Bay Area teen caught in CA DMV recall forcing 11,000 Californians into unexplained retests

BURLINGAME, Calif. (KGO) -- A Burlingame teenager is among 11,000 California drivers who received notices from the CA Department of Motor Vehicles requiring them to retake a test because of what the agency described as an "irregularity" in test results.

Ian Welliver, 16, said he was surprised when he received a letter from the DMV after obtaining his driver's license in December and his motorcycle license in February.

"It says in bold letters 'Notice of intent to cancel driver's license,'" Welliver said while reading the letter.

RELATED: CA DMV orders drivers to retake written test after receiving letter that stated 'irregularities'

So, when he got a letter last month from the DMV his family sought answers about why his license could be canceled.

"I was kind of stunned. I didn't know what this was about," Welliver said.

The teen said the notice did not clearly explain which license was affected.

"It just said 'based on a review of your record, the DMV has identified irregularities in the knowledge test results'," he said.

Welliver said receiving the notice was upsetting.

"Getting the letter was kind of heart-wrenching because they were saying were canceling my license and I didn't do anything," he said.

A day after receiving the letter, Welliver returned to the DMV to retake the test. He ultimately passed and received his license, but he and his mother said they still do not understand why he was required to retest.

"It was just bizarre. We thought we'd be in and out figuring there was some sort of mistake. The questions just keep growing. Even the DMV management didn't know what was happening," said Kristina Karandy-Welliver, his mother.

According to the DMV, similar letters were sent to 11,000 drivers who took tests between July 2025 and April 2026.

In a statement, the agency said, "Ensuring the integrity of our testing process is essential."

A DMV spokesman now says the issue "is not AI-related nor is it related to internal technical problems."

Despite retaking and passing the test, Welliver and his mother said they remain confused about the reason for the notice.

"We were really confused and just stunned because we didn't understand the reasoning behind it. It was very vague," Karandy-Welliver said.

ABC7 News said it contacted the DMV seeking further clarification but had not received a response as of Wednesday.