Home/Tools/History Report Red Flag Checker
Free Tool

History Report Red Flag Checker

Got a Carfax or AutoCheck report on a car you like? Answer a few questions from it and see which findings are minor, which to negotiate on, and which mean walk away, plus the questions to ask the seller.

Adds links to the free recall and history lookups for this car.
1

The title

Title brands on the reportCheck every one the report lists. Carfax and AutoCheck show these in their title section. What each brand means
Is there still a loan on the car?A lien or loan shows on the report or the title itself.
2

Accidents and damage

How many accidents or damage reports?
How bad was the worst one?Carfax labels damage minor, moderate or severe. AutoCheck notes whether the car was towed or disabled.
Did any airbags deploy?
Any structural or frame damage reported?
3

Owners and how it was used

How many owners?
Was it ever used as any of these?
Did any owner sell it within a year of buying it?
Anything about where it has lived?
4

Service and mileage

How do the service records look?
Mileage readings from the reportCopy a few odometer readings with their dates, oldest first. We check that the miles only go up and look for long gaps.
Any failed emissions or safety inspections?
Does the report show an open recall?
5

Matching the report to the car

Does the VIN on the report match the car?Check the plate on the dashboard at the bottom of the windshield and the sticker in the driver’s door jamb.
Does the seller’s story match the report?For example “never been in an accident” or “one owner” when the report says otherwise.

Your red flag report

Answer the questions above and your report builds here.

Nothing flagged yet.

Title brands, explained

Salvage, rebuilt, lemon buyback and flood: what each one means for insurance, financing, resale and inspection.

A brand is a permanent note on the title about the car’s past. It stays on the title when the car is fixed, sold or moved to another state, and it changes what the car costs to insure, finance and sell.

Salvage

An insurer declared it a total loss: repairs would cost more than the car was worth. In Utah the title reads “Salvage”, and the car cannot be registered for the road until it is repaired and passes a safety inspection for a rebuilt title.

Insurance
Liability only, if anyone will write it. It is not road legal yet.
Financing
Banks and credit unions will not lend on it. Expect to pay cash.
Resale
Mostly sold to rebuilders and parts buyers. The brand stays on the title for good.
Inspection
Budget for a body shop and a mechanic to price the full repair before you bid. The damage you see is rarely all of it.

Rebuilt or restored

A salvage car that was repaired and passed Utah’s rebuilt-title safety inspection. Road legal, but the brand never comes off, and other states call it “reconstructed” or “rebuilt salvage”.

Insurance
Liability is easy. Some insurers will not write comprehensive and collision, or pay less on a claim. Get a quote before you buy.
Financing
Many lenders will not finance it, and those that do may lend less. Ask your bank or credit union first.
Resale
Pricing guides commonly put it 20 to 40 percent below the same car with a clean title, and many dealers will not take it on trade.
Inspection
The state inspection checks safety equipment, not repair quality. Ask for the repair invoices and photos, and have a body shop check the frame, welds, airbags and panel gaps.

Lemon or manufacturer buyback

The maker bought it back from the first owner over a defect it could not fix, usually under a lemon law. Utah brands the title “Manufacturer Buyback Nonconforming Vehicle”, and every later seller must disclose it in writing.

Insurance
Usually insured and priced like any other car.
Financing
Most lenders will finance it, though some ask more questions.
Resale
It sells for less than a clean title, and the brand follows it to every state.
Inspection
Ask for the disclosure, which lists each defect, and the repair records showing it was fixed. Then test drive for that exact problem and check open recalls.

Flood or water damage

The car sat in water deep enough to get inside. Some states brand the title “Flood”. Utah folds it into a salvage brand, so a flood car moved here can look like an ordinary salvage or rebuilt car.

Insurance
Hard to get full coverage, and flood-related electrical problems are rarely covered later.
Financing
Few lenders will touch it.
Resale
Very low, and hard to sell to anyone who checks a history report.
Inspection
Corrosion keeps spreading after the car dries out. Look for silt under the carpet and seat rails, rust on seat bolts, fog or water lines in the lights, and a musty smell. Our advice: walk away.

Check any car for brands from every state with an NMVTIS title check. In Utah, a dealer has to tell you about a branded title in writing before you negotiate. See the Utah DMV on salvage and rebuilt titles and manufacturer buybacks.

Free history checks to run first

No report yet? These cost nothing, and they catch some of the worst problems.
  • Theft and total loss: NICB VINCheck checks a VIN against insurance theft and total-loss records, free.
  • Open recalls on this exact car: NHTSA recall lookup by VIN. Recall repairs are free at any dealer for that brand.
  • What the factory built: our VIN Decoder shows the engine, trim and crash ratings, so you can spot a listing that oversells the car.
  • Title brands from every state: NMVTIS approved providers sell a title check for a few dollars, built on the federal title database.
  • Ask the seller. Most dealers will hand you a Carfax or AutoCheck for free. If a dealer will not show you one, that tells you something.

Not sure what the report is telling you?

Send it to us. We read history reports every week and can tell you what matters, what to ask, and what the car is really worth.

Contact Us
How this works. The flags and how serious each one is are our own guidance from reading history reports, not a judgment on any specific car. A history report only shows what was reported to it: plenty of accidents are fixed for cash and never appear, so a clean report is not proof of a clean car. Always get an independent pre-purchase inspection before you pay. The mileage check compares against the national average of about 13,500 miles a year. Checked October 2026 against: