Here you will find information to assist you when reading your vehicle’s title and when you suspect your odometer has been tampered with. Additional information about your rights and how to protect yourself from odometer fraud can be found on the Bureau of Motor Vehicle’s website.
Vehicle Titles and Odometer Tampering downloadables
Vehicle Titles and Odometer Tampering
- How to Read Your Vehicle Title
Maine law prohibits dealers from transferring a vehicle to any person unless the dealer has a properly assigned certificate of title in the dealer’s possession. If the certificate of title is in the possession of the dealer, you can immediately find out if the car has been declared salvage, rebuilt, or stolen and recovered. If the dealer is awaiting the certificate of title from a lien holder, wait until the dealer has the title in hand before you purchase. Note: it’s unlawful for a dealer to sell a car before he has the title in his possession, even if the dealer is waiting for the title to come from a lien holder.
Here is how to read the title of a used car:
- Ask to see the title and review it carefully. Don’t buy a car without first examining the title, and don’t accept explanations from sellers who say they can’t show it to you.
- In a private party sale, the name on the title should be the same as the seller’s. If it is not, ask why, and determine whether the seller is authorized to sell the vehicle.
- At the dealership, the name on the title could be the previous owner’s or the dealer’s. If the title is in the dealer’s name, ask why.
- Ask if the vehicle was purchased at an auction. If so, the dealer is likely to know little about its history. Also cars from auctions often don’t get scrutinized carefully when dealers buy them.
- Check the title for stamps or codes (called “brands”) indicating:
- damaged or salvaged vehicles (e.g., “Rebuilt Vehicle” or “Rebuilt Salvage” or “Salvage”);
- stolen and recovered vehicles;
- vehicles in which the mileage driven exceeds the mechanical limits of the odometer or true mileage was unknown; or
- vehicles with inaccurate odometer mileage.
- When examining the title, jot down important information such as the mileage, vehicle identification number (VIN), date of issue, and owner’s name and address. Also:
- Make sure all the numbers, including the mileage, are clear and easy to read.
- See if any erasures, stray marks, alterations or staples conceal important information.
- When buying from a dealer, confirm that the odometer reading the previous owner wrote on the title or mileage disclosure is close to the mileage reading on the car.
- Be suspicious of titles listing owners with post office boxes, out-of-state addresses, or names of auction companies.
- Check the vehicle identification number (VIN number) of the car against the number on the Title. The VIN number is engraved on a metal plate, visible through the windshield on the driver’s side.
- Make sure there are no liens against the car recorded on the title. In other words, the seller should not owe money on the car.
- Make sure the title’s date of issue agrees with the seller’s statement about how long the seller has owned the car.
- Check whether the title was recently issued for a car that’s several years old. This could indicate that the mileage reading has been altered.
- What if the vehicle had been titled in another state and you want to check with the prior owner? If you have no luck with the address shown on the prior title, you may contact that state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles. You may have to make your request in writing and pay a fee depending on the procedures followed by the state involved. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Title Services (207-624-9000) extension 52138 can provide you with a complete address and telephone number for the 50 states.
- What Is Odometer Fraud?
Odometer fraud occurs when the true mileage of a vehicle is intentionally hidden from the consumer. It is a Class C crime for a person or dealer to alter the odometer reading with the intent to deceive.[i]
In addition to state penalties, a dealer who misrepresents a car’s odometer mileage can also violate the Federal Odometer Act.[ii] Any dealer who intentionally violates the provisions of this Act “with the intent to defraud” is liable for three times the actual damages or $1,500, whichever is greater, plus costs and attorney fees. Any lawsuit must be filed within two years from the date on which liability arises.[iii]
Odometer fraud affects you in two ways. First, you may pay considerably more than the vehicle is worth if the mileage is underrepresented. Second, you will believe that you have purchased a safe, low mileage vehicle when in fact the vehicle is high mileage and may not be safe at all, especially since you will service and maintain the vehicle as if it were a low mileage vehicle.
[i] Title 29-A Maine Revised Statutes, section 2106. Violation of this statute can also be violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act, title 5 Maine Revised Statutes, section 207.
