions)

• Loss of ability to safely occupy my own home without a respirator

  
  

We have slept in a single small “safe room” with a purifier running nonstop.

I have worn my respirator mask for days inside my own home.

I could not work.

I could not rest properly.

I could not feel safe.

All of this from a truck I never entered.

This is not over.

VOC levels are decreasing, but I am still wearing a respirator and still experiencing symptoms without it. We are assessing contamination in other parts of our home.

What Caused This: Mandatory Detailing

Armor All is a strong VOC source

What happened is a classic high VOC silicone/fragrance contamination from detailing products like Armor All and others

Armor All is one of the hardest products to clear because it contains:

• Silicone polymers

• Fragrance fixatives

• Persistent solvents

• VOCs designed to cling and re-off-gas

Armor All VOCs are extremely volatile

• They transfer easily from:

  • Truck → clothing and skin

  • Clothing and skin → bathroom air

  • Skin →Towels / blankets

• Hot water + steam (shower) mobilizes VOCs

Keith did everything possible to protect me and our home. Clearly, in the case of Armor All, and other products like it, there is nothing you can do to prevent it contaminating your home.

We didn't realize this at the time, but Armor All:

• Takes days or weeks to dissipate

• Can harm people that do not have MCS

It has taken days to dissipate when we never were even in the truck! Imagine the danger of the VOCs if we would have driven that truck every day.

 My body reacted because:

• The exposure was intense

• The products are engineered to persist

  
  

Carvana forces this contamination into every vehicle harming their employees, customers and our Earth.

The Bigger Picture

• 34% of people react to fragrances

• VOCs over 500 are harmful to everyone

• Fragrance-free vehicles exist but are being destroyed by detailing

• There are safe, natural choices for detailing a vehicle

  
  

Carvana is:

• Buying up used vehicles

• Applying toxic products

• Making once safe cars unsafe

• Exposing employees, buyers and families

• Polluting homes and the environment with harmful toxins

  
  

This is not just about me.

What Needs to Change

• Vehicles bought from people that do not use fragrance must be labeled as fragrance free and detailed only with natural ingredients such as Dr. Bronner's Baby soap or as buyer requests

• Detailing must be optional

• People with MCS must not be excluded from commerce

• Low-VOC environments must be the goal everywhere

  
  

This is the future if we care about human health

A Call to Action

Carvana picked up our truck.

The harm remains.

I am asking you to join me:

• Call Carvana

• Demand fragrance-free options

• Use the letter I wrote as a guide for your own letter

• Protect yourself and others

  
  

Carvana Headquarters: (480) 719-8809

Notes on Air Purifiers (Important)

Only AirDoctor air purifiers work safely for me.

Many others that I have tried cause asthma

Important note: Some air purifiers include an optional ionizer feature. Ionizers can be irritating or harmful for people with asthma or chemical sensitivities. I do not use the ionizer feature on any air purifier. Anyone with asthma or sensitivities should research this carefully and consult what works safely for them.

Why This Matters to Everyone

This story is not only about me, or about Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. It is about transparency, safety, and informed consent. When products, vehicles, or environments are treated with chemicals that people cannot opt out of or be warned about, harm becomes possible for far more people than most realize. Many individuals without a diagnosis still experience asthma, migraines, neurological symptoms, or long-term health effects from chemical exposures they never chose.

No one should have to become ill to learn what they are being exposed to. Businesses should be required to provide clear information, reasonable accommodations, and meaningful choices, especially when those choices can prevent harm. What happened here reveals a gap in policy that affects not just people with disabilities, but families, workers, children, and anyone who values health and safety.

I share this so others with MCS are not harmed.

Fragrances are harmful to everyone! This website explains so well why. https://www.fragrancefreecoalition.com/

Please let me know if you have any questions.

My Letter

email address: privacypolicy@carvana.com

Subject: Formal Complaint: Severe Chemical Harm Caused by Mandatory Vehicle Detailing

Carvana Legal Department

1930 West Rio Salado Parkway

Tempe, AZ 85281

January 29, 2026

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally notify you that I have been severely harmed by Carvana’s mandatory vehicle detailing practices.

On January 20, 2026, Carvana delivered a used 2019 Dodge Ram 3500 to our home. Prior to delivery, I explicitly requested that the vehicle not be detailed due to my Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). I was told this was impossible and that all vehicles are detailed without exception.

Although I never entered the vehicle, exposure to chemicals used during Carvana’s detailing, specifically fragrance-based products such as Armor All caused a medical crisis in my home that is still ongoing.

As a result of this exposure, I experience:

• Severe asthma requiring rescue medication

• Dizziness

• Intense shoulder, neck and ankle pain

• Eyes watering, sinus congestion and blockage

• Gastrointestinal distress - stomach pain and nausea

• Cognitive impairment (losing words during reactions)

• Loss of ability to safely occupy my own home without a respirator

  
  

The contamination spread through my home despite the use of five air purifiers. Some clothing was rendered unsafe and had to be discarded.

This harm was entirely preventable.

Carvana’s refusal to allow fragrance-free, non-detailed vehicles:

• Endangers customers

• Endangers employees

• Discriminates against people with disabilities

• Permanently contaminates otherwise safe used vehicles

• Causes environmental harm through persistent VOC emissions

  
  

I am requesting the following corrective actions:

1. Immediate acknowledgment of harm caused

2. The end of mandatory detailing policies

3. Vehicles bought from people that do not use fragrance must be labeled as fragrance free and detailed only with natural ingredients such as Dr. Bronner's Baby soap or as buyer requests (34% of people have reactions to fragrances)

4. Clear labeling of chemical treatments applied to vehicles

5. People with MCS which is a disability must not be excluded from commerce

   
   

I expect a written response from Carvana addressing this matter as soon as possible.

If this issue is not resolved, I will pursue further action through regulatory, disability rights, and consumer protection channels.

This letter serves as formal notice.

Sincerely,

Teresa Peters

Fragrances are harmful to everyone! This website explains so well why. https://www.fragrancefreecoalition.com/

_________________

Stay Connected

If my story resonated with you, I'd be grateful if you could give it a heart at the end of my blog. Your support means the world to me. I also always love to hear from you; please leave me a comment below.

I have had miracles happen, so many miracles and I am so thankful. I am working to share with you what I have learned with my blogs, social media posts and Youtube so that you can also heal.

Yet now, I find myself faced with increasing toxins in America that is making it so difficult for me to stay healthy and this is true for each of us and our Earth. 

We need to work together to solve this issue. Our lives and our planet depend on this.

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