How to transfer ownership?

[WoosahX]

Hi all,
I’m new to the board and recently purchased my first Tesla. It’s a used model X which I purchased from a third party dealership. I cannot transfer ownership of the vehicle to me in the Tesla App. When I input the VIN, I receive a message which states “unable to claim ownership, check vin is correct, confirm car is not leased, confirm car is not associated with an entered account, reach out to current owner if issues persist”. I called Tesla and they informed me that I need to contact the dealership I bought the car from because they must have registered the VIN to their account. I called the dealership and they said they did not. My thoughts are that the car must be associated with the first owner’s account. I was hoping that someone on this board has a solution to this issue so that I can claim ownership of the vehicle and start using the Tesla App and supercharger network. Thanks

 

[jjrandorin]

called Tesla and they informed me that I need to contact the dealership I bought the car from because they must have registered the VIN to their account.

You mention that you called tesla, but did you follow the instructions that tesla has on their website for claiming ownership of the vehicle?

After Second-Hand Purchase | Tesla Support Ireland

Find useful resources for Tesla owners who purchased their vehicle second-hand.

www.tesla.com

• Sign in to your Tesla Account to check whether your car is already connected. If your car is not connected, then the seller has not added your car to your Tesla Account yet. To claim ownership of your car, in your Tesla Account, go to ‘Purchased a car from a third-party?’ and follow the on-screen instructions. Learn more about your Tesla Account.

 

[WoosahX]

You mention that you called tesla, but did you follow the instructions that tesla has on their website for claiming ownership of the vehicle?

After Second-Hand Purchase | Tesla Support Ireland

Find useful resources for Tesla owners who purchased their vehicle second-hand.

www.tesla.com

• Sign in to your Tesla Account to check whether your car is already connected. If your car is not connected, then the seller has not added your car to your Tesla Account yet. To claim ownership of your car, in your Tesla Account, go to ‘Purchased a car from a third-party?’ and follow the on-screen instructions. Learn more about your Tesla Account.

Yes I did. I cannot get past the VIN number. Therefore, I cannot upload any documents confirming my ownership.

 

[WoosahX]

Yes I did. I cannot get past the VIN number. Therefore, I cannot upload any documents confirming my ownership.

The website and directions on the app are horrible. It’s just a viscous circle. I can’t even online chat with a Tesla representative.

 

[maxmack698]

The website and directions on the app are horrible. It’s just a viscous circle. I can’t even online chat with a Tesla representative.

I’m in the same boat. Do the process on the app inside the car and select the registration option. It will ask you to go in the car and change the name of the vehicle. Then when you do that it will connect and let you input the VIN. The. You submit supporting documents to prove you own the car now. It says it takes 3-5 days to process so I’m still waiting. Bit annoying since using a super charger means charging the previous owners credit card. There should be a way to make the process faster.

 

[Cici&Mimi]

Hi all,
I’m new to the board and recently purchased my first Tesla. It’s a used model X which I purchased from a third party dealership. I cannot transfer ownership of the vehicle to me in the Tesla App. When I input the VIN, I receive a message which states “unable to claim ownership, check vin is correct, confirm car is not leased, confirm car is not associated with an entered account, reach out to current owner if issues persist”. I called Tesla and they informed me that I need to contact the dealership I bought the car from because they must have registered the VIN to their account. I called the dealership and they said they did not. My thoughts are that the car must be associated with the first owner’s account. I was hoping that someone on this board has a solution to this issue so that I can claim ownership of the vehicle and start using the Tesla App and supercharger network. Thanks

After a lot of phone calls and searching, there is actually a way to do it online. I was able to connect a used Model S, it's not on the app, you have to do it on the Tesla site from your Tesla account. The car also needs to be connected to wi-fi because you have to change the name temporarily. (it took about 3 days for Tesla to process)
To add a vehicle from your Tesla Account:

1. If you do not already have one, create a Tesla Account.
2. Sign in to your Tesla Account.
3. At the bottom of your Dashboard, find ‘Purchased a car from a third-party?’
4. Select ‘Add.’
5. Complete the form and submit your ownership documents, such as your driver's license, title, registration and VIN number.
6. Once your form is submitted, follow the steps on your screen to rename your car to the secret code.
7. If your VIN is eligible for instant transfer, then you will automatically be granted ownership. Most requests will require the previous owner to confirm the request. Tesla will contact them directly for a confirmation. If the previous owner does not take action, Tesla will review your documents to confirm ownership.

 

[SlapLaB]

After a lot of phone calls and searching, there is actually a way to do it online. I was able to connect a used Model S, it's not on the app, you have to do it on the Tesla site from your Tesla account. The car also needs to be connected to wi-fi because you have to change the name temporarily. (it took about 3 days for Tesla to process)
To add a vehicle from your Tesla Account:

1. If you do not already have one, create a Tesla Account.
2. Sign in to your Tesla Account.
3. At the bottom of your Dashboard, find ‘Purchased a car from a third-party?’
4. Select ‘Add.’
5. Complete the form and submit your ownership documents, such as your driver's license, title, registration and VIN number.
6. Once your form is submitted, follow the steps on your screen to rename your car to the secret code.
7. If your VIN is eligible for instant transfer, then you will automatically be granted ownership. Most requests will require the previous owner to confirm the request. Tesla will contact them directly for a confirmation. If the previous owner does not take action, Tesla will review your documents to confirm ownership.

This… this is literally the most useful post on the internet ever!!! I followed the instructions, didn’t even have the V5 form (just the temporary slip), and it went through in seconds!!!

And the weirdest thing - it does not work on the iphone safari browser but it does on the iMac’s safari!!!

Mind blown, I can’t thank you enough dear internet stranger for this!

 

[Hamster8]

At the bottom of your Dashboard, find ‘Purchased a car from a third-party?’

Hello, probably someone can help with this point? I don’t have this button neither iPhone app or web site. Checked again 5 sec ago

 

[Hamster8]

Nowadays website button, that looks like “Purchased a car from a third party?”, moves me to mobile app. Mobile app doesn’t allow to fill the form cause “unable to claim ownership”. So it’s seems my car forever won’t be really mine. I’m stuck with this key cards

 

[swaltner]

When you are checking on the web site, are you on a "real" computer, or are you accessing the "mobile" version of the web site from your phone or tablet? Many web sites have a mobile interface that is a stripped down version of the full blown software from Windows/macOS/Linux. It sounds like you're seeing some URL redirects that send the traffic to your phone app.

Try the process again from a computer instead of just a phone or tablet.

 

[Hamster8]

Try the process again from a computer instead of just a phone or tablet.

All the ways, I even found web version (from my iMac) where I can put my vin, but result is the same: "Unable to claim ownership". It's terrible, cause previous 'owner' (if he exists) located in 5000km far away