Subaru Outback

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this rental experience, particularly for families relying on the host to provide child safety seats.

I reserved and paid for two child car seats in advance and specifically confirmed the request with the host, as I was traveling without my partner, including providing the height and weight of both of my children so that appropriate seats could be provided.

Before my flight, I was also instructed to change the pickup location in the Turo app from SFO to Millbrae BART so that the airport fee could be refunded. I made that change as instructed. However, when I later contacted Turo, I was told the host had not accepted the location change on their end. I therefore remained responsible for the airport fee despite actually picking up the vehicle at Millbrae BART.

After landing at SFO, I traveled solo with my two young children to Millbrae BART to collect the vehicle. When we arrived, only one of the two reserved car seats was provided, and it had a strong vomit odor. I did not consider it appropriate to put my child in it.

I contacted the host immediately because I was now at the pickup location with two young children and without two usable car seats. By coincidence, after a while, another renter was returning a vehicle, and a second car seat from that vehicle was given to us. Unfortunately, that seat had not been cleaned either.

The host and I subsequently discussed by phone that I would purchase a replacement car seat from Target and be reimbursed. I went to Target, purchased a new car seat, assembled it, and installed it myself, which took much time. When I later tried to have the reimbursement agreement confirmed in writing through the Turo chat, however, I had difficulty getting a clear confirmation.

Because I was uncomfortable being left without definitive confirmation that the purchase would be reimbursed, I ultimately made another trip to Target and returned the car seat myself. I was able to recover the purchase price directly from the retailer, but this meant additional driving and even more time spent resolving the situation.

All of this occurred during a short family trip while I was managing two young children on my own. What should have been a straightforward car pickup turned into multiple trips, purchasing and assembling a car seat, returning it, and considerable back-and-forth communication trying to resolve the associated charges.

Given the circumstances, I requested to return the vehicle directly to SFO rather than traveling back through Millbrae BART with my children. The host agreed to waive the associated $37 parking fee. I also requested reimbursement for the additional gas used making the trips required to deal with the car-seat situation. The host ultimately considered the $37 parking-fee waiver to be compensation for those additional gas expenses rather than reimbursing them separately.

The two car-seat rental fees were eventually refunded through Turo, days after I was waiting to hear confirmation from the host. The airport fee, however, remained unresolved despite the vehicle actually being picked up at Millbrae BART and documentation of the pickup arrangements.

The vehicle itself drove fine, and my review is not about the condition or performance of the car. My concern is specifically with the handling of the child safety seats and the amount of effort required afterward to resolve the situation. Having two appropriate, usable car seats waiting for us was an important part of why I chose this rental, and I had taken the extra step of confirming them with the host beforehand.

Ultimately, the missing/unusable car seats, multiple additional trips, uncertainty surrounding reimbursement, and unresolved airport fee took considerable time away from our trip and created unnecessary stress.

I hope the host takes this feedback seriously and ensures that, in the future, any child safety equipment reserved by families is confirmed, clean, appropriate for the children, and ready at pickup.

Jena Lynne •

Great car, and perfect size in helping move my son into college. Good communication

Dawn •

Good experience, firse one, not the last

Fabrizio •

Thank you!!

Delilah •

Great little car, practical and got me where I needed to go

Daniel •