Weeks after a routine oil change, Rusty Eck Ford called Larry Martin Jr. and told him to check the reminder sticker on his windshield. What he found printed there — the N-word — turned a forgettable maintenance visit into something he could not set aside. Martin, a Black customer in Wichita, Kansas, was not alone. The dealership’s investigation ultimately confirmed the slur appeared on stickers for at least four customers, a finding that only came to light after Martin’s family pressed for answers — and, as with other dealership controversies, owners have other words for how such incidents make them feel.
How a Racial Slur Got Into a Dealership’s Printing System
A sequence of failures — one act and one silence — allowed a racial slur to reach multiple customers through Rusty Eck Ford’s own service system.
According to the dealership, a Quick Lane employee typed the N-word into the sticker system while creating a reminder for the employee’s own vehicle. The language remained in the system and printed on stickers for at least four customers. A second employee later found the entry, removed it without reporting it to management. Both employees were subsequently terminated following the dealership’s investigation.
Key verified facts, according to the dealership and published reporting:
- Martin learned of the sticker weeks after his service when the dealership contacted him directly
- The N-word appeared on reminder stickers for at least four customers
- Two employees were fired: the one who entered the language and the one who removed it without reporting it to management
- Rusty Eck Ford stated it has zero tolerance for racial, hateful, discriminatory, demeaning, or derogatory conduct
- The dealership said it is reviewing internal procedures following the incident
“It felt humiliating,” Martin said. “It doesn’t go away.” He also said he felt belittled and still wanted to understand why it happened.
An Apology Wasn’t Enough – and the Family Made That Clear
The Martin family’s refusal to accept the dealership’s initial response pushed the investigation further and brought a fuller accounting to light.
Rusty Eck Ford’s initial statement acknowledged “alleged inappropriate conduct,” confirmed one termination, and said the incident did not reflect the company’s values. The statement stopped short of naming the conduct explicitly or detailing corrective steps, which Martin’s family found inadequate. His daughter, Kelsey Martin, argued that an apology alone was insufficient and that the family still had unanswered questions.
“An apology just isn’t enough, and it doesn’t suffice for the embarrassment,” Kelsey Martin said, according to published reporting.
The family’s continued pressure led to meetings with dealership leadership. Those meetings, and the additional questions and information the family brought forward, prompted further review — which is how the second employee’s role and the additional affected customers were identified. The reporting reviewed does not establish that the family’s actions were the sole cause of the expanded investigation, but the timeline is clear: more facts emerged after the family pushed back.
Several questions remain unresolved. Available reporting does not establish whether the employee intended the slur to reach customers, whether all four affected customers were individually contacted, or what specific procedural changes, if any, the dealership has implemented. No legal or regulatory action was identified in the reporting reviewed.
Whether Rusty Eck Ford’s announced procedural review will produce documented reforms remains unknown. For Martin, the incident’s weight has not lifted — he told reporters the experience still affects him every time he gets in his truck. That feeling, he made clear, is not something a statement resolves.
