Dalton Subaru of National City Fraud Sold me car they never owned National City California

My name is Ashley Pena, and I’m posting to raise awareness and warn others about what I believe is a criminal scam by Dalton Motors Subaru of National City, CA.

Here’s what happened:

I’m a full-time student at College of the Desert, and I work part-time at AutoZone.

I saved $23,801.28 to buy a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I paid the dealership via verified one-day bank transfer.

I even waited for my bank to confirm the money hit their account before traveling two hours (via a $200 Uber) to pick it up.

When I got there, Dalton falsely claimed they hadn’t received the payment (it was a Friday at 1:45 PM) and pressured me into signing “loan paperwork” for $6,000.

It turns out they lied — the paperwork locked me into a $50,533.92 loan with Santander, a lender I’ve never heard from, never gotten bills from, and can't even contact. Santander has no clear customer service path, making it feel like the loan is possibly fabricated.

It gets worse:

The DMV Investigations Unit confirmed:

Dalton never legally owned the car.

The title is still in Colorado, and they can’t issue me ownership.

I’m still attached to a fraudulent loan, even though I paid in full.

My credit was damaged by 8 unauthorized hard inquiries.

The car was misrepresented in trim, color, and accident history.

I’ve received no help from the dealership, and my lawyer has now ghosted me after identifying 30+ Penal Code violations (fraud, forgery, identity misuse, false representation).

The dealership’s lawyer sent back a response full of false statements, including that I rushed delivery (I did not) and that the DMV is at fault (they are not — Dalton never had legal ownership).

I am now left with a car I legally can't own, a destroyed credit score, no legal support, and a fake $50K loan I never wanted. The only “solution” I’ve been offered is to return the car for a refund — with no compensation for the damage they’ve done to my life.

I trusted Subaru’s name. Dalton Subaru uses it heavily, but this was a fraud operation from the start. Subaru Corporate must take action.

If anyone can help — journalist, attorney, or consumer rights group