Business Profile

Auto Services

Carfax Inc

BBB Accredited Business A Rated by BBB

Important information

Customer Complaint:
Please be advised that due to the high volume of complaints received for this business, BBB publishes 1 out of every 10 complaints handled through our conciliation process.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Carfax Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

462 total complaints in the last 3 years.
180 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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Submit a Complaint

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:08/29/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I went to sell my vehicle a month ago and discovered a mistake on my carfax report deeming my vehicle to be a total loss. My insurance company fixed this issue. Every other VIN look up service corrected the data after my insurance company fixed the mistake with ******. Carfax does not have a consumer phone number and has not replied to probably 10 emails, social media messages. I have tried everything. I cannot sell my vehicle because they will not reply.
Business Response
Date: 11/15/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. ********************** received a request research a Total Loss for the vehicle in question. To address the request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and verified that a Total Loss had been reported for the vehicle in error. As a result of this finding, CARFAX's research team updated the CARFAX Report and provided the customer with complimentary access to the updated Report.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/18/2024
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

Complaint: 22216327

I am rejecting this response because: It should not take months of attempts to reach a company to correct a minor clerical error. The issue was corrected but it should have taken a few hours not months of effort.

Regards,

*** *****
Initial Complaint
Date:08/29/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Our vehicle was incorrectly labeled a total loss by our insurance company. They state they have corrected the issue and they can do anything else it is up to Carfax to update the file. I submitted their form online a week ago and have not heard anything from them. You can not call and speak to anyone. I have requested an update and again get no response. I can not change insurance or get rid of the vehicle till this is corrected. I am getting NO communication from them and I find the a HUGE issue. I expect customer **********************, an email or a phone call would be nice but instead I get NOTHING
Business Response
Date: 11/18/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. ********************** received a request to research a Total Loss for the vehicle in question. To address the request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and found justification to update the CARFAX Report. The customer received complimentary access to the updated Report at the conclusion of the research process.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/28/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Hello. I contacted Carfax 7/17/2024 because i was trying to trade in a vehicle but the dealership said they could not give me much for it as it was listed as a lemon. I bought the car in July 2022. The Carfax was marked 'Lemon" in Sept 2022. I contacted the dealership i bought it from an they were no help. I contacted the **** of Transportation and finally found out that they ***** of Transportation) messed up and accidently marked as a lemon. They have made the change, but Carfax has not. I got a couple emails from Waldo at Carfax and have provided him with a letter from the **************************** stating they made the mistake and have corrected it. I have emailed him every day and have not received a response. They are basically holding me hostage from being able to trade my vehicle in. I tried to call them, but the consumer line will not let you speak to anyone. I went into a different department and someone there just tells me they dont even know a number or extension for someone in the consumer **** so they can't transfer me. It has been 6 weeks and i am still waiting for them to make a change that should take seconds to make now that they have the paperwork they requested. I would like for them to be contacted and asked to finish the job and fix my carfax.
Business Response
Date: 11/18/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with the customer concern. ********************** received a request to research a title brand for the vehicle in question. CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history along with the documentation provided by the customer and found justification to update the CARFAX Report. The report was updated to reflect that a Manufacture Buyback/Lemon Law Title was issued by a state for this vehicle in error and later corrected. The customer received complimentary access to the Report at the conclusion of the research process.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/23/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
My truck has never been in an accident and has always had a clean history. Suddenly, carfax shows 2 severe accidents from 2015 &2016, both on Dec 31. Carfax shows no repairs and there's never been an insurance claim. Other history rpts are still all clean. Carfax will not help me and will not tell me what prompted these accidents to appear on their record within the past 8 months. These errors are preventing me from selling my truck at market value. Please help.
Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. ********************** received a request to research a vehicle's history, however, the *** provided with the request was not valid. Of note, it was not the same *** listed in the pictures provided to the Better Business Bureau. To address the request, CARFAX's research team emailed the customer and informed them that the *** they provided with their request was not valid and asked them to resubmit their research request with the correct ***. CARFAX will be happy to research the record that the customer disputes, but we will need them to complete the required research request form and provide the correct *** with their request. The research request form can be found here: ***********************************************************************
Customer Answer
Date: 09/17/2024
I've attached a picture of my VIN right on my truck as well as the response from Carfax I received weeks ago. They insist it is not my vin #. It indeed is! I attached the carfax report and an independent vehicle history report. I've called several state highway patrol offices and none can locate any accidents involving my truck. There has not been an insurance claim on my truck either. Please help! Perspective buyers and car dealers all use Carfax for history and valuation and the carfax record on my truck is wrong. There is my vin, right on my truck along with carfax correspondence. Thank you.
Business Response
Date: 11/06/2024
Thank you for contacting CARFAX concerning this complaint. CARFAX received a request to research an accident reported to CARFAX. With this request, the customer provided the *** *****************. Please review the "outlook" image provided by the customer, which includes **********************'s support team's email to the customer. The *** provided with their request, *****************, is not a valid ***, and as a result, CARFAX's research team could not research the vehicle history. CARFAX did not state the customer did not own that ********************/***. Instead, CARFAX explained to the customer that an invalid *** was provided with their request and asked them to submit their research request again with the correct ***. After reviewing the additional images that the customer provided to the ********************, it does appear the customer provided an incorrect *** to **********************. Our research team would be happy to research the vehicle's history once we receive a research request for the correct ***. The customer can submit a new request here: ******************************************************************************************************;
Customer Answer
Date: 11/18/2024
I have now submitted a 3rd request to carfax. They have pictures of my vin and I've typed it into the space in their complaint form. They are responding with a vin one digit off in their correspondence and they dropped a digit in their first email to me as well as changing the 3 towards the end to a 4. My vin is typed into the form as well as pictured. It appears to me that this is an effort on their part to avoid the subject matter rather than correct the errors on my vehicle history report. Please help!!
Thank you!
Business Response
Date: 01/20/2025
CARFAX received a request to research the record in question along with documentation provided by the customer. The customer provided a Colorado accident report in which the officer coded the damage to vehicle as "severe." Because CARFAX is not in a position to determine whether the police officer made an error on their report, CARFAX informed the customer on 12/28/2024 that they will need to contact the police department to request their assistance with correcting their police report. Upon receipt of an amended police report or a letter of correction from the police department, CARFAX will be happy to ensure the CARFAX Report remains consistent with the police department's record of the accident in question.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/22/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Carfax is reporting incorrect service information on their report for a car we are attempting to sell. The dealer said because if this information their is a potential odometer roll back. This is leading to an undervalue of the vehicle. Carfax has received our complaint and has not addressed the issue. It is a time sensitive matter and they are negatively impacting the sale of the vehicle. Since they charge for this report they should be held liable for any damage incurred to the value of the sale of my vehicle.
Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer complaint. As of today's date, ********************** has not received a request associated with the name and email address provided with this complaint. Additional information is needed in order to support this customer. The required research form may be submitted here: ***********************************************************************

