An insurance or fleet company declares a vehicle a total loss when a claim exceeds approximately 75% of its pre-damage value or if the vehicle is stolen and not recovered. This damage threshold varies by company. These companies typically take possession and obtain the title. Not all total loss vehicles result in a DMV-reported all variety of branded title.
Dealers and institutions (i.e. fleet companies, rental car companies, and manufacturers) sell millions of cars at auction each year. Sellers often provide disclosures about a vehicle's damage, mileage, or repair history. These disclosures are made available to potential buyers in pre-sale lists and in auction announcements.
Occurs when the driver, passenger or side airbag has been used or deployed during a crash or other incident. If an airbag has been deployed, it must be replaced by a qualified technician.
Damage can be a result of many different types of events. A few examples include contact with objects (other cars, trees, traffic signs, road debris, etc), vandalism, or weather-related events.
A vehicle with major problems that has been repurchased by or had its price renegotiated with the manufacturer. The state marks its official records or issues a title brand for lemon law vehicles. Laws vary by state as to the specific requirements for a "lemon".
Automobile manufacturers issue recall notices to inform owners of car defects that have come to the manufacturer's attention. Recalls also suggest improvements that can be made to improve the safety of a particular vehicle. Most manufacturer recalls can be repaired at no cost to you.
Some of the events that could indicate an accident or damage are crash test, fire damage, dismantled damage, flood damage, hail damage, collision repairs, salvage auction, police recycler records and structural damage. More information can be found in Carfax official website. Minor: Generally, minor damage is cosmetic (including dents or scratches), may only require reconditioning, and typically does not compromise a vehicle's operation and/or safety. Moderate: Moderate damage may affect multiple components of the vehicle and may impair the vehicle's operation and/or safety. Severe: Severe damage usually affects multiple components of the vehicle and is likely to compromise the vehicle's operation and/or safety.
Odometer Rollback: If a more recent odometer reading is less than an older reading, then the odometer may have been tampered with and "rolled back." Odometer Rollover: Older vehicles often have 5-digit odometers that roll over to zero when the mileage exceeds 99,999. A vehicle with a 5-digit odometer cannot accurately track mileage after 99,999 miles because the odometer rolls over. Exempt Vehicle: In most states, odometer law requires that vehicles less than 10 years old report odometer readings. Vehicles over 10 years old are often exempt from this requirement and do not need to provide odometer readings. Mileage Inconsistency: If an odometer reading is less than a previous reading but CARFAX is uncertain whether the discrepancy is a rollback or a clerical error, then CARFAX calls it a "Mileage Inconsistency". In this case, you should verify the mileage with your dealer or a qualified mechanic. .
