Consumer complaint received 2024-05-25 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — Loan opened without my consent or knowledge
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
In XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, my son went to dealership to buy a used car. I did tell my son if he needed a cosigner I could maybe be of some assistance in backing him up based on my credit score. 
He got approved with Ally financial. He made XXXX payment but defaulted to make his car payment the month of XXXX. I did cosign, so when that happened they notified me that his payment is over due. I am a XXXX XXXX. I do side gigs but it is not reliable income. I do what I can and come up with the money to make his XXXX payment on XX/XX/XXXX. 
After checking my mail I contact the lender Ally financial due to the notices I received about the terms of the contract and terms the lender would approve. I asked for the details of the loan account but they only wanted payment. I told them it was my son 's car loan and not mine. I told them I never had possession of the vehicle. I asked if the car was mine, could I report it stolen for the sake of protecting the assets. They told me I couldn't report it stolen. At the time me and my son were on bad terms and we're not speaking to each other. The rep told me to contact my son and ask him to bring the car to me. I did. I got no response from my son. I do not have access to the account and asked how to establish the account. They transfer me to customer service and a recording said they don't have any information under last four digits of my social or my date of birth. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX days after I made the XXXX payment, I get a notice from XXXX saying that the car has been impounded by XXXX. It says that I am the primary owner of the vehicle and I am responsible for storage and towing fees. 
I don't understand what's going on at the time. I established an account with XXXX now and I discovered that this car is in my name. I am primary buyer and my son is primary buyer as well. When my son got the car he did give me the drive with the contract, for safe keeping. So I thought to review the contract. After reviewing the contract I am having a hard time understanding how this is happening without my knowledge or consent. None of the information on the contract is accurate. I did not apply for a auto loan. But apparently someone did, not only with this lender but with XXXX other lenders before this lender! 
I wouldn't have applied for a car loan because I do not have a driver 's license or make enough income to pay a XXXX XXXX dollar payment every month! 
When XXXX notified me of the car being impounded for a code of violation due to where the vehicle was parked, I thought ok, If this car is mine I will come up with the money to get it out of the impound and use it to establish some income to make the payments up to date and so fourth. I borrowed the money from my boyfriend to get it out of impound and to my surprise they bring the car out on a forklift because it was totaled! I did not know it was in an accident. Isn't that something as a car owner I would be notified of? How did this car get registered in my name if I didn't register it myself? Isn't it required by state law to have coverage before driving off the lot? I had no idea if the car had coverage because I did not establish coverage. I paid for a tow truck to tow the car to my home. Now it just sits on side of my home and I don't know what to do with it. I call the lender to inform them of the situation and turns out they had already been informed of the accident. The were informed as of the XXXX of XXXX they said. I made the XXXX payment on XX/XX/XXXX. Would they be required to inform me as the primary buyer if such an event took place? 
In previewing the contract, there is a page for gap coverage. It says through Ally Financial, but when I called the to submit a claim they told me that no policy exist in my name, bday or social. The only information I can get access to is the limited information that the DMV has given me. Even the information the DMV has on myself and this car is inaccurate as well. My son 's dad 's family members works at third party XXXX. XXXX be how information keeps changing or he was able to register car in my name. 
On top of these circumstances, the lender has the nerve to put a lean on the car for repossession. I discovered this via email after tow truck shows up at my address to repo the car. The repo guy takes a look at the car, he makes a phone call and doesn't take the car. 
I do not know what to do from here. But it has effected my credit and is a total loss.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation