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 a snapshot in time and reflection of the vehicle's history as of the date and time the report was ordered. Once generated, new records and/or updates to current records (i.e. lien, recalls, etc...) are not added to/reflected on an existing report. To obtain newer information, a fresh report must be ordered.

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.

To request an investigation regarding the accuracy of the information contained on a report, please see: I believe information on my CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report is inaccurate. What do I do?

A cloned VIN alert will appear on a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report if data (typically U.S. title/registration records) appearing on a VHR at time of order are:

• Disputed by the vehicle's owner
• Reviewed and verified by data sources with the report data source (typically a U.S. DMV)
• Reviewed further by the DMV and confirmed to have been obtained because of fraud committed by the vehicle registrant

A cloned VIN alert will not appear if the above steps have not been completed.

If you notice history, coming from a province or state, that you believe to be incorrect:

• Please contact the owner immediately
  
• Or if you are the vehicle owner, please see: I believe information on my CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report is inaccurate. What do I do?
  • CARFAX Canada also recommends that you contact the DMV reporting the title/registration immediately to notify them that you believe a title may have been issued in their state as a result of fraud and to request that they review, and if possible, revoke/cancel the title

For more information on cloned VIN, please see: What does "cloned VIN" mean?

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.

Due to agreements with these data sources, 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 see: I believe information on my CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report is inaccurate. What do I do?

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 his, we have access to billions of 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.

While we are the most comprehensive vehicle history reporting service in Canada, a report reflects information as it was supplied to CARFAX Canada by participating data sources.

If you believe information on the Vehicle History Report for a vehicle you own is inaccurate and wish to request an investigation, please return to support.carfax.ca and click "Request a Review." Please include:

• VIN
• Vehicle History Report number (optional)
• Phone number
• License plate number
• Details about your request (for more information details to include, please see below)
• If you wish to include document(s) and/or photo(s), you can do so by clicking "+ Attach a File"

When including details about your request, here are some suggestions of what to include:

• Date(s) of the record(s) you believe to be inaccurate
  
• Record type(s) you believe to be inaccurate (i.e. odometer reading, claim, estimate, service record, etc...)
• Brief description of why you believe the record(s) to be inaccurate

Suggestions of which documents/photos to include with your request, based on the record type of concern:

• For odometer-related concerns, please include a photo of the vehicle's current odometer reading and/or any documentation from the originating source of that information
  
• For service-related concerns, please include your license plate number and province
• For estimate and/or insurance claim concerns, if available to you, please provide documentation from your insurance provider. This document (or in the details of your request), should include the name, phone number and email address of the contact from your insurance company as well as the policy number, coverage period and claim number or itemized claims history.
  • We would also recommend, if submitting documentation from your insurance company, that you contact them to provide with them with consent to speak with CARFAX Canada directly about your policy's claims history

Once an investigation has been completed, if it can be verified that data reported to us was inaccurate, we will work with our data sources to have that information updated or removed from the vehicle's history.

While we strive to complete all investigations as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee the length of time an investigation will take to be completed.