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:09/27/2023

  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.

  Request to Address Discrepancy in Carfax Report To whom it may concern,I trust this message finds you in good health. I am reaching out to discuss my recent discovery concerning the damage history listed in my Carfax report, specifically pertaining to an incident that occurred on July 14, 2021. This information has had a detrimental effect on the appraisal value of my vehicle.When I acquired the vehicle in October 2022, I diligently reviewed both ******** and Carfax history reports, and neither indicated any prior involvement in accidents or damage incidents. Regrettably, it has come to my attention that the Carfax report now displays a disparity in this regard.I kindly request your assistance in rectifying this mistake in the Carfax history, as the ***** dealership has affirmed that there was no damage to the vehicle. I have attached the original ******** and Carfax reports from the time of purchase for your reference.I firmly believe that my car was not involved in any accidents or damage, and I would greatly appreciate your thorough investigation to verify and correct this information in the Carfax report.Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.Sincerely,Yanhao

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  From: ************************* <****************@carfax.com>
  Date: Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 10:56 AM
  Subject: Complaint #********.
  To: Better Business Bureau <[email protected]>
  Cc: *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>
  
  Good morning,
  
  Thank you for your patience as we looked into this issue for the customer. CARFAX’s research team received a request to research the vehicle’s history concerning an event that occurred prior to the current owner’s ownership. To address the request, CARFAX’s research team researched the vehicle’s history and verified that the vehicle was reported as being involved in a damage event on, or around 7/14/2021. CARFAX explained to the customer that damage can be a result of many different types of events, not just accidents. Examples include contact with objects (other cars, trees, traffic signs, road debris, etc.), theft, vandalism, or weather-related events. The damage reported was described as minor to moderate in severity and involves these points of impact:
  
  Left side
  Left rear
  Rear
  Roof 
  
  When a new owner is attempting to learn about events that occurred under a previous ownership when CARFAX cannot supply additional information, the new owner may consider contacting their insurance company for a comprehensive history of all claims, have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic to learn more about prior damages and related repairs, the DMV, or even the previous owner (if known) to attempt to learn more information about events that occurred prior to his/her ownership.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/31/2023

  [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: I received your message and replied back but go no reponse. Please show me the proof and the report from insurance company, I will sue you if needed. Can you show us where your sources coming from?
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2023

  We apologize for any misunderstanding; however, CARFAX has not received any communication from the customer since the research request was submitted on 9/25/23. CARFAX's research team did respond to the customer by email, and the most recent email was sent to the customer on 10/05/2023. The email was sent to *********************.
  
  As shared previously, the CARFAX Report is inclusive of the information that can be provided and serves as "proof" of the information reported to CARFAX. The customer is encouraged to review the CARFAX  Report for information about the damage event. Here is a link to the current Report:
  
  **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
  
  The link will be valid for 30 days from today's date (11/7/23).
  
  When a new owner is attempting to learn about events that occurred under a previous ownership when CARFAX cannot supply additional information, the new owner may consider contacting their insurance company for a comprehensive history of all claims, have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic to learn more about prior damages and related repairs, the DMV, or even the previous owner (if known) to attempt to learn more information about events that occurred prior to his/her ownership.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2023

  [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 dissatisfied with this response, again. My primary concern is how customers can be informed of the most recent information when they purchase a used car. I placed my trust in Carfax and never even considered that the car had been involved in an accident because there was no accident report available at the time of my purchase. I acquired the car in October 2022, but the accident occurred in July 2021, resulting in a delay of at least 15 months. I paid the same amount as a car with no accident, but will lose at least $2000 more dollar when I want to do the trade in. Feel painful for your reponse. 
  
