South Coast Mitsubishi Closes: What This Means for Customers

Bazoft Automotive, LLC dba South Coast Mitsubishi and Bazoft Automotive II, LLC dba Cerritos Mitsubishi are no longer authorized Mitsubishi dealerships and are closed.

Mitsubishi Motors North America officially terminated South Coast Mitsubishi’s dealer agreement because the dealership failed to comply with the manufacturer’s visual ID and branding program.

After Mitsubishi terminated the dealer agreements, both South Coast Mitsubishi and Cerritos Mitsubishi continued to display Mitsubishi branding for some time, prompting Mitsubishi to send cease-and-desist letters and ultimately seek a court order requiring the dealerships to remove the branding.

This led the manufacturer to file a trademark infringement lawsuit. Trademark infringement claims like this typically argue that continued use of branding could mislead customers into believing a store remains an authorized dealer.

Both dealerships have since closed.

Hundreds of customers have reported that vehicle title and registration paperwork was left unprocessed, preventing them from obtaining license plates or permanent registration. Customers, however, are still obligated to pay monthly loan payments to lenders.

How Failure to Provide Title and Registration Puts Consumers at Risk

Vehicle Registration Deadlines: 20 Days for New Cars, 30 Days for Used Cars

When buying a new or used car from a licensed California dealership, the dealership must submit the registration paperwork and fees to the DMV by specific deadlines. For new cars, the deadline is within 20 days. For used cars, it’s 30 days. Failure to submit paperwork or fees can delay registration, affecting your legal ability to drive or meet lender requirements. You can be left with an unregistered vehicle that you cannot legally drive.

Vehicle Title/Release Deadline: 15 Business Days After Loan Payoff

If you pay off your car loan, the lender must give you the title or a release within 15 business days. If you buy a car from a licensed California dealership, the dealership must send the registration paperwork and fees to the DMV. If the dealership does not submit the right paperwork or fees, you may have trouble getting the registration or plates you need to legally drive the car.

Warning Signs

CHECK YOUR TIMELINES. If it has been more than 90 days and you haven’t received your plates or permanent registration, that’s a sign something has gone wrong.