Carfax
Reviews and Complaints

Carfax is notorious for poor customer service and hiding behind their disclaimer.

There are 7 problems with a Carfax report that Carfax does not disclose to their customers

A Carfax (or AutoCheck) report contains zero information about the CURRENT condition of a used vehicle. A history report is NOT an inspection and CANNOT be a substituted for a professional pre-purchase inspection.

Seven problems with a Carfax (or any Vehicle History report):

First, if the vehicle has been rebuilt (or salvaged) Carfax can only report this if the States’ DMV changed the vehicle’s title to “salvage, rebuilt, reconstructed, etc…” However, there are some states that do not indicate remarks on their titles such as “savage, rebuilt, true miles unknown, thief recovery, etc…” Also, if the insurance company does not notify the state that they have totaled a vehicle, the DMV will not change the title to ‘salvage, rebuilt, etc…” For example, a few years ago, State Farm was sued for not reporting over 30, 000 totaled vehicles to the States’ DMV. Since the titles were never changed to salvage, Carfax shows these vehicles to have "clean" titles. These totaled vehicles were sold to salvage yards, patched together, and re-sold to the public with the original titles and a "clean" Carfax report. It is not uncommon for a professional pre-purchase inspection to find accident and frame damage on a vehicle when the Carfax report shows “no reported Structural / Frame Damage" or "Accident / Damage".

Second, there is no database for body & frame shops to report accident damage and repairs, and not all insurance companies disclose or share their accident information. Carfax readily admits that there are thousands of accidents, each day, which will never show up on a Carfax report. Even if Carfax reports an accident, it cannot tell you the extent of the accident damage, or the quality of any repairs. Only a professional inspection by a Frame Specialist can give you that information.

Third, used car dealers know the limitations of a Carfax report. Some dealers knowingly buy vehicles with frame and accident damaged which have a "clean" Carfax report. They sell these damaged vehicles to unsuspecting buyers showing them the “clean” Carfax before they purchase. Bad vehicles are purchased every day because the seller/salesperson talked the buyer out of a professional inspection by showing a "clean" report. A vehicle history report cannot tell the buyer the current condition of the vehicle.

Forth, Carfax does not have any type of reporting mechanism with the tens of thousands independent repair facilities across the United States. Most of the Carfax reports have little or no repair information compared to the millions of automotive repairs performed each day. Even if Carfax reports a repair, it cannot tell you if the problem was fixed correctly or if there are additional mechanical/electrical problems with the vehicle.

Fifth, some States require an annual safety and/or emission testing. A safety or emission test is very limited in its testing and like a repair history, it cannot tell the buyer the current actual condition of all the vehicle’s components and systems.

Sixth, Carfax is a "History" report. There is a time lag between when a vehicle's title was changed to reflect a "negative" comment and when Carfax actually reports the title's new information. This time lag can allow a damaged vehicle to be re-sold before Carfax can report the negative information about the vehicle.

Seventh, search the web for complaints against Carfax. Many consumers have filed complaints and lawsuits that Carfax deceives their customers by concealing the limits of the information it collects. When confronted by irate customers, Carfax hides behind their disclaimer. (FYI, Carfax does not allow phoned in complaints).

The perception for a used car buyers is that Carfax offers comprehensive historical information about used vehicles, but the reality is, the information contained in a Carfax report is incomplete, limited, misleading, may not be current, and in some cases totally inaccurate. This difference between the used car buyers' perception, and reality, will cause them to make bad decisions based upon incomplete information provided by a Carfax report.

A used car buyer should question the cost effectiveness of a vehicle history report. A Carfax report sells for $34-$45 vs. a professional pre-purchase inspection for around $150. Pay the $34-$45, and you still don't know the current condition of any mechanical or electrical system, you still don’t know for sure if the vehicle was in accident(s) or the quality of any previous accident damage, and you still don't know if the vehicle was abused or well maintained. Only a physical pre-purchase inspection by an ASE Master Technician (for all mechanical & electrical systems) and a Frame Specialist (for body and frame problems) can determine the true condition before you buy.

The ONLY way to determine the TRUE condition before purchase is to have the vehicle professionally inspected by an ASE Certified Master Technician for mechanical & electrical problems and Frame Specialist for previous accident damages.

The #1 reason bad cars are purchased is the buyers' inability to determine the true condition of the vehicle before purchase. A history report cannot be used to determine the true current condition of the vehicle. For more information about used car inspections, please visit the non-profit consumer site www.UsedCarInspections.ORG

This just happened to me when I placed an order on Amazon so how do I get my money back they put a charge of 54.99 to my debit card

I bought very expensive and rare vehicle with clean Carfax history and based on it I paid all the money for the car. A year later on the Carfax poped up an accident report... which decreases the value of the vehicle a lot... When I contacted them they told it is normal even more than a year later to report such a thing. You do your math and decide to relay on them or Not for your next car purchase. I will never pay even a penny for their ScamFax even if it's free it is worthless. They help thiefs and scammers to sell their vehicles.

I sold 2 vehicles to CARFAX that both had a "history". They did not ask if there was a history and could have cared less. Both of these vehicles had been in accidents and all information was noted through my insurance company, which is a MAJOR CREDIBLE COMPANY. When CARFAX sold the vehicles they had it listed as a "clean one owner", which it was a one owner, but NO MENTION of any damage or problems with the vehicles. One of these vehicles had a "bad" transmission and it was on the lot the NEXT DAY ! I KNOW the problems were listed from the body shops and the dealer ships where they were repaired/serviced. My advice is "BUYER BEWARE" just like any other dealership. They are out to make money and sell cars PERIOD.

I sold 2 vehicles to CARFAX that both had a "history". They did not ask if there was a history and could have cared less. Both of these vehicles had been in accidents and all information was noted through my insurance company, which is a MAJOR CREDIBLE COMPANY. When CARFAX sold the vehicles they had it listed as a "clean one owner", which it was a one owner, but NO MENTION of any damage or problems with the vehicles. One of these vehicles had a "bad" transmission and it was on the lot the NEXT DAY ! I KNOW the problems were listed from the body shops and the dealer ships where they were repaired/serviced. My advice is "BUYER BEWARE" just like any other dealership. They are out to make money and sell cars PERIOD.