Upon receipt of the required form, we would be happy to research the customer's concerns.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/19/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Carfax history report 2009 Hummer H3T Alpha Vin ***************** , I saw this vehicle for sale online at Physicians Auto Goup Columbus **** ***************/2023 and dealt with *** ******. I financed the vehicle through my bank Navy *******************. To approve the loan the bank ordered a carfax and based on the carfax available to the bank at that time the carfax report was not flagged with a potential odometer rollback issue if it did Navy ******************** would not have processed the loan application and created a cashiers check. I recently tried to get the vehicle appraised at Carrols Auto Sales ,************ , ** ************. On 7/18/2024 the sales department ordered a carfax and the vehicle was listed with a potential odometer issue and the appraisal ended and a value was undetermined and could not be with that issue. I called Navy ******************** and alerted them to the new carfax report . The loan department said the vehicle would never have been approved with that issue. I called **** **** Chevrolet of Ogdensburg NY ************ noted on page 5 of 8 of the carfax as that dealership bought and sold the vehicle according to their staff the vehicle showed up with the potential odometer issue and left with that issue to ********************* of ****. Carfax Inc omitted this information when Navy ******************** was evaluating the vehicle for a loan and approved the loan. At this point me and the vehicle are moving to ********** and the California DMV says this vehicle probably will not be able to be registered in the State and a los angelos dealership said they can't take vehicles with odometer issues in their inventory. I have contacted the ********************** office to look into both the practices of ********************* who are out of business and Carfax Inc. Unfortunately me and Navy ******************** have a vehicle and it's value is seriously impacted. And potentially the ability to drive it or sell it in **********.
Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. ********************** received a research request from the customer on 09/09/2024, and the research for the vehicle in question is in progress presently. As soon as the research is complete, the customer will be notified by email. The customer received an email on 09/09/2024 confirming receipt of their research request, and the customer received an email on 09/13/2024 with an update that their research request was still being researched.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/18/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I bought a truck from a dealer in ******* in May 2021. When I bought it it was a clean title with no accident, a **** blue advantage certified truck. After 3 years later, around late July I wanted to sell my truck. One of the dealer who offered to buy told me that the truck had a pretty bad accident in 2021 September which is about 3 months after my purchase. I was shocked as I had never involved in an accident since the day I bought it. I went to the dealer and they told me that it should be Carfax error as the car was on blue certified program. I called my insurance and pull the report showing that no loss was claimed during that period. I provided all the supporting documents such as insurance report, dealer certification etc to CarFax to fix the error as I need to sell my truck but because of this error I keep losing money. No one is giving me a good offer, all of the offers are based on the damaged car. It's been 10 days I have contacted the CarFax and still no answer received. They have no phone number so I can't call them to discuss. All communication is via email.
Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. ********************** received a request to research an accident record for the vehicle in question. To address the request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and found justification to update the CARFAX Report. The customer received complimentary access to the updated Report.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/15/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Urgent: False Damage Report on 2020 ***** RX 450 HL Affecting Sale We are writing to address a serious issue concerning a false damage Carfax report on our 2020 ***** RX 450 HL, dated 12/15/2023. Due to this inaccurate record, we have lost all potential buyers. Despite explaining that no accident occurred on or around 12/25/2023, buyers have been deterred by the erroneous Carfax history and have walked away from the deal.We have already reduced the sale price from $41,500 to $38,000, yet the buyers who were previously interested before checking the Carfax report are now unwilling to ********** resolve this, we contacted Carfax via email on 8/11/2024 and followed up again on 8/13/2024. Additionally, on 8/12/2024, we submitted a support request through their online form. We also attempted to reach out via phone but were unable to connect with any customer ********************** representative, as it appears they do not provide phone support.We have been assigned two reference numbers (#******** and #********) to our email inquiries, but we have not received a response from an actual person.This situation is urgent as we had at least 2-3 buyers ready to purchase the car last weekend. One family even made a great offer, contingent on the false record being cleared. We need to sell this car quickly to purchase a more suitable vehicle for our family.We request immediate assistance in clearing the false damage report so that we can proceed with the sale.Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.When we try to buy something from Carfax like a history report, they provide the sale in seconds. However, when it comes to erasing an error, that causing thousands of dollars and lots of stress, they don't move a muscle. They surely take their time when it comes to real help.
Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer complaint. ********************** received a request to research an accident for the vehicle in question. To address the request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and verified that a record of an accident was reported for the vehicle in question by a police agency. So that the customer could contact the police agency and request their assistance with correcting their records, as appropriate, CARFAX provided the customer with the name of the policy agency and report number associated with the accident that was documented. Upon receipt of an amended police report provided by the customer, ********************** will be happy to ensure that the CARFAX Report remains consistent with the police agency's record.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/23/2024
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

