Driving 101: How to check VIN & Vehicle History (Accidents, Owners, Usage & Service)

What’s a VIN Number?

A VIN number is an identifying code that’s associated with a specific automobile. A VIN number is made up of 17 characters (numbers and letters) that act as the vehicle’s fingerprint. No two automobiles have the same VIN number, so you can use a VIN number to track a specific vehicle’s history, registrations, and more.


How to find your VIN?
You can find a car’s VIN number by looking on the driver’s side of the vehicle, either at the corner of the vehicle where the windshield meets the dashboard or on the doorpost of the driver’s side front door. You can also find a VIN number on a vehicle’s insurance card, title, and registration.

Why Should I Check the VIN Number When Buying a Car?

1. If you’re planning to buy a car (new or used), it’s important to run at least a free VIN report on the car’s VIN number to get a better understanding of its history. 
2. Running a free VIN check on the car will pull up its basic history, including information on previous claims of theft and/or accidents. 
3. You’ll want to run a VIN check when purchasing a car to make sure that the car is legally available for purchase and that it’s in good enough condition to drive. 
4. A VIN check will pull up any significant claims that have been made about the car. 
5. Claims include information about if the car was ever stolen and if it was ever subject to serious damage, such as flood, fire, or accident damage.

How to check Recalls, Accidents, Owner history, Usage & Service history:

Reputable car dealerships will often provide you with a copy of the VIN report for the car you’re looking to purchase, free of charge. Your salesman will likely review the report with you, noting the number of owners, any accidents or claims reported on the car, and any other issues of note, such as recalls or leftover warranties.

If you’re buying a car from a dealership that doesn’t offer a free VIN check, or purchasing from a private party, you’ll want to run a free VIN report on your own to check for theft records and major accidents (following links for US cars only):

1. Check for theft and total loss records: https://www.nicb.org/vincheck
   The National Insurance Crime Bureau offers up to five searches within 24 hours per IP address.
   
2. Check for open recalls: https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls
   National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
   
3. Basic VIN report (accidents reported, owner history, usage information, and service history):
   https://www.carfax.com/company/vehicle-identification-numbers-vins
   https://www.iseecars.com/ (limited free reports)
   

Vehicle history reports include such information as:

1. Major accident
2. Mileage rollback
3. Multiple owners
4. Structural damage
5. Lease, personal, taxi or police use
6. Total loss
7. Rebuilt
8. Flood damage
9. Airbag deployment
10. Mileage rollover
11. Salvaged
12. Hail damage
13. Branded a lemon
14. Last reported mileage
15. Junked
16. State owned
17. Length of ownership
18. Estimated miles driven per year
19. Not actual mileage
20. Recall information
21. Warranty information

References:
https://blog.prepscholar.com/free-vin-check
https://www.thecarconnection.com/tips-article/1087331_using-vin-numbers-to-check-car-accident-history