Complaints

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

close

Find a Location

Carfax Inc has 3 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Carfax Inc

  5860 Trinity Pkwy Ste 600 Centreville, VA 20120-1998

  
• 

  CARFAX

  37001 Industrial Road Livonia, MI 48150

• 

  Carfax Inc

  10304 Eaton Pl Ste 500 Fairfax, VA 22030-2238

  

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:03/13/2023

  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 am looking for Carfax to fix their report they made about my car. They first rated it at major damage the d dropped it to moderate damage. All my evidence that I have submitted to Car fax which includes the body shop report, pictures along with the Carfax report all suggests that my car only substantiated minor damage. Since then, Car fax has ghosted me! 4 days later, I received a survey from carfax. It clearly stated in the survey asking if I wanted a supervisor representative to contact me, I requested yes, it’s been over a week and still nothing! I am ****** at this point. They have caused so much anxiety from this! I need this mater fixed asap. Please help. I am trying to move on. I want them to fix their mistake or I will file a lawsuit against them! I can also submit the emailings if needed and requested It has been explained to me when I brought my car in to *BB vehicle inspection site on two separate occasions that it was an error on carfax’s part. And they should fix it being everything suggests my car only had only minor damage. I have already lost a sale from them. Being this error on Carfax’s part is roughly a $10,000 difference. If Carfax will not change the report to being only subs-tanning only minor damage, I want car fax to make up that dollar difference to make it right! It really infuriates me because they even are going against what their own glossary of damages are and how they rate. Please help, ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX received a request to research a damage severity record for the vehicle in question. To better understand the damage sustained, CARFAX reviewed the repair documentation provided by the customer. Upon review of the documentation, CARFAX found justification to update the CARFAX Report to reflect that the vehicle sustained moderate damage. Moderate damage may affect multiple components of the vehicle and may impair the vehicle's operation and/or safety. The documentation provided by the customer does not describe a minor damage event, and as a result, CARFAX will not amend the Report to reflect it as such. When solicited for feedback, customers are not asked whether they would like to be contacted by a supervisor, but rather, customers are asked if CARFAX may contact for clarification about their survey responses or if they would prefer for their feedback to remain anonymous. We apologize for any misunderstanding the customer may have had about the survey. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/25/2023

  [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: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Honestly! Are you kidding me? How dare you come back with such a nothingness of an over! Especially after all this time and energy I’ve put in this.
  
  I have sent this many of times using 3 different devices to all come back as failed attempts. I’m guessing they blocked my Vin # on the website.
  
  I’ve sent many of times via email to **** Only to be ghosted.

  Now! to Carfax and as you can see that this past Friday I sent Via fax. 16 Pages!

  At yet another expense I had to lay out to get this resolved correctly! 
  

  In all honesty Carfax has dragged their feet on this since early February, so for them to come back with willing to only go to moderate is absolutely ridiculous on their part. 
  

  HERE IS THE PROOF THAT THEY ARE WRONG. THE PROOF HAS BEEN SENT TO THEM THAT IT SHOULD ONLY BE MINOR DAMGE. FIX THE MISTAKE!!! Or I go on Social media along with seeking legal justiceI
  
  I also seek $$ refunded and compensation for the stress and aggravation all due to Carfax! All not good for a once stage four cancer patient who is in remission. 

  Regards,
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/09/2023

  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.

