WEST JORDAN, Utah – People pay for car warranties for the peace of mind they get from knowing that if their car breaks down, pricey repairs will be covered. But, what happens when the warranty company keeps throwing up roadblocks?

It happened to Amy Lifferth when the transmission of her Toyota Sienna van went out. She had purchased an extended warranty from Car Shield.

“We have spent about a month trying to not only get the car fixed, but just get a straight answer about whether they’ll pay for it. And they just keep putting us off,” Lifferth said.

When her protests with the company got her nowhere, she decided it was time to call the KSL Investigators.

“I want them to cover the mechanical failure in my car because my policy covers mechanical failure,” Lifferth told us.

As we began digging, we found she was far from being alone in her frustration with Car Shield. The Better Business Bureau has issued an alert citing “a pattern of consumer complaints…,” including “failure to cover needed repairs.”

So, this time we reached to Car Shield on Lifferth’s behalf. While we never heard back from the company, we do know they got the message. Right after our calls, Amy and her husband heard from Car Shield. They have reached an agreement, but are gagged from disclosing any of its details to the KSL Investigators.

“I liked the idea of being able to purchase a policy that would be there for me when things go wrong,” Lifferth said.

Extended car warranties are basically insurance policies. If you have trouble getting a warranty company to cover your legitimate claim, you can file a complaint with the Utah Department of Insurance, which oversees such claims.