Accident repair left my car unsafe. Insurer says it’s not their problem. Advice?

Hi all,

I’m looking for advice because I honestly don’t know where I stand anymore.

I was in a car accident at the end of December. It wasn’t my fault. The car went into the insurer’s approved garage and was fully drivable beforehand. I was using it daily with no warning lights or issues.

During the repair, the garage tried to recalibrate the ADAS radar system and it failed. After investigating further, they told me in writing that:

• the car is not safe to drive

• the radar can’t be calibrated

• the wiring loom needs replacing

• they won’t release the car because of safety concerns

All of this only came up during the insurer-authorised repair.

Now the insurer is saying the wiring issue is pre-existing and unrelated to the accident. They’re refusing to cover it and claiming the accident repairs are complete.

What’s really frustrating is they haven’t provided any proof. No technical report. No diagnostics. No photos. Nothing. Just a statement saying it’s unrelated.

Meanwhile, the approved garage says the car is unsafe and won’t release it unless the issue is fixed. The insurer has told them to release it anyway. They’ve also tried to stop my loss-of-use payments even though the car is still sitting there and not drivable.

For context, the car was written off years ago before I owned it. I knew that when I bought it. Since then it had Irish repairs, and I have paperwork showing the ADAS system had been checked and was working before this accident. I was driving the car normally right up until the crash.

So now I’m stuck with:

• a car that went into repairs working

• came out unsafe

• an insurer refusing to fix it

• no technical evidence backing their claim

I’ve opened a formal complaint and I’m considering going to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.

Has anyone dealt with something like this?

Can insurers just say something is unrelated without showing proof?

What happens when the garage says unsafe but the insurer says it’s available?

Has anyone successfully challenged a “pre-existing damage” claim like this?

I’m not trying to profit from this. I just want my car back in the condition it was in before the accident, or to be treated fairly if they won’t fix it.

Any advice or experiences would really help.

Thanks