When you experience car trouble on the highway, you’d think the scariest thing on the road is the breakdown itself. For some Tennessee drivers, though, it’s the tow truck that shows up to “help.”

Especially if it’s operated by Priority Wrecker Service, a Nashville towing company that, according to state and local officials, shouldn’t even be operating there in the first place.

While the company has no legal permit to tow vehicles in Davidson County, it’s still collecting cars and cash as if nothing’s wrong. The result has been what one local driver called a “nightmare” experience.

Drivers report inflated tow fees, cash demands, and cars held hostage until owners forked over hundreds or even thousands of dollars

Gabriel Allensworth’s story paints the picture.

When his car broke down, he did what most of us would do: he searched online for a tow company and called the first one that popped up.

Priority Wrecker Service arrived quickly. But that’s where the goodwill ended.

Allensworth later explained that after the employee loaded his car onto the truck, the tow driver suddenly announced it would cost $525 to tow it from Bellevue to Antioch.

When Allensworth balked at the price, the driver reportedly demanded immediate payment in cash or through a cash app.

This happened even though the tow company’s website lists major credit cards as accepted. 

Allensworth didn’t have that kind of money on hand, so he asked the driver to unload the car.

That’s when, he said, the driver announced a $325 “unloading fee” just to put the vehicle back down

When his father arrived to help, the situation escalated. The driver allegedly refused to release the car and drove off with it.

Later, Allensworth said the company repeatedly raised the price to get it back and even threatened to sell the vehicle.

In the end, he paid more than $1,300 in towing and storage charges.

NewsChannel 5 found more than two dozen similar complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau

The agency assigned Priority Wrecker Service an “F” rating. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office has also received complaints about overcharging, cash-only demands, and vehicles held until drivers paid up.

It’s not the tow company’s first time in hot water, either. Before moving to Tennessee, Priority Wrecker Service racked up similar complaints in Illinois, where the BBB issued a public warning about its business practices.

In Davidson County, all tow companies must hold a permit from the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission

Its director, Richard Rooker, confirmed that Priority Wrecker Service has applied for that permit multiple times. But it’s been denied each time.

Despite this, NewsChannel 5 says company continues to operate openly in Nashville, even advertising local service on its website.

Rooker said the commission’s authority is limited to permitted companies, leaving few tools to stop unlicensed ones like Priority. He called the situation “extremely frustrating.”

Meanwhile, Allensworth eventually found a more legitimate tow service. AAA charged him just $77 to get his car back to Bellevue.

As of now, the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office are aware of the ongoing complaints. But until they act, Nashville drivers might want to think twice before dialing the first tow number that pops up online.