  The Carfax provided for my vehicle erroneously lists structural damage. It posits that the *************** dealership in Rockwall Texas disclosed structural damage based on a visual inspection when the car was sold at Rockwell Auto Auction. This structural damage does not and never existed and I have provided all needed supporting documentation to verify. The documents I have provided to Carfax include: a pre-sale inspection report and service records from *************** (the seller), the buyers contract from ******** Auto Auction, and the **** ***** report received by the purchasing dealership. The dealership I purchased the truck from is the dealership that purchased it at auction and they assert and agree that no structural damage was present when they purchased the vehicle, as documented by the ********* report, nor was structural damage disclosed by the seller as documented in the buyers contract from auction. Nine days have past since I provided all of this documentation through Carfaxs designated channels and in response to my requests for an update I only receive canned email responses stating they are researching this issue and will get back to me. There is nothing to research. I have provided all needed documentation, and I was able to acquire that documentation in an afternoon. If carfax was making any effort to correct the error they could have done their research in the same time period. This error is causing significant hardship as I am unable to sell my vehicle for its full value until this issue is resolved as there is a perceived deficit in its trade in value of approximately $10000.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX received a request to research a structural damage disclosure made during an auction of the vehicle in question. To address the customer's request, CARFAX researched the vehicle's history and verified that structural damage was disclosed by the seller at auction 01/28/2022, based on a visual inspection of the vehicle. Because the record was verified, it was not removed from the CARFAX Report. To resume research, CARFAX asked the customer to provide a copy of the Bill of Sale from the 01/28/2022 sales transaction. While the customer provided the Bill of Sale from another sales transaction that occurred 02/08/2022, the documentation from the 1/28/2022 sale is what is needed. When the customer is willing to provide that documentation, CARFAX will be happy to resume research.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/05/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 purchased a carfax report where, after initially entering the VIN, Carfax claimed to have 50 history records and 26 service records. Unfortunately, the "history records" are useless, just registrations and inspections, and the "service" records rarely contained more information than "vehicle served." There is an implied value to the records, which obviously Carfax's whole value proposition is that they can get you this valuable information, however, it seems to be flat out lying that you have a valuable service record represented by a mileage and thew statement "vehicle serviced." It would not be difficult for Carfax to pick out these useless service records, and advertise something more like "2 service records with specific service details."

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX receives vehicle records from more than 113,000 data providers and posts vehicle history information to Reports in an effort to provide insight to the public that may otherwise go unknown. While much of the information reported to CARFAX is detailed and offers value to consumers, we understand that not all records may provide the level of detail a customer wishes to see. Customers may consider asking the seller for additional information, including service history receipts, and having the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic to better understand the history and condition of the vehicle. As a one-time courtesy, CARFAX issued a refund in the amount of $44.99 for the customer's purchase. The refund should appear in their bank/credit card account in 3-5 business days, depending on their bank's processing times.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/25/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/01/2023

  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 changed the carfax report given to me at time of purchase at the request of *** ** ******, original report showed the odometer was rolled back, after purchase I was given the revised report with the previous mileage deleted. I feel carfax is complicit in this possible fraud.*** *********, Butler NJ I am handling this with ******* corp, hope to have a resolution soon, My complaint is with Carfax. if they replace my car how will the next owner know the true mileage if they rely on a Carfax report that has been altered to benefit the dealer????Allowing this to happen makes me feel I would be complicit also.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  CARFAX receives information from more than  113,000 data providers and regularly updates CARFAX Reports with new or additional information. CARFAX Reports are updated when CARFAX receives updated information or when research results in the determination that information provided may be invalid for the vehicle in question. If this customer would like to request research of a record, the customer may submit his/her request here: ***********************************************************************

  Upon receipt of a research request, a Resolution Manager will research the record in question and update the CARFAX Report, as appropriate.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/25/2023

  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 was trading in a car for a new car, the dealer lowered the value of my trade in by several thousand dollars because of a generic damage report on the vehicle. VIN # of vehicle: *****************. The carfax report shows a damage report on 4/2/21 with no supporting evidence or other information. I bought this vehicle new and am a single senior citizen. No one else has ever driven this vehicle and outside of it being service by the dealer no one has ever worked on this car. I have no idea what this damage is/was, I have never been involved in any kind of accident or event with this car. All of the maintenance has been performed by the dealer and is documented in the car fax. This item should be researched and removed. This report has already cost me several thousand dollars.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/03/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX received a request to research a damage record for the vehicle in question. To address the request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and verified that the vehicle was reported as sustaining damage on, or around 04/02/2021. Because the record has been verified with the data provider, it cannot be removed from the vehicle history report. The record is a record of damage and not an accident. Damage may be the result of several different reasons including weather-related events, contact with road debris, objects, and even reconditioning. CARFAX would encourage the customer to consider any changes to the vehicle that may have been considered or pursued from that timeframe and provide any related documentation such as an estimate or final repair bill for those changes. Upon receipt of the documentation, CARFAX's research team will be happy to resume research for the vehicle in question.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/15/2023