[ii] Title 15 United States Code, sections 1988 and 89. A violation of this federal statute can also be a violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act, title 5 Maine Revised Statutes, section 207.
[iii] But remember the statute of limitations for a private Maine unfair trade practices action is 6 years- see our guide to the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act. The best available discussion of this area is the National Consumer Law Center’s Automobile Fraud.
- How to Determine If Your Odometer Has Been Tampered With
There is no completely effective method to determine if an odometer has been tampered with. However, there are ways you can look for odometer fraud. If you observe any of these indications, be wary of purchasing the vehicle:
- Look for scratches and marks on the odometer.
- Check to see whether the first digit hangs high or low or if a digit sticks.
- Check doorframes and the engine compartment for service stickers that show the mileage and dates various services were performed.
- Carefully examine the vehicle inside and out for signs that it is a high mileage vehicle. Look for pitted paint and pitted windshields, worn carpeting and worn seats, especially on the driver’s side.
- Examine the brake and accelerator pedals for excessive wear.
- Examine the tires. If the odometer reading is less than 30,000 miles, the vehicle should have the original tires. All five tires should be the same brand and model. Check the last four digits of the DOT number on the tires. These four digits specify the week (out of 52 weeks in a year) and the year the tire was manufactured. For example, “2521” indicates that the tire was manufactured the twenty-fifth week of 2021.
- Always test drive the vehicle.
- Take the vehicle to a mechanic you trust for an opinion. Ask your mechanic to check for signs of major accident damage and for maintenance that would only be required on vehicles that had attained high mileage (i.e., have your mechanic remove the wheels and check the brakes for wear or replacement shoes).
Digital odometers can be checked by authorized service locations (e.g., new car dealerships).
- Additional Ways to Protect Yourself from Odometer Fraud
In Maine, almost all vehicles[i] must have proof of ownership known as a certificate of title. A Maine dealer must have this proof of ownership before they can sell the vehicle.[ii] Before you purchase the vehicle, ask to examine the title and do the following:
- Examine the title and supporting documentation for erasures and alterations, especially in the areas that contain odometer information.[iii] Be especially wary of rubber-stamping that covers the odometer information.
- If the prior owner is a leasing company, rental company, commercial enterprise, police or municipality, or automobile dealership, closely examine the vehicle before you buy it.
- If the prior owner is an individual, talk to the person if you possibly can.
- Check the MVT-16 Vehicle Transfer Form, with a mileage declaration signed by both buyer and seller.
- Be very careful of a vehicle previously titled in another state. Be very, very careful of a vehicle that has been transferred through many dealers and several states. So you should view with suspicion a title history (easily obtained from Carfax, that shows several new titles over a short period of time, particularly if the titles are from different states.
- If the dealer refuses to show you the prior title and documentation or says that they do not have it, do not purchase that vehicle until you are shown the documentation and are satisfied with the mileage shown.
- Be realistic: some deals are too good to be true. For example, a four-year-old vehicle with 17,500 miles is a possible “rollback.” Only by checking with the prior owner and determining his/her driving habits can you be sure that the prior owner isn’t the “little old lady who only drove to church on Sunday.”
- Know the car dealer you do business with. Check with the Better Business Bureau or the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division to see if there are any complaints and/or judgments against this dealer for unethical practices or shoddy service after the sale.
- Check a Carfax title report or AutoCheck report. If the mileage went down from one owner to the next, it is an indication that the odometer has been tampered with.
- Neither Retail nor Wholesale dealers in Maine are allowed to apply for new titles in the dealership’s name. If a dealer has a title in the dealership’s name, this could be an indicator of odometer problems and you should ask for an explanation.
- Be suspicious of a car imported from Canada. Canadian titles are not as complete as U.S. titles and it is easy to roll back the odometer when adjusting kilometers to miles.
[i] Motorcycles under 300 cc, vehicles with a model year prior to 1995, or trailers under 3,000 pounds unladen weight are excepted.
[ii] Title 29-A Maine Revised Statutes, section 664-A.
[iii] See title 29-A Maine Revised Statutes, section 751.