Can my son get EDD benefits if fired for car breakdown during work? Required vehicle for job

Ugh, that totally sucks!! I think he probably CAN get benefits but I'm not 100% sure. My cousin had something similar happen when his truck's engine died and he couldn't do his construction job anymore. His boss was a jerk about it too. I think he got approved but took like 6 weeks?? The thing is, it's not like your son deliberately broke his car, right? That's the key part I think. It's not misconduct if it wasn't his fault.

This is actually a common situation, and EDD typically does NOT consider vehicle breakdown as misconduct. For unemployment eligibility purposes, misconduct usually requires a willful or intentional disregard of employer interests. A mechanical failure beyond your son's control doesn't meet that standard. What matters here: 1. The employment agreement required a personal vehicle (which he had) 2. The vehicle broke down through no intentional fault of his own 3. He physically cannot meet the condition due to financial constraints He should apply immediately after termination. During his phone interview, he should clearly explain that the breakdown was unexpected, unavoidable, and he cannot financially remedy it in the employer's timeframe. Document everything - including the repair quote and any communications with his employer. The employer may contest, but if your son presents the facts clearly, he has a strong case.

sounds like a lousy company!! my brother in law's boss at least HELPED him when his car died bc good workers r hard to find... ur son should look at the employee handbook for company vehicle policy also is it a big company? does anybody else there have a car he could borrow? just ideas

One thing to consider: if your son files for unemployment and gets approved, make sure he's actively seeking suitable work that doesn't require his own vehicle during the certification periods. EDD requires you to be available for and seeking suitable work. If he limits his job search to only positions that don't require a personal vehicle, that's perfectly reasonable given his circumstances. Also worth noting that when he applies, the system will automatically schedule a phone interview due to the job separation reason. These interviews are EXTREMELY difficult to get through to an actual person about if you have questions beforehand. When I needed to get through to EDD about my phone interview, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with a representative without waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. Definitely worth it to get my questions answered before the actual eligibility interview.

Just my 2 cents but i don't think its gonna be clear cut. EDD might look at it as failing to meet job requirements. Its kinda in a grey area cause yes the car breaking isn't his fault BUT also having a working car was a condition of his job that he cant meet now. When i had my claim the EDD phone interviewer was a real stickler for the exact details so make sure he's super prepared to explain everything.

This EXACT thing happened to me in 2025!!!! Delivery job, car died (radiator in my case), got fired after 3 days to "fix it". I'll tell you what happened with my EDD claim: - I filed online immediately - Got a phone interview scheduled for 3 weeks later - During the interview I explained that I couldn't afford repairs - They asked if I had money saved or could borrow it - I said no and explained my financial situation - Got APPROVED 2 days later! Just be honest. If he really can't afford the repair, and it wasn't his fault, he should be fine. My former employer tried to fight it saying I "knew vehicle maintenance was my responsibility" but EDD sided with me. Good luck to your son!!

wait wait wait - he NEEDS to check if the company has more than 25 employees!! If they do, they HAVE to make reasonable accommodations under ADA!!!! car problems count!!

Has he talked to his boss about possibly doing different work until he can get his car fixed? Maybe they have desk work or something he could do temporarily? Sometimes companies will work with good employees rather than just firing them. Worth a shot before going the unemployment route!

hey when he does apply make sure he certifies EVERY two weeks even while waiting for the phone interview decision. i messed that up and lost 2 weeks of benefits cause i thought i had to wait for approval first. big mistake!

I'm new here but wanted to share that I went through something similar last year. My car's engine seized up while I was working for a rideshare company and they deactivated my account immediately. I was terrified about applying for unemployment because I thought they'd say it was my fault for not maintaining my car properly. I ended up getting approved! The key things that helped me were: - I had all my maintenance records showing I was taking care of the car - I got a written estimate from the mechanic showing the repair cost - I explained clearly that I simply couldn't afford the $3,800 repair on my income Your son should definitely apply right away if he gets terminated. From what I've learned, EDD looks at whether you had control over the situation. A transmission failure isn't something you can predict or prevent, especially on a 7-year-old car with regular maintenance. One more thing - tell him to keep looking for jobs that don't require a personal vehicle while his claim is pending. That shows EDD he's genuinely trying to get back to work despite his transportation issue.