Nearly 200k cars a year have rolled-back odometers, Carfax finds

Nearly 200k cars a year have rolled-back odometers, Carfax finds

A new study from Carfax finds that more than 190,000 cars a year have their odometers rolled back, potentially cost more than $760 million in lost value and unexpected repairs.

Unperformed maintenance for the true mileage may compromise the safety and performance of these cars, said Larry Gamache of Carfax. Most rollbacks have at least 50,000 miles taken off their odometer. Cars that are 14 to 15 years old are most susceptible to a rollback.

An odometer correction tool is easily found online and can be used to illegally alter digital odometers. Many rolled-back cars are sold through online classifieds and private sales, but some criminals try to trade them in at dealerships. With digital parts, theres no evidence on the odometer that it has been tampered with.

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