When you die, if your car is registered in your name along, that neither your spouse nor your family legally has the right to even move the car.  They CANNOT use the vehicle until they receive permission from the courts.

In many states today, you CANNOT open a safe deposit box when a person dies until the IRS agent or a representative of the court is present.  Even if you have a key and are CO-Named on the safe-deposit box.

When you die, in most cases, before your assets can be passed on to your heirs, that the following course of events will normally occur:

• All of your assets are added together to determine what is know as your "Gross Estate". This includes: homes, autos, life insurance, savings, pensions, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, clothing, etc.
• Any and all claims against your estate are paid off. These include, but are not limited to, unpaid medical expenses, balances on car loans and real estate loans (if they are solely in your name), credit card balances, personal law suits, unpaid taxes, etc. What is left is known as your "adjusted gross estate".
• Any and all legal fees, probate fees, administrative fees, final expenses, federal estate taxes and state death taxes, etc. What is now left is what is known as your "net estate". The net estate is what is passed on to your heirs.