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Used Car History Report
When buying a used car these days, you can check the vehicle's history before you buy and protect yourself from hidden problems later on.
Obtaining a Report
At no cost, one may perform a Lemon Check and/or Recall Check. These reports do not contain all of the information that is contained on a full history report.
Otherwise, one may purchase a single report or purchase an account which allows unlimited reports for a period of time. Most car dealers are also happy to run reports for free on vehicles they have for sale. Thousands of dealers buy the report and then make them available for free to potential car buyers on sites like CarsDirect.com.
Users enter the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) into the website to receive a report. The service will not work for any vehicle that has a VIN of less (or more) than 17 digits, primarily vehicles that are older than model year 1981.
What's On a Report
Used car history reports contain information which provides a history of ownership (how many, where, when), usage (odometer readings, maintenance/repair events, registration type), title brands (salvage, junk, fire, flood, etc.), and miscellaneous events (accidents, recalls, certifications). In aggregate this information provides one perspective for analyzing the quality and value of a vehicle.
- Accidents - Not all accidents are reported and not all reported accidents are included, but a substantial number are listed
- Advisories - reports aggregate enough data on most vehicles to infer certain events. When the inference is sufficiently strong, the report can provide an advisory explaining the inference.
- Airbag Deployment
- Auto Auction - Many vehicles are sold at auction and reports can notify a buyer on these sales
- Certified Pre-Owned Status - Many manufacturers report the cars they certify to CARFAX, a popular use car history reporting service
- Dates of activity - Most events shown on the report include a date of the event
- Emission Test Results
- Frame Damage - In addition to reporting accidents, frequently frame damage is reported
- Lease / Lien events
- Location - Most records include some indication of the city and state of origin for the event
- Maintenance and Service Events - Like accidents, not all are reported, but a significant number are
- Non-Branded Lemon - The manufacturer bought back the vehicle as a courtesy instead of due to legal requirement
- Odometer Readings - These may include readings or title designations that the readings are not reliable
- Odometer Rollbacks - Some rollbacks are certified while other irregular readings are highlighted with suggestion for careful review
- Open Recalls - Many manufacturers report their open recalls to CARFAX
- Ownership Transfers
- Repairs - Like accidents, not all are reported, but a significant number are, particularly when paid by an extended warranty company
- Stolen Vehicles
- Title Brands - Official state designations found on the title such as Salvage, Flood, Lemon, and Junk
- Title Numbers
- Titling Activity - Transfers, renewals, etc.
- Vehicle Use - Taxi, Fleet, Commercial, Personal, Rental car, and other uses are reported
What's Not On a Report
- Personal information such as names, telephone numbers, and addresses of owners are neither collected nor reported.
- Events in a vehicle's history that have never been reported (unreported accidents, owner performed maintenance, etc.)
Where the Information Comes From
The reporting database contains over four-billion records that have been collected over time from a variety of sources.
These sources include, but are not limited to:
- Auto auctions
- Canadian Motor Vehicle Departments
- Consumer Protection Agencies
- Dealer Inventory
- Extended Warranty Companies
- Fire Departments
- Import/Export Companies
- Inspection Companies
- Law Enforcement Agencies
- Manufacturers
- Rental/Fleet Vehicle Companies
- Salvage auctions
- Service and Repair Facilities
- State Inspection Stations
- State registration records
- State title records
- U.S. Customs
- U.S. Department of Transportation
The [CARFAX vehicle history database contains over four-billion records collected from more than 7600 public and private sources. Mistakes and errors, although uncommon, can and do occur. Common causes for report errors include incorrect mileage readings by emissions technicians, owners estimating miles on registration forms, and dealer inventory labels keyed incorrectly.
Additional Services
- CARFAX Hot Listings - Used vehicle listings and locator
- Safety and Reliability Reports - Historical safety and reliability information by make and model
- Safe Teen Drivers Program - Safe Teen Drivers Program
