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Three different questions get bundled together as “checking the VIN”, and they have three different answers from three different sources. Keeping them separate is what stops you paying for a report that does not answer the question you actually had.
The questions are: has this car been written off or branded, has its odometer been rolled back, and does it have safety recalls nobody has completed.
Key figures
- 20 years Odometer disclosure period, model year 2011 onward
- 15 calendar years Free federal recall remedy period for vehicles
- 5 years Free federal recall remedy period for tires
The federal system most buyers do not know about
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is run under the US Department of Justice. Its own description is the reason it matters: it is the only publicly available system in the United States to which all insurance carriers, auto recyclers, junk yards and salvage yards are required, under federal law, to report on a regular basis. State motor vehicle titling agencies report to it as well.
A NMVTIS report covers five things:
- The current state of title and the last title date
- Brand history, meaning damage designations such as junk, salvage or flood applied by state agencies
- The odometer reading reported at titling
- Total loss history reported by insurers
- Salvage history
Reports are sold through approved data providers rather than by the government directly, and they cost a few dollars. The system’s own guidance makes a point worth repeating: a clean report is a good thing. These reports are short by design, and an empty brand history means nothing bad was reported, not that data is missing.
Title brands, and what they mean for you
A brand is a permanent designation a state applies to a title. The exact vocabulary varies by state, but the common ones are salvage, rebuilt or reconstructed, junk, flood and lemon-law buyback.
What they mean in practice:
- The car may be perfectly serviceable, especially if the damage was cosmetic or the write-off was economic rather than structural.
- The value is permanently lower, and the discount you are offered today will be demanded from you when you sell.
- Insurance and financing get harder. Some insurers will not write full coverage on a branded title, and some lenders will not finance one.
- A flood brand is the one to avoid. Water damage to wiring and modules appears months or years later and is close to impossible to price.
Washing a brand off by moving a car between states used to be a common fraud; NMVTIS exists specifically because there was no national record to check it against.
The odometer question
Federal rules require a written odometer disclosure on transfer for most vehicles, and the exemption rules changed recently in a way that surprises people. Vehicles from the 2011 model year onward are exempt only once they are 20 years past the start of their model year, rather than the old 10-year rule that still applies to 2010 and earlier vehicles.
In plain terms: the paperwork trail on newer used cars now runs much longer than it used to. Compare the disclosed reading against the readings in the history report and against the service records. A reading that goes down, or a gap where the car apparently covered no miles for three years, is the pattern worth asking about.
The FTC is explicit that a vehicle history report is not a substitute for an inspection: it may list accidents and flood damage, but typically it will not list mechanical problems. Buy the report to learn what was reported to the government. Pay a mechanic to learn what the car is like.
Recalls are a separate, free check
An open safety recall is not on a title report. Recalls are tracked by the manufacturer against the VIN, and a dealer’s service department will look yours up. The remedy is provided without charge, and federal law runs that obligation for 15 calendar years from the date the first owner bought the vehicle, with 5 years for tyres.
Two practical notes. Recall completion rates on older vehicles are far from complete, so a used car may well have work outstanding that nobody has done. And a recall repair is free regardless of where you bought the car or how many owners it has had.
Putting the three checks in order
- Before you travel to see a car: ask the seller for the VIN and run a NMVTIS report. It is cheap and it screens out branded, salvaged and total-loss vehicles.
- When you see it: check the VIN on the windscreen matches the one on the door jamb and on the paperwork, and compare the odometer against the disclosures.
- Before you buy: ask a dealer to check the VIN for open recalls, and have an independent mechanic inspect the car.
None of those steps is expensive relative to the purchase, and the one people skip most often, the inspection, is the one the FTC recommends most directly.
A record check complements a pre-purchase inspection rather than replacing it. The rebuilt-title cost guide explains the insurance and resale questions attached to one common title brand.
Questions people ask
What is NMVTIS and is it free?
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is the federal title database run under the Department of Justice, and the only system to which insurers, auto recyclers, junk yards and salvage yards must report under federal law. Reports are sold by approved providers for a few dollars rather than given away.
Does a vehicle history report show mechanical problems?
No. The FTC states that a report may list accidents and flood damage but typically will not list mechanical problems. That is why an independent pre-purchase inspection is a separate step, not an alternative.
Should I avoid a car with a salvage title?
Not automatically, but understand what you are taking on: permanently lower value, possible difficulty insuring or financing it, and unknown repair quality. A flood brand is the one to treat as disqualifying, because water damage to wiring and modules shows up long after the sale.
How do I check for open recalls?
Recalls are tracked against the VIN by the manufacturer, so a franchised dealer's service department can look the vehicle up for you. The remedy must be provided free of charge, and federal law runs that obligation to 15 calendar years from the first sale.
Where these figures come from
- Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance · vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov
- NMVTIS Vehicle History Reports US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance · vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov
- 49 CFR 580.17, Exemptions Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · ecfr.gov
- 49 U.S.C. 30120, Remedies for defects and noncompliance Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · law.cornell.edu
- Buying a Used Car From a Dealer Federal Trade Commission · consumer.ftc.gov
Figures last checked September 2026.
