How To Detect and Avoid Odometer Fraud

A vehicle’s odometer is meant to track the distance it’s traveled over its lifetime. It’s a useful thing to check when you’re looking to purchase a secondhand vehicle. The odometer can indicate how much the vehicle’s been used over the number of years it’s been with its owner, which is definitely a factor when determining if their asking price is fair or not. But can you always trust a vehicle’s odometer?

What Is Odometer Fraud?

Odometer fraud, also known as odometer rollback, is when someone tampers with the odometer in a vehicle. Typically, they’ll roll the meter back so the odometer shows a lower mileage than its actual mileage.

There are a number of reasons people might do this. The typical reason is to deceive a potential buyer. Buyers assume the vehicle is in better condition than it is, and the seller gets to raise their price accordingly.

Odometer fraud is illegal. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal government requires that sellers provide written disclosure of a vehicle’s registered mileage to the buyer. This disclosure is written on the title. Now, if the odometer is incorrect, a statement about the inconsistency should likewise be written on the title. The only time the seller isn’t required to disclose a vehicle’s true mileage is if it’s 20 years old or older, or if it’s a model from 2010 or older.

How To Check for Odometer Fraud

The best way to protect yourself from odometer fraud is to learn how to detect it. Here are some methods you can use to stay safe from odometer scams:

Cross-Checking Mileage Records

When purchasing a second-hand vehicle, ask to see its maintenance and inspection records. These reports will often include the vehicle’s odometer readings, and any inconsistencies will be quick to spot. For instance, one report might show the odometer reading at 50,000 miles while a later report lists it at 23,000. If the mileage notations are obscured or hard to read, be wary.

You should also check the mileages listed on the title for every sale. It’s possible that the person selling you the vehicle fell for odometer fraud themselves and isn’t aware the vehicle’s odometer is wrong. If the numbers on the vehicle’s title go up and down, you’ll know something’s wrong.

Inspecting the Vehicle History Report (VHR)

Using a vehicle’s vehicle information number (VIN), you can request a vehicle history report from the vehiclehistory.gov website. Accessing this information requires a small fee if you need to access it online, but the VHR is a detailed report that will give you a good amount of info you can use to assess a second-hand vehicle. It includes the vehicle’s lien status, damage history, and yes, the odometer readings. Just like the maintenance and inspection records, inconsistencies here should be quick to spot. If the seller has a VHR on-hand for the vehicle, you can ask to see it as well. Just make sure it’s up to date.

Conducting a Physical Inspection

The physical state of the vehicle might clue you in on odometer fraud. That being said, some damage can be repaired and hidden from a buyer, so a physical inspection isn’t the most reliable odometer fraud check. You can examine the tires; the gas, brake, and clutch pedals; and the oil change and maintenance stickers.

If the vehicle’s odometer shows 20,000 miles or less traveled, the tires should still be the original ones it left the dealership with. The gas, brake, and clutch pedals shouldn’t be too worn with a lower odometer reading. And finally, the oil change and maintenance stickers on windows, door frames, under the hood, or in the glove box can help you gauge if the odometer number is accurate.

Finally, it’s good to look at the odometer itself. A physical odometer shouldn’t have gaps between the numbers. They should be straight and easy to read. Any misalignment is a red flag for odometer tampering. Dashboard screws and cluster should be original and match the ones in the vehicle’s manual.

Consulting a Car Servicing Shop or Mechanic

If it’s a digital odometer you’re dealing with, consider consulting a car servicing shop or a trusted mechanic. The electronic control unit (ECU) can record pulses from the optical or magnetic sensors in the system. Thanks to this, it can store the true reading, and car servicing shops and mechanics can access this information using their tools.

What To Do With a Tampered Odometer

Now that you know what odometer fraud looks like, it’s time to see what you can do when you detect it. Firstly, you should report the crime. The civil penalty for odometer fraud is a fee of $10,000 per odometer tampered with. There’s a maximum total penalty of $1 million, so it’s no laughing matter. Criminal penalties will incur fines of up to $250,000, which are separate from whatever civil penalties you have to pay. Those found guilty may also face up to three years in prison.

Paperwork

If you just want to fix your tampered odometer, then it’s best to consult your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Different states handle the aftermath of odometer fraud differently, but in general, you’ll need to have the mileage on your vehicle’s title corrected.

Most states will ask you to lightly cross the error out and fill out the applicable paperwork to correct the false reading. The DMV will often need you to do the crossing out in person at their office. Pay the required fee, and your title should be good to go.

Hardware

As for the odometer itself, you’ll need to take the vehicle to a trusted mechanic or car shop to have it repaired or replaced.

Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.

Pro Tip: When the instrument cluster is replaced professionally and purchased at the dealer, the vehicle is taken out of service while a replacement odometer is shipped that matches the correct mileage.

Certain digital odometers will be an easy fix as the shop or mechanic can transfer the true mileage to the new hardware. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple on older odometers. The odometer will be reset to zero, and the shop or mechanic will affix a repair sticker with the date of repair and the vehicle’s mileage when the odometer was repaired.

Moving forward, if you want to sell the vehicle again and the odometer no longer matches up with the vehicle’s actual mileage, make sure to disclose its history and true mileage to any potential buyers. After all, the last thing you want is to be accused of odometer fraud yourself.

Get Odometer Gears and Drive Gears Shipped to Your Home

Aside from deliberate fraud, other possible reasons for an inaccurate odometer are issues with its gears and drive gears. Avoid driving your vehicle until you’ve replaced the faulty components and repaired the odometer. Fortunately, you can order replacement odometer gears and odometer drive gears from CarParts.com and have them shipped to your home.

At CarParts.com, we deliver high-quality auto parts and accessories like odometer gears and odometer drive gears straight to your address. If you live in the continental US and place your order before noon ET, your new odometer gears and odometer drive gears will arrive at your doorstep in several business days. Ordering takes only several mouse clicks or screen taps on our secure website. Furthermore, we only source our products from trustworthy manufacturers, ensuring you get the quality you deserve.

If you’re looking to replace your odometer’s gears and drive gears, look no further than CarParts.com. Check out our selection of high-grade, competitively priced odometer gears and odometer drive gears today!