Many DMV offices still down following ‘major computer outage’

Californians with business before the Department of Motor Vehicles continued to face delays Wednesday morning due to what the agency called a “catastrophic” computer failure earlier in the week.

More than 100 of the DMV's 174 offices still faced outages as of 2 p.m., according to the department's website. That was down to more than 80 as of 3 p.m.

The outage was caused by an internal network problem on Monday, not by a hack, according to DMV spokesman Armando Botello. The system has been rebuilt, Botello said, but it will take time for individual offices to get up and running. Botello told KPCC he expected offices to come online throughout the day.

At the Roseville DMV, people lined up before the office opened at 9 a.m. and were upset that systems were not working when the office opened, according to the Associated Press.

The DMV had earlier said it expected its field offices around the state to be operating again by Wednesday morning — after not meeting a previous estimate that offices would be up and running Tuesday morning.

No signs were posted indicating that computers were not working, and Roseville officials couldn't say when things would be back to normal, the AP reports.

When Suzy Fincham-Gray arrived at a DMV office in central San Diego before they opened, she waited in line for about half an hour before DMV staff informed people that the location would not be operational. Everybody in line was directed to three of the closest functioning offices. 

Three hours later, she was still in line. 

“The place is crammed right now, there’s a line out the door that goes around the building and all the seats in the DMV itself are occupied,” she told KPCC.  
 
Fincham-Gray also said they didn’t have staff at each window, “which, given that half the DMV in the area are closed, I don’t know why they can’t staff all the windows.”

Driver's license and vehicle registration services have been affected at about two-thirds of the DMV's field offices, Botello said. Those offices can still provide drive tests, make return appointments, help with paperwork and answer customer questions, according to the DMV.

The Automobile Club of Southern California also offers similar services — if you're a AAA member. 

Even then, you wouldn't be able to renew or apply for a driver's license. Marie Montgomery told KPCC they only offer vehicle-related services, such as registrations, renewals and transfers. 

However, they've also been impacted by the computer outage since they run on the same system as the DMV. Montgomery said about 11 branches are still operational. To see if your local office was affected, check their website. 

As many as 10 additional AAA locations might be back up Wednesday, she added. 

If you still want to try your chances with the DMV, Botello recommended calling your local field office to check its status before heading in. You can also call 800–777–0133 or check the DMV’s website.

Online services have not been affected.

This story has been updated.