You were excited about a used car purchase because of the vehicle’s relatively low mileage. But now the auto is nothing but trouble. Is it possible that someone tampered with the car’s odometer?
Yes, it is possible. There are devices available that people can use to alter a digital odometer reading. They can use these devices to:
- roll-back odometer readings, and in doing so
- reduce the apparent number of miles on a car.
But note that odometer tampering is a federal felony offense. Further, if you tinker with a vehicle’s mileage, you could face civil penalties worth tens of thousands of dollars.
An act of odometer rollback is often referred to as “odometer fraud” or “odometer rollback fraud.”
1. Can you actually reduce a car’s mileage?
People today do have the means to rollback a vehicle’s digital odometer. They often do this with older cars or used vehicles to make it seem like a car’s milage is much less than what it actually is.1
Lower mileage gives the impression to car buyers that a vehicle’s condition is much better compared to a high-mileage vehicle.
Car dealerships and private automotive sellers can alter a digital odometer by using a device that plugs into the car’s computer. Once inserted, the dealership or person can program into the computer whatever mileage reading preferred.2
Another method of odometer tampering is to dismantle a car’s speedometer. This act exposes the vehicle’s main circuit board. Once exposed, you can:
- remove the memory chip that stores the vehicle’s actual mileage, and
- replace it with another chip that has fewer miles on it.3
2. What happens if your caught altering a vehicle’s odometer?
You can essentially face a federal criminal charge if you alter a car’s odometer. Under federal law, it is a felony crime if you:
- advertise for sale, sell, use, install, or have installed, a device that alters a vehicle’s odometer,
- disconnect, reset, alter, or have disconnected, reset, or altered, a car’s odometer with the intent to change the mileage registered by the odometer, or
- with an intent to defraud, operate a motor vehicle on a street, road, or highway while knowing that the vehicle’s odometer is disconnected or not operating.4
A violation of this law can result in such criminal penalties as:
- custody in federal prison for up to three years, and/or
- significant fines.5
A violation can also result in such civil penalties as $10,000 for each violation of the law.6
3. Can you check to see if you’re a victim of odometer fraud?
Most often, yes. You can generally take the following acts to determine if someone has tampered with your vehicle’s odometer:
- check the title of the car to see if the mileage on it correctly matches your car’s odometer,
- check the odometer’s mileage and see if it matches any mileage listed on your vehicle’s maintenance or inspection records,
- search for any oil change and maintenance stickers on or in the car that might provide a mileage estimate,
- look at the tires to determine if their wear and tear is consistent with the mileage for your vehicle,
- similarly, examine the car’s general wear and tear (paying special attention to brake pedals and clutch pedals) to see if it is consistent with the mileage displayed on the odometer), and
- contact your state’s enforcement agency if you believe you are the victim of fraud.7
Further, if you do believe you are a victim, you can also contact the Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation at the following address:
Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation,
U.S. Department of Transportation / NHTSA,
Room W55-301,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC, 20590.
4. What about your car’s VIN?
To help prevent fraud, you can also collect your car’s vehicle identification number (VIN). Note that a VIN is unique to every car.
One result is that you can run this number through a website like Vingurus. A VIN search on such a website will typically provide you with a vehicle history report for different time points since your car was made.
A report will usually indicate a car’s full milage history. A report might also indicate if your auto’s odometer was tampered with.
Legal References:
- See National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, “Odometer Fraud.” Note that people can alter older mechanical odometers as well as the digital odometers in modern cars.
- See motortrend.com, “Learn How to Roll Back Your Car Odometer with Motor MythBusters!,” (2021).
- See same.
- 49 U.S.C. 32703.
- 49 U.S.C. 32709.
- See same.
- See National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, “Odometer Fraud.”
