Alamo Rent A Car - Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)

Reviews

• DS

  Derrick Suttles

  6 days ago
  1.0
  My flight was cancelled so I made the choice to drive home. I came to the Alamo rental facility in Detroit to turn in the car and get a one way rental. When I pulled in the manger (Randy) told me not to even worry about it and just take off and go to my destination. He said that he personally would wave the fee but that my final destination may charge a one way fee of $75 and no more than $125. When I got to my final destination they informed me that I owed $250. I immediately shared what I had been told by Randy in Detroit. They put the information in and created a hold. I received a phone call stating that they could charge me $500 and that they were generous for only charging me $250. This is customer service at its worst. I will never rent from Alamo again.
• EE

  Ekpa Eyoma

  Aug 19, 2026
  1.0
  This was my first time renting from Alamo, and unfortunately, it will likely be my last. I rented a 2026 Hyundai through Alamo at DTW from August 9–14. On August 10, I placed my backpack in the passenger seat, closed the door, and walked around to the driver’s side. I heard a click and discovered that the vehicle had locked itself with the key fob, my belongings, and everything else inside the car. For a 2026 push-button-start vehicle, I find it completely unacceptable that the car could lock with the key inside. I immediately contacted Alamo roadside assistance. At 4:53 p.m., I received a text saying assistance would arrive within 60 minutes. An hour and a half later, no one had arrived. I called Alamo again around 6:10 p.m., only to learn that they couldn’t even find a roadside assistance provider. I was eventually told the provider wouldn’t arrive until approximately 7:30–8:40 p.m. I was alone at work, it was getting dark, my phone was at approximately 5% battery, and I was in an area I was told was not particularly safe. I explained that I was not comfortable waiting alone in a parking lot for another two hours with a dying phone. Alamo offered to Uber me somewhere or take me to another Alamo location, but my personal belongings were still locked inside the rental car. Shortly afterward, my phone died. I had to walk to a nearby library, use their phone, find a local locksmith, and pay $105 out of pocket to get back into the vehicle. The locksmith arrived within about 15 minutes. I contacted Alamo afterward and was told the matter would be escalated to management and that someone would follow up with me. No one ever did. When I returned the vehicle, I spoke with the DTW manager. His response was that there are apparently “some cars that lock with the key inside” and “some that don’t.” That is an incredibly concerning response. Customers should not have to play Russian roulette with a rental car’s locking system. I was then told that I should have purchased the additional roadside assistance package for approximately $5/day if I wanted the $105 lockout covered. I find that response unacceptable because I did contact Alamo for assistance, Alamo arranged roadside assistance, and that assistance failed to show up. To make matters worse, while I was at the airport leaving Detroit, I received an additional $70 lockout charge from Alamo. I immediately called and explained that Alamo had not actually assisted me with the lockout and that I had been forced to hire and pay a locksmith myself. I requested that the charge be reversed. I have been traveling for work for approximately a year and a half and have rented cars from multiple companies in different states. I have never experienced a rental car locking the key inside, being left waiting for hours for roadside assistance, having to pay $105 to resolve the problem myself, and then being charged another $70 for the same incident. The issue isn’t simply that something went wrong with the vehicle. Problems happen. The real problem is how Alamo handled it. I felt stranded and unsafe, was left without a working phone, had to solve the problem myself, received no follow-up, and was ultimately charged for a service that was never provided. Alamo needs to seriously reconsider how these vehicles are being rented and how lockouts and roadside assistance failures are handled. Very disappointing experience, especially for a first-time Alamo customer. Added: I have called at least 3 times to have this issue resolved via their customer service number. I was told today (Aug 19th) by the customer service rep that the matter wasn't documented or escalated. Respectfully, to the owner's response to this review to contact their website for further assistance. This has not happened, but thanks for responding to the negative review not my calls/requests.
• RH

