Woman’s Car Still Tied to Dead Grandfather, Blocking Registration

Renewing your vehicle registration is usually a straightforward process and one that can typically be done online. But not for TikTok user Kayla (@kayvanoo), who went through jumps and hurdles trying to get it done. And you want to know why?

It’s because the leasing company released the title of the vehicle to Kayla’s dead grandfather in 2023, even though he died in 2020, and it caused tons of confusion at the DMV, which stood in the way of her renewing her registration.

But why would a leasing company release a vehicle title to a man who had already passed away? Let’s get into her wild story.

So Kayla begins her TikTok by explaining that her registration is set to expire, so she attempts to renew it online, but is quickly rejected. So she does the next best thing and heads over to the DMV.

There, she’s told the leasing company still owns her vehicle, to which she responds “no,” explaining she started financing it in 2023 through PNC Bank. But the DMV insists the leasing company still holds ownership, and she’ll need to contact them before she can proceed on.

So she calls PNC to track down the title of her vehicle, only to be told they don’t have it. But here’s the thing. Kayla says she’s been making payments to PNC Bank for the last three years, yet they don’t have the title of her car.

She then goes back to the leasing company, hoping to track the document down, but hits a dead end again when they tell her they closed her account in 2023. She asks if they can send PNC the title, and they confirm they can. But weeks go by and no title arrives.

She calls again and is, once again, told they’ll send it. But again, more weeks pass and still no title. So she calls a third time, urging them to send it because she needs to register her vehicle. This time, she’s told they released her title back in April 2023 to her grandfather, and they can’t help her.

But here’s the kicker. Kayla’s grandfather has been deceased since 2020, meaning they released the title to a dead man. Not fully understanding what she’s telling them, the leasing company even asks if she can contact him to find out where the title is. After she explains multiple times that he has passed away, the agent finally realizes he physically isn’t here anymore. Still, the company says they can’t help because the account was closed in 2023.

So her scavenger hunt for the title continues. Kayla goes back and forth multiple times between the DMV, PNC, and the leasing company, and even obtains a bill of sale, a power of attorney, and has her grandmother sign documents giving her authority over the items her grandfather owned, so she can possess ownership over the car.

After getting everything notarized, the DMV tells her she doesn’t need those documents, just a power of attorney from the leasing company.

If your head is spinning at this point, you’re not alone. Just retelling the events is enough to give anyone a headache.

Anyway, Kayla decides to reach back out to the leasing company and finally gets someone in the executive office on the phone. They tell her, “I can’t believe you went through all of this, we will get you a duplicate title from the DMV.” But she’ll still have to wait 14 business days to receive it.

It’s a pretty wild story, and one some commenters believe could entitle Kayla to file a lawsuit, not just because the title was issued to a dead man, but also because she’s been paying PNC for three years even though they didn’t have the document in their possession.