Vehicle lien release

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    B

    BigCity

    retired undertaker
    Oct 24, 2007
    3,024
    Carroll County
    I bought a Nissan Titan in 2007 and had full replacement cost on it through my insurance company. Well you know what happens next, I total the truck by rolling it 5 times.

    Insurance company buys me a new 2008 Titan.

    Fast forward to today. Looking at my title, there is nothing stamped in the lien release box and I don't have a separate paper for lien release.

    How do I prove I don't owe anything on it?
     
    D

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,784
    Eldersburg
    DMV should have a record of who the lien holder is/was recorded with your title. Look up who the lien holder was and contact them for a copy of the lien release. It is not an easy process but it is the only way I know to do it.
     
    D

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,784
    Eldersburg
    Mightydog said:
    What does your insurance company say? Check with them and see what they have on file. It’s like trying to prove a negative. I believe a lien holder is only listed if it is financed.
    Click to expand...

    Liens remain recorded until DMV is provided with a lien release from the lender. Normally the lien release is sent to the purchaser and it is the purchaser's responsibility to provide the copy of the release to the DMV to have it removed from the title. I went through this with a '69 Dodge Charger R/T SE that I bought years ago. Fortunately, the original lender was still in business and still had records.
     
    GuitarmanNick

    GuitarmanNick

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 9, 2017
    2,223
    Laurel
    Nothing on your title is your proof of clear title to the vehicle. When you finance a vehicle, your title will show the lien on the face. When the loan is paid, the finance company sends a lien release which you attach to your title. These two documents together represent a clear title on the vehicle. There is no need to request this with reputable finance corporations and it is sent automatically. If your loan is paid and you have lost the lien release, you can request a duplicate from the lender.

    If the vehicle is not financed or has been paid off and a duplicate title issued, no lien will show on the duplicate.

    For the record, in a previous life, I was an auto finance manager and dealt with this every day. If the area on the title marked "lien" is clear, there is no active lien on the vehicle! If a lien shows, a lien release is required.

    The rules are made by each state and vary a little, but most work as described above.
     
    Last edited:
    W

    wbw2123

    Active Member
    Nov 19, 2012
    905
    Does your title show a lien? If nothing then you're good to go.

    If it shows a lien and you can't find the release, you have another option but only if the lien is over seven years old. Mva can see the origination date so don't try to game them with a recent lien. Go to a full service mva and paper file for a duplicate title. You can't do it at a kiosk. On the paper form you will have the opportunity to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury that the lien is older than seven years and has been satisfied. They will mail you a clear title in 3-5 days.
     
    outrider58

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,963
    Doesn't a blue title mean a legitimate clear title? Even a red title with no lien holder listed isn't a "real" title? We've been through this a few times. I'm having a hard time remembering the details.

    I also think the state holds onto the release and only offers it up upon request by the owner.
     
    R

    ras_oscar

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 23, 2014
    1,667
    I have purchased 2 vehicles previously using financing. Each time, when I paid off the loan I received a release of lein from the lienholder. I am told that it is my option to either file for a clear title or keep the old title with the lien release and provide them when I sell the vehicle. Each time I have sent the original title, together with the lien release, to DMV ( Pucker Pucker Pucker) and a few weeks later a clear title is returned to me. No change in color of the 2 titles I have seen. Just a blank lien box.
     
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