What to do when a Chrysler Capital account holder dies
Report the death to Chrysler Capital's Customer Service at 1-888-222-4227
Chrysler Capital is now Santander AutoRebranded, effective September 2026
Chrysler Capital's help center article "Who services my account? Chrysler Capital" (last modified 2026-08-21) states: "As part of an internal reorganization within Santander, Santander Bank, N.A., will begin servicing Chrysler Capital accounts... Beginning September 19, 2026, you will see Santander branding associated with your account instead of Chrysler Capital. Santander Consumer USA will continue to own your Chrysler Capital account, and Santander Bank, N.A., will service your account. There will be no change to your account terms or how you manage your account." The article's own contact table gives, before September 19, 2026: phone 855-563-5635, mail P.O. Box 961275 Fort Worth TX 76161-1275, website ChryslerCapital.com, MyAccount myaccount.chryslercapital.com, payee "Chrysler Capital"; and after September 19, 2026: phone 888-222-4227, mail P.O. Box 961245 Fort Worth TX 76161-1245, website SantanderConsumerUSA.com, MyAccount myaccount.santanderconsumerusa.com, payee "Santander". Unchanged: balance, interest rate, maturity date, account number, account standing, payment options, MyAccount username and password, automatic payments. Beginning October 2026 credit-bureau reporting reflects Santander Consumer USA rather than Chrysler Capital. The post-transition phone (888-222-4227), Titles line (800-526-0157), mailing address (P.O. Box 961245, Fort Worth, TX 76161-1245) and payment address (P.O. Box 660633, Dallas, TX 75266-0633) were independently confirmed on santanderconsumerusa.com/contact-us on 2026-09-11. A servicing change does not alter the loan or lease terms, so every estate step below survives the transition; only the phone number, mailing address, website, and check payee change.
When an account holder at Chrysler Capital dies, the executor contacts the Customer Service (1-888-222-4227) to report the death and request the balance as of the date of death. The balance is a claim against the estate: it is paid from estate assets, in the order the state sets, before anything reaches the heirs.
To start, call Chrysler Capital at 1-888-222-4227. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate ready before you call.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Chrysler Capital:
Filing a claim
- Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT, and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT
- The account number and the account terms did not change with the move to Santander
- Regular mail payoff checks to Santander, P.O. Box 660633, Dallas, TX 75266-0633
- Overnight payoff checks go to Santander, 3000 Kellway Drive, Suite 120, Carrollton, TX 75006, which accepts mailed payments only
- For certified payments, including Western Union or MoneyGram, list "Santander" as the payee
- Santander notes: "Personal checks may have an extended title release timeframe."
- If a dealership sends the payoff check, "the dealer must enclose an authorization form, signed by the borrower, instructing us to send the title to the dealership"
- Santander releases the title "based on your state's law timeframe and final reconciliation of accounting"
- Electronic title: Santander notifies the state that the lien is satisfied, and the State Titling Division prints and mails the title
- Paper title or Release of Lien document: Santander ships it by USPS to the address on the account
- Santander recommends taking the original document to the State Titling Division to have a new title issued with no lienholder; state fees may apply
- An additional release of lien can be requested at GetMyCarTitle.com
- Once the title has been released, ownership is transferred through the state Department of Motor Vehicles
- Mail: Santander, Title Department, 1601 Elm St., Dallas, TX 75201; fax: 214-237-3549
- For a name update, send an updated driver's license or official documentation with the Motor Vehicle Office request
- Allow a minimum of 4-6 weeks for the Motor Vehicle Office to receive the title; title requests are sent by regular first-class mail
- Where the title is electronic, a paper title must first be requested from the state, which takes a minimum of four to six weeks
- The insurer's documents go by fax to 214-540-5692 or by email to claims@santanderconsumerusa.com
- Put the insurance claim number, account number or VIN on every document
- Monthly vehicle payments must be kept up to date during this process
Required Documents
- The account numberShown on the MyAccount Account Summary page and in the "Account Number" field of the monthly statement.
- The Motor Vehicle Office's request for the existing title, to remove, add or change a name on the title while the loan is openMailed to the Santander Title Department or faxed to 214-237-3549.
- An updated driver's license or official documentation, with the Motor Vehicle Office request, when a name on the title is updatedOfficial documentation such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree.
- The insurer's evaluation, settlement breakdown, and police report or cause of loss letter, if the vehicle is a total lossSantander needs these from the insurance company, each marked with the insurance claim number, account number or VIN.