  Sincerely,
  *****************;
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2023

  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 recently purchased a 2021 trailblazer that had a CLEAN carfax report that even the dealership gave me and I'm unhappy with the vehicle and did ***** bluebook instant cash offer only to find out was over 7,000 less than the purchase priced I paid a month ago due to it being in an accident. I bought the ********* report and it was indeed in an accident. I'm very unhappy and trusted carfax. I would have never bought a car in an accident. I have the report the dealer got in hand that says "no accidents/no damage reported.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  From: ************************* <**************@carfax.com>
  Date: Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 12:19 PM
  Subject: Complaint #********.
  To: Better Business Bureau <[email protected]>, *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>
  
  Good afternoon,
  
  CARFAX works every day to identify and partner with new data sources with the intent to provide as much insight into a vehicle's history as possible to help consumers. That said, data sources submit data to CARFAX on a voluntary basis. As a result, there may be records that exist for a vehicle that were never reported to CARFAX or that are reported at a later date when a data provider begins submitting their old and new data to CARFAX. CARFAX makes sure our customers are aware of this important information by including in every report the following statement:
  
  This CARFAX Vehicle History Report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX and available as of (date and time of report). Other information about this vehicle, including problems, may not have been reported to CARFAX. Use this report as one important tool, along with a vehicle inspection and test drive, to make a better decision about your next used car.
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Date of transaction was 09-20-2023. I paid $44.99 for what Carfax referred to as "up to date and accurate" information on the **** ****** I own. I trusted the integrity of the company and the multi million dollar advertising budget to get correct data on my ****** before I see it. Did not happen. The MSRP they have listed is WRONG and 5 Service appointments/ repairs are wrong. They list the MSRP as $1750 less than the ****** sticker in the window of the vehicle. I requested a refund and they refused. NO one should spend $45 for incorrect data when the whole purpose that they are around is to "help" the consumer not get "scammed" when they are the very ones "scamming" the consumer by not having the correct information on the vehicles we check on.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2023

  From: ************************* <****************@carfax.com>
  Date: Wed, Dec 6, 2023 at 11:03 AM
  Subject: Complaint #********.
  To: Better Business Bureau <[email protected]>, *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX Reports are intended to provide valuable insight into a vehicle’s history that may otherwise be unknown to the general public. CARFAX relies upon its data providers for the quality of their own data, but because data accuracy is of the utmost importance to CARFAX, CARFAX offers vehicle owners a process by which they may request review and correction of any record they find discrepant on a CARFAX Report. CARFAX has a whole team of researchers dedicated to this process, and we would be happy to continue to assist this customer should they wish to submit the required form. The form is available here:
  
  ***********************************************************************
  
  When CARFAX updates a CARFAX Report as a result of a research request submitted by an owner, CARFAX provides a complimentary report to the customer. As a one-time courtesy, CARFAX issued a refund in the amount of $44.99 for the Report that was purchased. It may take the customer’s bank/credit card vendor 3-5 business days to process the refund.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/07/2023

  [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. 
  

  I do wish, however that CarFax would change its advertising language and remove  "absolute" words in the ads. The disclaimer at the bottom of some of these ads totally negates the entire ad and allows them to make false claims and then retract with the disclaimer. It is these types of sales practices that consumers fall victim and nothing is ever done about it. Their service they charge this fee for can be found for "FREE" and they are adding nothing more than profiting from an add that has claims that are not true.
  

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/23/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  On September 23, 2023 I went to the carfax.com website and paid for a vehicle history report. My card was processed, because the transaction appears in my account. However, the only thing I have received is a receipt. The email has a link that says 'run report' , which I click and was taken back to the payment tab. I would like my report or my money back.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/28/2023

  A refund was provided recently. Please close this case.

   

  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/21/2023

  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.

  Carfax offers a service on its website for used car buyers to search the type of car they want to buy and to submit a request for contact from auto dealers when they find a car they are interested in. What has occurred is the following: Someone (have no idea who) has purposely used my cell phone number in the form that is sent to dealers inquiring about a car. It appears they have also used the "unlimited" miles from the persons location and a fictitious email address. They have also apparently clicked on "notify me when other cars of interest become available on your lot". The result is as follows: I am receiving up to 50 calls/ texts EVERY DAY from car dealers around the country asking me to come in a drive the cars. While I can delete texts as junk, and delete phone calls after the fact, it has become a major harrassment to me and is non-stop. I have contacted Carfax via email several times to take care of the issue but they say they cant do anything about it. If suggested they need to institute a TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION system where I receive a text from Carfax when an inquiry using my number is submitted which will stop this harrassment from continuing. They keep telling me just to delete the texts I receive from dealers. Someone needs to make Carfax fix this issue with their system so myself and others cant be targeted with this harrassment. Please HELP as I dont want to have to replace my phone number which I have had for 20 years.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2023

