FAQ

Our commitment is to provide the most comprehensive vehicle history report in the country so Canadians can make better decisions about buying and selling vehicles. To support this, we have access to billions of data records from thousands of trusted sources across North America including Canadian and U.S. motor vehicle agencies, insurance agencies, collision repair facilities, auto auctions, police departments and more.

Records included in each CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report (VHR) can reveal important information about a car’s history such as accidents/damage incidents, open recalls, service history, registration status, branding and liens.

While we are the most comprehensive vehicle history reporting service in Canada, a report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX Canada by participating data sources. There may be other information about this vehicle that has not been reported to CARFAX Canada.

To further our ongoing commitment to providing the most comprehensive vehicle history report in Canada, we are constantly acquiring new data sources which may include recent data as well as historical data not previously available to CARFAX Canada. While CARFAX Canada receives data from thousands of data sources, there are still some that do not make their data available to anyone, including CARFAX Canada.

Before you buy a used car, we recommend that you get a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report, take a thorough test drive and have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic or auto technician to make sure the vehicle is functioning properly.

I know this vehicle has had an accident. Why isn’t it listed on the CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report?

CARFAX Canada compiles the VHR from information received from thousands of sources. As extensive as our data network is, there may be other information about this vehicle that has not been reported to us.

Why is there information appearing on my report that wasn’t there before?

While we have access to billions of records, there may be other information about this vehicle that has not been reported to CARFAX Canada. Our reports are a snapshot in time, reporting all the information available to us from our data sources at that time. We receive new records from our data sources every day – some of which may be for an event that occurred in the past.

It is our position that displaying all data records available to CARFAX Canada including damage records that we receive years after the actual event, is in the best interest of Canadians as it helps to inform consumers of potential problems with used vehicles that they may consider purchasing. Hiding accident/damage (or any relevant) information from potential purchasers just because we did not receive the data immediately after the damage event is not in the best interest of consumers because it prevents them from making more informed decisions.

For any additional questions related to CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Reports, please:

• Visit our Support Portal to view our Glossary and Frequently Asked Questions
• Visit our Blog – which contains free resources for vehicle purchasers, sellers and owners

CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Reports are just that, a reflection of the vehicle’s history as of the date and time the report was ordered. Once generated, new records are not added to an existing report. To obtain newer information, another report must be purchased.

In some instances, a report may be investigated to ensure the accuracy of the information on the report. If the investigation finds that any information is incorrect, our data sources will send an update that instantly reflects on that CARFAX Canada report.

This means a vehicle has had its VIN changed to match the VIN of another vehicle. This is typically done by car thieves to hide a VIN that is registered as stolen. A stolen vehicle that has had its VIN changed could be seized by police. If you notice history coming from a different province or state that you believe to be incorrect, please contact the owner immediately or call our support team at 1-866-835-8612 to begin an investigation. If a VIN is confirmed as being cloned, often the records must be revoked from the province or state in question before they are able to be removed from the vehicle history report.

We get our data from a wide variety of data sources such as service facilities, provincial records, law enforcement agencies, insurance companies and more.

Due to our agreements with these data sources and for other business reasons, we are unable to share the names of most of our data providers and/or disclose how/when we obtain this information. Rest assured, our data sources are reputable within their industries and their data is tested for accuracy.

If you are a licensed dealer or the owner of the vehicle and you believe your report could have an error, please click here so our Support team can assist you.