  Rachel Henderson

  Aug 13, 2026
  1.0
  Paid for a mid-size SUV with a child safety car seat, and was given the option between a small SUV and an even smaller one. We have an insider account and did skip the counter. Our plane was 3 hours delayed, and I arrived around 2am with my 1.5yo to get our car while my husband got the luggage. I was told I could have "that little white thing" or anything from row 4. There were two cars on row 4, one without a key that was not an actual option. The other car was a Hyundai Kona, which was slightly bigger than the "little white thing" but painfully small. Mid-size is supposed to hold two pieces of luggage, but barely fit one in the trunk. We had to put half of the back seat down to get the other suitcase in the car, and the little umbrella stroller wouldnt even fit in the trunk at an angle. When you lookup a Kona, it literally says "small SUV" on Hyundai's website. My knees were completely against the dash the entire trip, because the carseat had to go behind the passenger, or the driver would be too far up into the dash to drive. I am only 5'7". We had a 3-hour drive, and every time I got back into the car, I was smashed into the front seat and blocked the window to the right, so sight was limited for my husband who was forced to drive the entire time since he's 6ft tall. I couldn't sit in the back because our suitcase was there. Below is a photo of how my knees were the entire trip, and my back is all the way against the seat and back into the carseat, even pushing that up a little so I could fit. Alamo didn't even have a child safety seat, only an upright booster, so I had to wait while the guy from Enteprise rushed over with one. Very disappointed in the vehicle and the lack of priority for an insider.
• SR

  Shauna Rossio

  Aug 12, 2026
  1.0
  When we got off the shuttle and went to the counter- there was no one working. Then a woman came along and was complaining to someone in another office that she is the only one working and they are in the middle of shift change. She seemed bothered that she was working. We finally were given our papers and told to see some man that was sitting down across the room and he would get a car. We walked up to him and he looked at our paper and then said wait here, when I motion for you, then you can come outside so make sure you are watching. We walked outside anyways cause we could not see him around the vans parked in front of the window. Then he led us to some SUVs. we said we have a luxury sedan. He said this is good enough. I said I would like the luxury sedan for the roominess inside. He said these are all he had. He put us in a compact Range Rover SUV and said he had no other vehicles. We stood there arguing with him for about 15 minutes. Then after we loaded our luggage and getting in the car he said he did not realize we had a luxury car but he can see if we want to wait 20 minutes or so to see if they have one at the other lot. We would have to wait to see what they bring. I said you can't call them? he said no. What is the point of waiting. We had another group with us and they had their vehicle and were ready to leave. When we got to the exit booth, I asked if they had a phone number I could call and make a complaint. She said no and asked me what the problem was. I told her and she called someone...another 10 minutes go by and we are just sitting at the gate. She then opens the window and says that her manager said we should come back and she can see if she can get us a luxury car. At this point, we had wasted so much time and we needed to go so we could get on the road to be at our kids youth football tournament. She kept us there for another 10 minutes and I said we need to leave so she finally handed me back my driver license and opened the gate. WORST EXPERIENCE!!!! How do they have no one to complain to?
• KF

  Ken Fridley

  Aug 12, 2026
  3.0
  Rented a luxury car from DTW. Used the Skip the Line functionality, however, there was no clear indication at the this location, what vehicle types were what. Had to ask for assistance, which really defeats the purpose of skipping the line. Ended up with a 2024 Audi A4. Proceeded to drive this vehicle up to Toronto. No problems until the 2nd day when a coolant level message started to be displayed. Also, the maintenance reminder started popping up every time we started the car. (It was 5000 miles past the appointed maintenance check.) The coolant level was way below the min line on the coolant tank. Added coolant to the system, which took the error away, but you'd think the "crew" at DTW would have noticed that. And when was the last time a car needed its coolant level checked, especially on a 2024 Audi. Obviously a leak somewhere in the system. Another issue was when turning at low speeds, the engine hesitated and "rumbled." All these issue were told to the return crew at DTW when the car was returned. They "comp'd" me a day off the rental, but they should be pulling this car out of rotation. It was the only "luxury" sedan in stock when we arrived, and I can see now why that was. This is the 2nd time in a year that Alamo (Natyional) has provided a car that had some serious mechanical issues. (The first one was leaking oil and a dramatic rate.) Get it together Alamo. Do maintenance on your cars.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alamo Rent A Car - Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)