Odometer checks important when buying cars

150,000 Texas vehicles have rolled-back odometers, reports say

HOUSTON – When buying a used car, one of the first things people look at is the mileage. They may not want the car if it has too many miles. But can car buyers trust the odometer reading?

Reports have shown there are about 150,000 vehicles on Texas roadways with odometers that have been rolled back. In February, Channel 2 Investigates found five vehicles at one southeast Houston used car lot with mileage that had been lowered.

"When you lower the mileage on a vehicle, you are artificially inflating the value of it and costing consumers thousands of dollars," explained Carfax's Chris Basso.

Basso said Texas has the second highest rate of odometer fraud in the nation.

It's not a new problem, but many people have thought that with modern technology, the problem was in the past. Not true. With a simple, online search, car buyers can easily find devices that promise to recalibrate a car's odometer.

By law, a sticker must be placed on the right side of the driver's door showing the date an odometer was replaced and the reading of the original odometer.

All of the vehicles found with tampered odometers during Channel 2's investigation were discovered by checking the vehicle's Carfax report.


About the Author:

Passionate consumer advocate, mom of 3, addicted to coffee, hairspray and pastries.