PHOENIX — When you buy a car, you or your lender should get the title from the dealer as proof you own the car.
Nearly two years after she bought her car, Kayle Frogge wants her dealer held more accountable for what happened to her.
For more than a year after paying cash for her car, Kayle couldn't get the title to her car.
"If something happens to my car, it gets hit, towed I actually can't get it out because it's actually not under my name," Kayle said. Without a title, there's no proof she owns it.
We took her back to the dealer, Bell Road Toyota in Phoenix, where Kayle says she's been many times and got no help.
After we asked the state's Motor Vehicles Division to investigate, Kayle got her title and a refund for the title transfer fee.
She also got a letter from the dealer's attorneys explaining the delay.
In the letter, they apologized and explained what happened.
They say, in part, that the Bell Road Toyota found out late that the person trading in her car didn't own it, and trying to get a duplicate title in California began a series of miscommunications.
Kayle says the dealer needs to face penalties and do more than they have done so far.
"Outside of doing what they were supposed to do, nothing," she said.
The Arizona Department of Transportation says dealers can only issue one temporary registration plate valid for 45 days.
They cited Bell Road Toyota but said penalties are up to the courts and the dealer says since they "resolved the matter... the citation was dismissed. No penalties were imposed."
Kayle thinks consequences are needed to bring change, "and make sure it doesn't happen again."
The dealer's attorney letter also says Bell Road Toyota changed some of its policies.
It says the dealer will not accept out-of-state trades without a title in hand or proof of a verified payoff.
We're looking into ADOT penalties, how often they're imposed, and whether they should be strengthened.
The Arizona Attorney General's Office has a list of do's and don'ts when you're buying a car.
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