  [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: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  What I find to be extremely distasteful to me about this entire transaction is on 4/2/21 I had a trailer hitch installed on this vehicle. It seems that while doing so some damage was found on the vehicle. Why this company chose not to notify me of what they found so repairs etc. could be made, they simply chose to notify Carfax anonymously about this. Carfax should not allow businesses to report negative information anonymously and should require them to provide their name or contact info at least. Since the reporting of this particular damage was anonymous, I am precluded from filing a complaint or legal action against this company for the thousands of dollars of value lost on this vehicle. Again, Carfax should not allow anonymous reporting. This situation only arose because I was never notified of the damage they found while working on my vehicle. What poor customer service and shame on Carfax for creating the circumstances that allows this to happen. Had I known about this damage, I could have addressed it several years ago.
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/25/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 get reports from carfax on both my vehicles and they're always inaccurate. I took my ******* ******** in for a recall and when I got an email form carfax, it wanted me to rate the service I received for an oil change and some other things that didn't happen. If carfax can't get the information correct, they need to stop asking me to rate service I didn't receive. I'm tired of this happening every time I take a vehicle in for something.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/03/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX offers a free service to vehicle owners that wish to received reminders and recommendations related to the maintenance of their vehicles. Although optional, customers are also presented with the opportunity to review a service facility or dealership that recently performed a service, when reported to CARFAX. Of note, information about services performed is provided to CARFAX directly by the service facility. Customers that do not wish to receive reminders about the service can click "unsubscribe" from any email they receive, or they may log in to their account and change their notification settings. As requested, CARFAX unsubscribed this customer and they will no longer receive emails from CARFAX regarding the free Car Care service.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/16/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2023

  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.

  Ref: CarFax case number: ******** On 2/19/23 I received a California DMV title from my credit union after I paid off my 2019 ***** (VIN# *****************). The title was marked with 'salvage ret'. I bought this car new from ***** in 2019 and I am the only owner. The car was never in any sort of accident and has never been damaged at all, by any means. On 2/21/23 I called the CA DMV Field Office Support Unit who researched it and confirmed that no external salvage report ever was received by CA DMV and that it was most likely a 'keying error' and he was able to immediately remove the 'Salvage Ret' branding from the California DMV record fixing the issue. I brought the defective CA title to Virginia DMV on 02/22/23 and they checked the national database which no longer showed the CA DMV erroneous salvage branding and re-issued a proper VA title to replace the California title because the car was already registered in VA and was never titled there before. I contacted CarFax on 2/22/23 and asked them to correct this in their records. They started investigating and are now requesting a letter from CA DMV that states there was a mistake and that it was fixed. CA DMV tells me they don't provide letters like this and they don't report data directly to 3rd parties, that Carfax should rely on their previous direct source, most likely the ****** database. CA DMV only offered that I could request a vehicle history from them that would show a completely uneventful history for that VIN. I am in the process of doing this. Carfax has provided no corroborating information about any other source of information, because there is no corroborating info. I am a private owner and I have a buyer that is now very hesitant only because of this incorrect CarFax report that is STILL reporting a false history for my car. It is very easy to prove something happened, but try proving something didn't happen. The report also lists two owners but there is only me. 

  Business Response

  Date: 05/04/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX received a request to research a Salvage brand for the vehicle in question. To address the request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and verified that a state DMV issued a title brand for the vehicle in question. So that the customer could contact the agency and request their assistance with correcting their records, CARFAX provided the state that issued the title brand to the customer. CARFAX also explained that to remove the title brand, CARFAX would need a copy of the corrected title and/or a letter, on the agency's letterhead, describing that the title brand was issued in error. The customer was able to secure a letter from the DMV and provide it to CARFAX. With the information provided by the customer, CARFAX was able to update the CARFAX Report. The customer received complimentary access to the updated CARFAX Report.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/23/2023

  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.

