Lien
A legal claim registered against a vehicle by a lender or creditor, which must be cleared before clean title can pass to a buyer.
A lien secures a debt against a specific vehicle, most often the loan used to buy it. Until the debt is paid and the lien is discharged, the lienholder keeps a claim on the car. Before reselling, a dealer runs a lien search and clears any registered interest so the buyer receives clean title. An undisclosed lien can follow the vehicle to the next owner, so lien checks are a standard part of acquisition.
Related terms
Bill of Sale
The legal document that records the transfer of a vehicle from seller to buyer, listing the parties, the vehicle, the price, and the terms of the sale.
VehiclesVIN
The Vehicle Identification Number, a unique 17-character code that identifies a specific vehicle and encodes details like make, model year, and place of manufacture.