Woman says she couldn’t renew her car registration because the leasing company released the title to her grandfather, who had been dead since 2020

Renewing a vehicle registration is usually a straightforward process, but for TikTok user Kayla, it turned into a months-long ordeal involving a dead relative, a closed account, and a title that had been sent to the wrong person entirely. The trouble began when the situation came to a head after a series of administrative failures across multiple institutions.

Kayla first tried to renew her registration online, but the system rejected her request. She then visited the DMV in person, where staff told her that the leasing company still officially owned the vehicle. This came as a surprise to her, since she had been financing the car through PNC Bank since 2023. The DMV told her she needed to resolve the ownership issue with the leasing company before they could move forward with any registration update.

She then contacted PNC Bank to locate the title, only to find that despite three years of payments, the bank did not actually have the title in its possession. When she went back to the leasing company, they told her the account had been closed in 2023. The company promised to send the title to PNC, but weeks passed without any progress. After several follow-up calls, a representative told her the title had been released in April 2023, to her grandfather.

She made three years of payments and still couldn’t prove she owned the car

The situation became even more complicated when the leasing company’s agent asked Kayla to contact her grandfather to retrieve the document. She had to explain multiple times that he had passed away in 2020. Even after acknowledging his death, the company told her they could not help her because the account was already closed.

According to Distractify, Kayla then spent considerable time trying to resolve the matter through official channels. She collected a bill of sale, a power of attorney, and notarized documents from her grandmother, who held authority over her grandfather’s estate. When she brought these to the DMV, they told her none of those documents were sufficient and that she specifically needed a power of attorney from the leasing company.

Kayla’s frustrating experience is not isolated, another driver called out a major rental company after discovering her car key’s shocking condition, showing how car-related customer service failures continue to make headlines.

The situation eventually showed signs of resolution when Kayla managed to reach an executive at the leasing company. The representative expressed surprise at what she had gone through and said, “I can’t believe you went through all of this, we will get you a duplicate title from the DMV.” Even so, she was still required to wait 14 business days to receive the document.

Kayla shared the experience on TikTok, where it drew significant attention. Several commenters suggested the situation could warrant legal action, particularly given that she had been making payments to a bank that reportedly never held the title to her vehicle. One user commented, “well step one is to sue PNC Bank.”

The case highlights how administrative errors between financial institutions and leasing companies can create serious obstacles for drivers, leaving them unable to complete basic tasks like renewing their registration despite holding legitimate documentation. Meanwhile, automakers are also navigating their own challenges, as Porsche’s declining sales position in China signals broader shifts in how consumers are relating to car brands and ownership.