  From: ************************* <***********@carfax.com>
  Date: Wed, Dec 6, 2023 at 10:53 AM
  Subject: Complaint #********.
  To: Better Business Bureau <[email protected]>, *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. In an effort to connect interested buyers and sellers, CARFAX offers a free service by which an individual may provide their contact information and request to be contacted by dealerships that have vehicles available for purchase. Once an individual provides their contact information, it is shared with available dealerships, and these dealerships may contact customers to discuss their interest. Once the contact information is shared with a dealership, CARFAXs service is complete. There is no way for CARFAX to revoke the contact information as dealerships may save the information locally.
  
  In the past 90 days, this customer was signed up for 100 vehicles of interest. The customers contact information has been flagged in our system so that no new requests can be submitted on their behalf.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/17/2023

  Thanks for the email from BBB including the email from CARFAX explaining that they have flagged my contact information (cell phone) in their sytem so that no new requests are submitted.  I will keep and eye our for new inquiries but also understand some dealers may have my cell number stored locally now so I will continue to block them and report those calls and texts as junk.  FYI: CARFAX shared in their email to you that "this customer was signed up for 100 vehicles of interest in the last 90 days".  Please note that I personally did not inquire not even once..whoever stole my cell # inquired on all 100.  I submitted three complaints to CARFAX directly before contacting BBB and they said each time they couldnt help.  Grateful for BBB.. fingers crossed that this issue is over for me.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  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.

  On 08/31/2023 I paid $49.99 for Carfax report on VIN *****************.The report I received does not have the vehicle data as advertised on Carfax.com website, does not have any details about the vehicle as stated in the Service Agreement. The report is good for nothing.Carfax.com is defrauding their customers by false promises. That explains why their rating on BBB is only one star and so many customers are unhappy by being defrauded.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  From: ************************* <***************************************>
  Date: Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 2:08 PM
  Subject: Complaint #********.
  To: Better Business Bureau <[email protected]>, *******@mybbb.org <*******@mybbb.org>
  
  Good afternoon,
  
   Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX Reports are inclusive of all of the information for the vehicle that has been reported to CARFAX as of the date/time the Report is run. Prior to purchasing a Report, a customer is presented with the total number of records available for a vehicle so that they can make a decision about whether to proceed with the purchase. In this case, the customer was notified, prior to purchase, that 30 records were available for the VIN. The content of the Report includes valuable information including the number of owners, whether title brands have been reported for the vehicle, DMV registration information, sales transactions, and multiple reports of specific services performed on the vehicle. We are sorry to hear the customer feels the Report was misrepresented; however, the Report includes the 30 records that were offered prior to purchase. As a one-time courtesy, CARFAX issued a refund for the purchase. Attached, please find an image of the record check that was provided to the customer prior to purchase.
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  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.

  While we were about to trade in our car to buy a new one, we noticed that CARFAX records show that a damage has been reported with our car on 03/04/2021 and airbags deployed as a result of the accident. This information is completely false as we have never had any accident with our car since the day we purchased it from the ****** dealer. Our cross check with DMV and our insurance company records have also showed that there is no such accident/record exists. We filed a complaint report to CARFAX to correct this misleading information. We have provided all the supporting documents to CARFAX and received nothing but some auto generated mails. Although, sufficient amount of time passed to resolve the case nothing happened. In the meantime, our dealer told us that they can no longer hold the car we ordered (waited more than 2 months). We see that similar complaints shared in the web about CARFAX records. We kindly request your support to resolve this case and clear this misleading information which causes thousands dollar of loss as owners.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/11/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer request. CARFAX receives electronically-submitted data records from thousands of data sources, and in turn, CARFAX loads these records directly to vehicle histories. When discrepancies or questions about the data are raised, we offer our customers a process by which a thorough review of the data may be conducted. During this review, CARFAX verifies the data directly with the data provider. CARFAX
  understands the importance and urgency of resolving these matters in a timely manner and strives to resolve all issues as quickly as possible. Because there are many factors that affect our research time, including the responsiveness of the data providers with which we may need to research, the time required to research a customer's issue varies. 
  
