- Accident Indicator
CARFAX receives information about accidents in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Various events in a vehicle's history can indicate an accident, such as: salvage auction, fire damage, police-reported accident, crash test vehicle, damage disclosure, collision repair facility and automotive recycler records. Not every accident is reported and not all reported accidents are provided to CARFAX. Details about the accident (e.g. severity, impact location, airbag deployment) vary depending on the source of the accident indicator. CARFAX recommends you obtain a vehicle inspection from your dealer or an independent mechanic.
- According to the National Safety Council, Injury Facts, 2007 edition, 7% of the 245 million registered vehicles in the U.S. were involved in an accident in 2005. Over 75% of these were considered minor or moderate.
- CARFAX depends on many sources for its accident data. Each one of these sources has different processing times. CARFAX can only report what is in our database on 29.Dec.2007 16:47:12. New data will result in a change to this report.
- First Owner
When the first owner(s) obtains a title from a Department of Motor Vehicles as proof of ownership.
- Junk Title
A Junk Title is issued on a vehicle damaged to the extent that the cost of repairing the vehicle exceeds ~ 75% of its pre-damage value. This damage threshold may vary by state. The majority of states use this title to indicate that a vehicle is not road worthy and cannot be titled again. Some states treat Junk titles the same as Salvage.
- New Owner Reported
When a vehicle is sold to a new owner, the Title must be transferred to the new owner(s) at a Department of Motor Vehicles.
- Ownership History
CARFAX defines an owner as an individual or business that possesses and uses a vehicle. Not all title transactions represent changes in ownership. To provide estimated number of owners, CARFAX proprietary technology analyzes all the events in a vehicle history. Estimated ownership is available for vehicles manufactured after 1994 and titled solely in the US including Puerto Rico. Dealers sometimes opt to take ownership of a vehicle and are required to in the following states: Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. Please consider this as you review a vehicle's estimated ownership history.
- Salvage Title
A Salvage Title is issued on a vehicle damaged to the extent that the cost of repairing the vehicle exceeds ~ 75% of its pre-damage value. This damage threshold may vary by state. Some states treat Junk titles the same as Salvage but the majority use this title to indicate that a vehicle is not road worthy and cannot be titled again in that state. The following eleven states also use Salvage titles to identify stolen vehicles - AZ, FL, GA, IL, MD, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OK and OR.
- Title Issued
A state issues a title to provide a vehicle owner with proof of ownership. Each title has a unique number. Each title or registration record on a CARFAX report does not necessarily indicate a change in ownership. In Canada, a registration and bill of sale are used as proof of ownership.
- Total Loss Vehicle
An insurance or fleet company declares a vehicle a total loss when a claim exceeds ~ 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 branded title. This may occur when an insurance company's definition of a total loss is different than the state DMV's definition for a branded title or when the owner of the vehicle is a self-insured company, like a fleet or rental company.
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