How to research a used car's problem history before you buy

Two kinds of history

When people say "check the history" they usually mean one thing: a report on that specific car, pulled by VIN. It tells you about titles, accidents, odometer readings and branding. It says little about how the model itself holds up.

The second kind of history is the model's. What do owners of the same year, make and model report, at what mileage, and what has the manufacturer recalled? That's what this site is built from, and it's the part most buyers skip.

You want both. The first protects you from a bad car. The second protects you from a good car of a bad year.

Step 1: the car's own record

The Federal Trade Commission tells used-car buyers to get a vehicle history report, and the federal government runs a system for exactly that. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), hosted by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance, lets consumers look up a car's current title information and brand history, its most recent odometer reading, any insurance "salvage" or total-loss determination, and whether it was ever sent to a junk or salvage yard. You can buy an NMVTIS report through the NMVTIS consumer site.

Brands are the labels states put on a title, such as "junk," "salvage" or "flood." NMVTIS exists partly because brands used to vanish when a car was retitled in a state that didn't check. After Hurricane Katrina, according to NMVTIS, flooded cars were dried out and sold in states that didn't brand flood vehicles, with electrical systems (airbag sensors included) more prone to failure.

The FTC adds a warning of its own: a history report may list accidents and flood damage, but it typically won't list mechanical problems.

Step 2: open recalls, by VIN

Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. It shows any safety recall that hasn't been repaired on that exact car.

Don't assume the seller took care of it. The federal rule that stops a dealer selling a car with an open recall, in 49 U.S.C. 30120(i), covers new vehicles and rental fleets, and a used car can be sold with a recall still open. The repair stays free, though, since recalls don't expire. If something's open, ask the seller to get it done before you take delivery, or book it yourself right after.

Recalls are common. Of the 1,040 vehicle-years with a page on this site, 992 (95%) have at least one recall on file. What you're looking for is the nature of the recall and whether the remedy is available. A recall with no fix yet (our guide on waiting for a recall remedy covers those) or one carrying a do-not-drive warning changes the deal.

Step 3: what owners of that model report

Here's where the model history comes in. Look up the year, make and model on this site. The vehicle page lists the problems owners have reported to NHTSA, grouped by symptom, and places each on a mileage track.

Read it against the odometer of the car you're looking at:

• Behind it. Problems that usually show up well below this car's mileage. Ask whether they happened and whether they were fixed. A repair record for a known failure is good news.
• Around it. Problems that cluster near the current mileage. These are the ones to price in, and to ask a mechanic to check specifically.
• Ahead of it. Problems that tend to arrive later. If you plan to keep the car for years, these are part of what you're buying.

Each problem links to a symptom sheet with owners' own words, what got replaced and, where owners mentioned it, what they paid. Only a small share of complaints quote a price (6% in the files here), so treat those figures as a rough spread.

Also look at the model's years-to-avoid page. It compares each model year's complaints against how long that year has been on the road, so an older year doesn't look worse just for having been around longer. Our guide on what years-to-avoid lists get wrong explains how to read it.

Step 4: an independent inspection

Nothing above replaces a mechanic looking at the actual car. The FTC recommends paying for an independent inspection before you buy, even when the car is "certified," and notes that a mechanical inspection is different from a safety inspection, which only looks at what makes a car unsafe to drive.

If the dealer won't let the car off the lot, the FTC suggests a mobile inspection service, or asking the dealer to bring the car to a shop you choose. If a dealer won't allow an independent inspection at all, it suggests going elsewhere. Ask for the mechanic's findings in writing, with a cost estimate and the VIN, and use that estimate to negotiate.

Bring your research. A mechanic who knows the model's common failures and their usual mileage can look for early signs of those, which is a better use of an hour than a general once-over. Our guide on describing a car problem to a mechanic works in reverse here.

Step 5: the paperwork

Dealers must post a Buyers Guide on every used car they sell, per the FTC. It says whether the car comes with a warranty or is sold "as is," and it overrides the sales contract if they conflict. If the "as is" box is checked, the dealer isn't paying for anything that goes wrong after the sale, and any spoken promise should be written on the Guide.

Federal law doesn't give you three days to change your mind, the FTC notes. Some states require a cancellation right and some don't, so ask about the return policy and get it in writing.

Putting it together

A car can pass every check and still belong to a troubled model year. It can also carry a clean title and a scary complaint count that turns out to be about infotainment glitches. Read the complaint counts for what the problems are, not only how many there are. A few reports of transmission failure at 60,000 miles matter more than hundreds about a slow touchscreen.