What happens to each kind of account3
- Loan
If there is a surviving co-borrower listed on the account, "the surviving co-borrower will continue to be responsible for the account."1
Santander's support center says: "Santander does not offer refinance on existing Santander loans."2
The contract requires an insurance policy on the vehicle with comprehensive and collision coverage and a Loss Payee and Additional Insured Endorsement.3
- Vehicle lease
The lease-end options are purchasing the vehicle or returning it. After a return, a vehicle return invoice lists any remaining amounts due, such as a disposition fee, unpaid payments, excess miles, excess wear, late charges, taxes or other fees.4
- Debt protection, GAP or service contract
For the terms and conditions of a GAP product, Santander directs the customer to the product administrator.5
To cancel an ancillary product bought with the contract, such as an extended warranty, credit life or credit disability, contact the service provider or the dealership.6
State requirements Chrysler Capital statesCalifornia, Texas, Florida, Ohio
- California
For an electronic title, the released title is mailed to the current address listed on the state registration.7
- Texas
For an electronic title, the released title is mailed to the current address listed on the state registration.7
- Florida
For an electronic title, the owner contacts the DMV to request that the paper title be mailed; state fees may apply.7
- Ohio
For an electronic title, the owner contacts the BMV to request that the paper title be mailed; state fees may apply.7
Accounts handled elsewhere3
- Lease Servicing Team
Lease-end options for a leased vehicle4
Phone: 1-888-222-4227
- Lease Final Bill Team
Questions about the vehicle return invoice4
Phone: 1-855-383-0558
- Santander Title Department
Title requests from a Motor Vehicle Office, including a name change on the title8
Fax: 1-214-237-3549
Mailing address: Santander, Title Department, 1601 Elm St., Dallas, TX 75201
What Chrysler Capital provides to the estate2
- Payoff statement
A payoff quote comes from MyAccount under "Request Payoff Quote". If the account is approaching lease maturity or the quote is not available online, a live chat agent gives it.9
- Tax forms
A Year-End Interest Paid Statement may be available based on the account's eligibility; a live chat agent can review the account. Where it is not available, a payment history with an interest breakdown may be provided.10
What Chrysler Capital's agreement and guidance say2
- Who can get account information
Santander says: "Only individuals named on the contract may request assistance, unless there is a valid power of attorney in effect."11
- Accounts from a merged institution
From September 19, 2026, Santander Bank, N.A. services Chrysler Capital accounts under Santander branding, and Santander Consumer USA continues to own them. The account number, account terms, MyAccount username and password, and automatic payments stay the same.12
Not in Chrysler Capital's published guidance3
- A claim form
- A mailing address for claim documents
- How long a claim takes
Sources12
- 1.What should I do if the account holder is deceased?, modified 2025-01-15
- 2.May I refinance my contract?, modified 2025-01-14
- 3.Where do I send insurance information?, modified 2026-04-09
- 4.Lease-end process
- 5.What are GAP products?, modified 2025-04-16
- 6.What if I have an extended warranty or other ancillary product?, modified 2025-01-15
- 7.I recently paid off my vehicle; when will I receive my title? I need an additional release of lien, how do I receive that?, modified 2026-07-29
- 8.Copy of the title, modified 2026-07-29
- 9.How do I request payoff information?, modified 2026-09-02
- 10.How do I request a Year-End Interest Paid Statement for My Auto loan?, modified 2026-05-06
- 11.Who can request assistance on my account?, modified 2024-04-12
- 12.Who services my account? Chrysler Capital, modified 2026-08-21
Frequently asked questions
Call Chrysler Capital customer service at 1-855-563-5635 (from September 19, 2026, Santander at 1-888-222-4227), Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT and Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. Chrysler Capital's own help center says: "If you are a surviving co-borrower or an estate executor of the deceased party, please contact us to discuss next steps," and adds that "if there is a surviving co-borrower listed on the account, the surviving co-borrower will continue to be responsible for the account." Chrysler Capital publishes no deceased-account claim form, so send your own letter with a copy of the death certificate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration if a probate estate is open, and the account number to Chrysler Capital, P.O. Box 961275, Fort Worth, TX 76161-1275 — not to a payment lockbox. Keep the payments and the insurance current while the estate is settled; the Lease-End Guide warns that a change in account status can stop a scheduled Auto Pay draft without stopping the payment obligation.
No. The Chrysler Capital Welcome Guide states that "Chrysler Capital contracts cannot be taken over or assumed on your behalf by a third party" and that "Chrysler Capital does not refinance existing accounts." An heir who wants to keep a financed vehicle pays the balance off — from estate funds, life insurance, or sale proceeds — and then retitles it; any replacement financing is arranged separately, not by continuing the deceased borrower's contract. A lease cannot be transferred either; the estate returns the vehicle or buys it out at the payoff quote. Note also that a power of attorney ends at death: the help center limits account assistance to "individuals named on the contract... unless there is a valid power of attorney in effect," so after a death an executor establishes authority with Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration instead.
The leased vehicle is owned by CCAP Auto Lease Ltd. and serviced by Chrysler Capital, so the estate either returns it or buys it out — it cannot be assumed by anyone else. Early return is allowed but may carry an early termination charge set by the lease agreement. Chrysler Capital covers a free prereturn inspection through Manheim Mobile Inspections, scheduled at selfschedule.aiminspect.com or 866-621-9123 between 10 and 90 days before lease end, which prevents surprise wear charges. When the vehicle is returned, contact the Lease Servicing Team within 24 hours to tell them where it was returned, then expect a vehicle return invoice about 30 days later covering excess wear, mileage overages, the disposition fee, unpaid payments, and property tax; it is due on receipt and credit cards are not accepted. One trap for an executor closing an estate: the Lease-End Guide warns that "potential property taxes could be billed at a later time (even after vehicle turn-in), and closed accounts may be reopened due to property tax assessments." Lease questions go to 1-855-563-5635 or chryslerallegianceteam@chryslercapital.com; return-invoice charges go to the Lease Final Bill team at 1-855-383-0558.
Chrysler Capital's Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-888-222-4227 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Chrysler Capital primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
Chrysler Capital death claims support
Customer Service
Phone
Hours
Website
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