  On 2/21/2023, I went to the ****** dealership where I leased my car to get an appraisal to prepare for a sale. I had previously researched the car value using ***** Blue Book, ******, and *******. All returned equity amounts between $5-6K. The sales manager at the dealership said the equity in my car was only $500 due to my car being involved in a collision, then proceeds to show me a CARFAX report. That was news to me as the car was never involved in a collision. Since the car was a lease, it's only been serviced at ****** dealership where they keep records of routine maintenance and work done on the car. In July 2022, three tires/rims were stolen from my car and I had to get them replaced at the dealership. The service department provided me a detail report of the damages and it states only work involving tires was completed. The CARFAX report says there was a collision and damage to the body of the car which is inaccurate. Thinking this would be a simple fix, I went to the CARFAX website to fill out a complaint for their team to research but the website was not working. An error message kept popping up saying it could not be completed and to try again. I tried several times from my laptop and cell phone to submit this complaint. On the CARFAX site it says to submit an email to [email protected] if unable to upload documents or submit. In my email, I included all the information asked on the webpage and included documents from the dealership. The next day I got a response from a rep asking me to fill out a PDF version of the online form or find a way to fax it, which is impossible. Another manager sent me the same non working link to fill out despite me explaining to the previous representative what happened and explaining how I submitted everything they asked for. Yet they are still making me jump through hoops to fix the issue with my report and their website that isn't working. There is no number to reach anyone. I was forced to escalate.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer's concern. CARFAX received requests for assistance from this customer to research and update a CARFAX Report. In response, CARFAX's support team provided the customer with the link and instructions for how to submit such a request to CARFAX. Because the customer encountered technical difficulties submitting the online form, CARFAX offered alternative methods for submitting the request. Upon receipt of the information from the customer, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and found justification to update the CARFAX Report. The customer was provided complimentary access to the updated CARFAX Report, as requested.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/22/2023

  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.

  On 02/03/2023 I contacted Carfax regarding an error on a Carfax report #******** regarding what appears to be clerical errors on the report of mileage on the vehicle license #********. The errors are dated 07/06/2017 and 08/09/2017 and were allegedly reported by ******* Tire of Knoxville TN. Their telephone# is ************. This company serviced the car more than 10 times. I have contacted Carfax more than 10 times, completed all the forms they requested yet they refuse to respond in any meaningful way. The reporting by Carfax is substantially affecting the value of the vehicle.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX offers a process by which a vehicle owner may alert CARFAX to a potential error on a CARFAX Report and request that CARFAX research the record in question. To request research, customers must complete the form offered here: ***********************************************************************. CARFAX's support team has received multiple requests for assistance from this customer, and in response, CARFAX provided the customer with the link to this research request form. As of today's date, the required form has not been submitted for the VIN. CARFAX would be happy to research this record further, however, the customer will need to complete the required form. Further, because the customer is disputing a Title brand record, the customer will likely need to contact the state DMV that issued the brand to request their assistance directly. CARFAX will not be able to remove a title brand from a CARFAX Report when a state DMV has reported a title brand for the vehicle.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2023

  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 have purchased a package for car reports. This company is taking the money and ripping you off. The deleted my car reports on my account. The last one I paid for was marked expired. This is unbelievable. I paid for my reports to have the maintenance status of my cars to the date I purchased them. Stupid excuses like we need to keep up to date. I bought a report until the day I purchased the car. I keep my records after that date myself. The third report I paid for to have in the future they just deleted and marked expired. This is fraudulent. I have paid for the right to have three reports on three different cars. This is fact and logical to everyone that this right cant just be deleted by the seller. This company is playing foul.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer matter. Customers that purchase a CARFAX Report must agree to the Customer Agreement in order to proceed with their purchase. In the first paragraph of the agreement, it is explained that Reports are valid for 60 days from the date of purchase:
  
  "If you purchased the 1 CARFAX Report Package, 3 CARFAX Reports Package or the 5 CARFAX Reports Package, you agree to pay a single charge in the amount identified for such package plus applicable sales tax in the following stateResponses: CT, DC, HI, NJ, NM, NY, SC, SD, TX, WA and WV, according to your card issuer agreement. This CARFAX Report(s) Package is valid for 60 days from the date of purchase."

  While the agreement states the reports are valid for 60 days, CARFAX generously allows customers up to 1 calendar year from the date of purchase to run a report for any remaining vouchers. This customer's unused voucher expired on 10/25/2022, which is one year from the original purchase date. When the customer contacted our support team to request assistance, our support team explained the expiration, and as a one-time courtesy, CARFAX added a voucher back to the customer's account, which if unused, will expire on 02/23/2024.