Accidents and damage
Reported collisions, damage severity, airbag deployment, and total-loss events tied to the VIN.
Start with a free VIN check — specs and open recalls in seconds. Then pull the full accident, salvage, and title history from CARFAX or the federal NMVTIS database when you are serious about the car.
Accident and title data from insurers, DMVs, and the U.S. DOJ NMVTIS database
The free decode shows the car's identity and recalls. The full report adds everything below.
Reported collisions, damage severity, airbag deployment, and total-loss events tied to the VIN.
Official state title brands — salvage, junk, flood, rebuilt, lemon — from the federal NMVTIS database.
Mileage readings over time, so a rolled-back or replaced odometer stands out immediately.
Reported thefts and recoveries, so you are not buying a car with a hidden past.
How many owners the car has had and whether it served as a rental, lease, or fleet vehicle.
Unrepaired NHTSA recalls are included in the free decode before you spend anything.
Free decode first — specs, equipment, and open recalls with no account and no card.
VinAudit for a budget NMVTIS title and total-loss check, or CARFAX for the deepest accident detail.
One-time payment, no subscription. Your report opens right away.
Not a complete one. Accident records come from insurers, DMVs, police reports, and repair networks, and that data is licensed — no site can legally give the full record away free. VINDecoded gives you a genuinely free VIN decode with specs and open recalls, then sells the full accident report (CARFAX or VinAudit) only if you want it. Anything advertising a totally free full accident history is usually a teaser for a paid report.
CARFAX collects from insurance companies, collision repair shops, police reports, and DMVs across the U.S. and Canada. VinAudit reports from NMVTIS, the federal title database run for the U.S. Department of Justice, which insurers, salvage yards, and state DMVs are required to report into. Neither source sees every fender-bender, but between them they catch most reported damage.
No. A report can only show accidents that were reported. Damage paid in cash, repaired at home, or never claimed with insurance will not appear. Treat a clean report as a good sign, not a guarantee — and still get a pre-purchase inspection on any used car you are serious about.
Yes. Use the license plate option on our history report page — enter the plate and state, we resolve it to the VIN, and the same accident and title records apply.
An accident record means damage was reported — it may have been minor. A salvage title means an insurer declared the vehicle a total loss, which is a state-level title brand and much more serious. Our reports show both: reported accidents and damage on CARFAX, and official title brands like salvage, flood, junk, and rebuilt from the NMVTIS database on VinAudit.
VinAudit (NMVTIS) is the budget option and CARFAX is the most detailed — current prices are shown at checkout. Both are one-time purchases per VIN with no subscription, and your report opens immediately.
A hidden accident costs a lot more than the report that would have exposed it.
CARFAX® is a registered trademark of CARFAX, Inc. VinAudit is a trademark of VinAudit.com, Inc. Reports are produced by those providers; VINDecoded resells them and is not otherwise affiliated with either company.