Sarah Schiltz paid $39,000 for a 2020 GMC Yukon Denali in early 2025. She’d searched for six months, run the history reports, hired a mechanic to inspect it.
Then Quebedeaux Buick GMC stopped answering her calls.
For 113 days, Schiltz tried getting the title transferred from Wisconsin. She rang the Tucson dealership hundreds of times, getting passed between departments.
“I was flipped around from person to person to person,” Schiltz told KOLD 13 News.
The Yukon had a lien from the previous owner. Nobody mentioned it. Selling vehicles without disclosing liens violates Arizona Revised Statute 13-3708, which classifies such acts as fraud.
After her complaint, state investigators found other buyers facing similar problems at the Speedway Boulevard business, which has operated in Tucson since the 1950s.
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Other Buyers, Similar Stories
The Ford Explorer came with speeding tickets. Multiple tickets, all from someone else. Miguel Florez from Oracle bought the 2015 vehicle in 2023 and waited eight months for clear ownership papers. Staff said they were tracking down the former owner about the fines.
“They basically were like, ‘We’re trying to contact the guy to see if he can just pay those off,'” Florez said.
The Explorer had no warranty. Stopped running after two years. Florez complained to the Arizona Attorney General. Quebedeaux sent him $100 for temporary registration fees.
When the temporary plate expired on Kiamesha Guy’s 2012 Chevy Camaro, she rang Arizona’s Motor Vehicle Division. The Navy veteran from Casa Grande learned the car wasn’t registered in her name. It wasn’t registered to the auto dealer either.
“I said, can you at least tell us if it’s registered to the dealership?” Guy recalled. “They were like, ‘It is not’.”
“You know we sell 500 cars a month and if we only mess up on two, those are pretty good odds.”
That’s what one finance manager told Nessa Anderson when she complained about waiting over two months for her 2019 Toyota Tundra paperwork, she said.
After KOLD’s investigation aired in late July, the station said dozens of viewers contacted them about similar experiences.
Manager Says He Doesn’t Remember
Reporter Rebecca Taylor rang general sales manager Cisco Gonzalez on July 3. Asked about Schiltz’s case.
Gonzalez said he didn’t recall her or any problems with her purchase.
He’d signed a letter about Schiltz two days earlier. July 1. Sent to the Attorney General’s office, responding to her complaint.
“There was a breakdown in communication during the lien payoff and title processing,” Gonzalez wrote, “and we acknowledge the impact this had on her confidence in our dealership.”
When KOLD followed up weeks later, Chief Financial Officer Basilio Gonzales agreed to an on-camera interview. Scheduled for July 29. The crew arrived. Gonzales sat down, then refused to continue.
He might send written responses by email, he said.
Ten days later, a Phoenix law firm sent a brief statement. The car dealership was “taking this matter very seriously” but wouldn’t answer questions.
State Steps In
Arizona’s Department of Transportation issued a cease-and-desist order on July 16, 2025. Investigators found the Tucson business selling vehicles without proper title documentation, a violation of dealer licensing requirements.
Dealers must possess a certificate of title before selling used vehicles. That’s state law, A.R.S. § 28-4551. They’ve got 30 days to file paperwork with the Motor Vehicle Division. ADOT’s Office of Inspector General investigates around 125 cases of dealer-related fraud each year, according to the department.
Buyers can check for liens before purchase. Arizona MVD’s website has a lien verification system. It shows outstanding debts or salvage designations. The Better Business Bureau also tracks consumer complaints against dealerships.
Breaking dealer licensing rules can mean criminal citations, licence cancellation, civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation.
The order requires immediate fixes. If vehicle title fraud continues, criminal charges follow.
ADOT’s fraud investigators received multiple complaints about automotive consumer issues at the Speedway Boulevard location in summer 2025.
Before handing over money, ask to see the title. The seller’s name should match the document. Check the VIN on the dashboard against the driver’s door jamb sticker. Meeting at an MVD office lets you transfer the title immediately.
Title transfers taking longer than 30 days warrant action. Ring the ADOT Fraud Hotline at 877-712-2370. File complaints with the Attorney General’s consumer office. Document everything: dates you called, who you spoke with, what they promised.
What To Do If This Happened To You
The business at 3566 East Speedway Boulevard is still selling cars.
Sarah Schiltz got her lien release on June 16, 2025. Her name was added to the title July 1. Four months after paying.
She only got ownership papers after filing complaints with two state agencies and contacting local news.
“I feel that they don’t truly care,” Schiltz said. “They addressed it with the attorney general only to satisfy them. But they haven’t come back to me to satisfy anything.”
The dealer never apologized to her.
State regulators are checking compliance with the cease-and-desist order. Quebedeaux has until mid-August to prove corrective action. If problems persist, ADOT can suspend or revoke the dealer licence.
If you purchased a vehicle from this Tucson dealership and experienced registration delays exceeding 30 days, you can file complaints at azag.gov or ring the fraud hotline. Keep records of all communication. If you’re still waiting for title transfer, contact ADOT immediately. The 30-day legal requirement gives you grounds for enforcement action.
The investigation remains open. More customers may come forward.