  In this case, 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 CARFAX Report. For your reference, here is a copy of the updated Report, with a link that will be valid for 30 days. 
  
  **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/17/2023

  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 selling my car.My car has rebuilt title The customers ask me about the accident like where was hit and how many accidents etc I told them the truck only has 1 accident and it from right the right corner where i i had to change front hood, front bumper and right fender.According to car fax, my car has damaged from left side too which is not correct. I have pictures from insurance company provided. Not even a scratch on the leftnside. Also carfax says junk title, this is also not correct.This company selling and charging tons of money for this false reports, and letting customers dissappinted.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/11/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX receives electronically-submitted data records from thousands of data sources, and in turn, CARFAX loads these records directly to vehicle histories. When discrepancies or questions about the data are raised, we offer our customers a process by which a thorough review of the data may be conducted. During this review, CARFAX verifies the data directly with the data provider. Resolution to
  the matter may consist of updating the vehicle history report or confirming the data, leaving the history as reported. 
  
  Upon review, CARFAX has not received a request to research the vehicle referenced in this complaint (based on the limited information provided to the Better Business Bureau). In an effort to assist this customer, CARFAX's support team contacted the customer and provided them with instructions on how to request research. Once the required form is received, CARFAX's research team will be able to research the vehicle's history and assist this customer further.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/09/2023

  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.

  I was forced to get a carfax due to dealer saying it had been reported as being in an accident. The Vehicle has never been in an accident, hasnt even had a windshield replaced. Their report caused me lost hours and i was not able to trade in my vehicle due to their false statement of damage. They should not be allowed to be in business unless they are required to contact the owner of the vehicle and confirm the situation actually happened before reporting.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX receives vehicle history records from more than 140,000 data providers each ay and posts those records to CARFAX Reports for the purpose of making information more accessible to the public for consumer protection. While CARFAX relies upon data providers for the accuracy of their data, CARFAX works closely with vehicle owners when there are concerns about a particular record. In this case, CARFAX researched the vehicle's history and found justification to remove the damage record. CARFAX provided the customer with complimentary access to the updated CARFAX Report, and, CARFAX provided a full refund in the amount of $44.99 for the CARFAX Report that the customer purchased. Here is a direct link to the updated CARFAX Report, as needed (the link will be accessible for 30 days):
  
  **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/08/2023

  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.

  We have been trying to resolve a report discrepancy from CarFax. The issue shows an odometer rollback on the vehicle which is damaging the vehicles value as the report is attached to the vehicle VIN. This was due to a typo at the dealership service department and is an easy fix. A representative from CarFax has not contacted us on this time sensitive matter and multiple case numbers have been submitted by us as the Consumer and by the dealership to expedite the solution. Repeated attempts to contact have redirected to the same contact form prompt. Customer service and service in general is extremely lacking as they do not provide a phone number. This issue has been going on for weeks, we have had the issue resolved with competing companies but CarFax continues to drag their feet on this matter and it will result in financial loss. A resolution is simple, CarFax is a database, most likely a cloud database, all it takes is one person to correct 1-2 entries on the form and the issue will be resolved, but they are unreachable to have the issue resolved. We need to be contacted to resolve this matter and/or CarFax needs to develop customer service and resolve the issue that has been requested.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX's support team strives to assist as many customers and as quickly as our workload permits. Specific to this customer, a request for assistance was received 9/6, and CARFAX's support team responded 9/11, within 3-business days of CARFAX's hours of operation. To resolve the customer's request for assistance, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and the results of the research enabled CARFAX to update the CARFAX Report. The customer received complimentary access so the updated Report by email. Here is a link again for the customer's convenience, and the link will be accessible for 60-days:
  
  **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

  We appreciate the customer's patience during the research process.