The U.S. Justice Department today announced the launch of an electronic database which has been in the works for more than 16 years. The database will help auto dealers and consumers check vehicle histories.The database and is scheduled to go live at 9 a.m. EST on Friday. The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce or eliminate the process of reselling an flood vehicle or repaired vehicle from a serious accident from being resold as if it had no prior issues, a practice that consumer groups call ‘title washing.’
Twenty-seven states are already set up in the database, and the rest have until 2010 to participate fully. Insurers and salvage yards are supposed to begin sending data by March 31 of this year. The database was created in response to a successful lawsuit brought by consumers and the National Automobile Dealers Association.
Tags: Buyers, Car History, Database, DoJ