Complaint: 22146650

I am rejecting this response because:

I am extremely disappointed by how slow their response has been. They dont provide phone numbers to convey the urgency of the situation, and their email responses are frustratingly slow. It was only after I contacted the BBB that they started replying, for which Im grateful. When I want to purchase something from them, like a report, its done in seconds, but when I need help, they still use the same tired excuses from the ***** era and take their time to assist.
Every report they issue on a cars history can significantly damage the cars sale price. Before publishing any report from an agency or company, they should carefully review it, as this is their core business. This is the third time weve been affected by incorrect reporting, and each time it has been a struggle to get it resolved. The most frustrating part is that, as the car owners, we have no idea when inaccurate information is submitted about our vehicles until its time to sell. By then, its often too late because Carfax is so slow to provide assistance.
Carfax should take greater responsibility and show more sensitivity in these situations. As customers, we are the innocent party, yet we bear the consequences. There are several ways Carfax could improve, such as verifying the accuracy of reports, notifying customers of any changes, and most importantly, providing timely support by answering calls and responding to emails more quickly when we need them most.
Initial Complaint
Date:08/14/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Around 6/8/24, I was in a car accident. I was trying to sell my car outright, and then someone brought to my attention that an accident from 2015 said that my airbags deployed. This is false information. I had to purchase the report to see for myself. Purchase occurred on 6/11/24. I filed the claims for a refund, as well as to have the report adjusted and appropriate documentation, and have not received any info. Unable to dispute with bank as they give me a number to call at Carfax, and no one answers. I just want a refund and my report fixed so I can sell my car. Its been 2 months.
Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer. ********************** received two general help requests from the customer asking for a refund and to report that an error was identified on the CARFAX Report. Our support team provided the customer with a link to the required research form. While the customer indicates they completed the form, as of today's date, CARFAX has not received a form for the vehicle in question. CARFAX would be happy to research the vehicle's history once we receive the required form. A research request may be submitted here:

***********************************************************************
As a one-time courtesy, CARFAX issued a refund in the amount of $44.99 for the Report that the customer purchased.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/23/2024
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

Complaint: 22141555

I am rejecting this response because:
I have now submitted the form for the fourth time and attached proof that it was submitted.

Regards,

******* ****

Business Response
Date: 06/04/2025
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer request. ********************** received a general help request from the customer indicating there was a discrepancy on a CARFAX Report. CARFAXs general help team explained to the customer that we do have a process by which a customer can request research and provided the customer with information about how to start that process. The customer has indicated that they already submitted the required form for the research request; however, CARFAX has explained to the customer that the required form has not been received. CARFAX will be happy to research this record for the customer, however, they will need to submit the required form. The form is available here: ***********************************************************************
Initial Complaint
Date:08/11/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I recently paid $45 to have a Carfax done on my 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited my wife and I purchased the Vehicle new from the Dealer in 2016 my report states there has been 3 owners this is not accurate I had sent in 3 requests to have this fixed I have not received any response I tried to call them as well there not a ph# for consumers
Business Response
Date: 09/16/2024
Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this complaint. As of today's date, CARFAX has not received a research request for the vehicle in question. CARFAX will be happy to research the vehicle's history and update the CARFAX Report, as appropriate, once we receive the required request form. The required request form is available here: ***********************************************************************

Please note: CARFAX does not receive or process research requests by telephone.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/25/2024
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

Complaint: 22125196

I am rejecting this response because: I still have been contacted by Carfax I have looked up many bad reviews and there lack to contact there Customers when there is a problem this has to do with the sale of millions of Vehicles if we are not getting accurate information it is not fair to the Public

Regards,

**** ******

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