Vehicle history report fails to catch odometer rolled back more than 40,000 km

An Ontario man was shocked the odometer on his pick-up truck was rolled back more than 40,000 km. CTV's Pat Foran reports.

When purchasing a car, buyers can end up victims of things like “odometer fraud”—when someone rolls back an odometer to make it seem like a vehicle has lower mileage than it actually does.

A Woodbridge, Ont. man said he bought a 2019 Ford F-150 pickup truck from a dealership in 2023.

Gabriel Graziano told CTV News he checked the CARFAX Report before he bought the truck and there were no issues with the mileage, but when he went to trade in the vehicle this summer, he was shocked to be told the odometer had been rolled back.

“I was completely taken aback by it,” said Graziano.

Mileage information was missing from the CARFAX report, but Graziano said it now states “potential odometer rollback” on the documents.

“Obviously, it’s going to affect my resale value and my trade in value,” he said.

The truck Graziano bought currently has 153,000 kilometres on the odometer, but the actual milage should be closer to 197,000. He believes the odometer was rolled back by about 44,000 kilometres.

Because of the additional mileage, Graziano estimates his truck has lowered in value by between $5,000 to $10,000, so he said he went back to the dealership where he bought it in hopes to get compensation.

“I was not given the proper information when I purchased the vehicle,” said Graziano. “I want them to take the truck back.”

Graziano said he also reached out to CARFAX about the discrepancy in mileage.

A spokesperson for CARFAX Canada told CTV News, “In this instance, the service and odometer records in question were not available to CARFAX Canada when the individual purchased the vehicle and therefore not displayed on the Vehicle History Report. The records were added when we acquired a new data source which included historical service odometer information for the individual’s vehicle after the initial report was run.”

“We initially deemed these additional readings to be inaccurate; however, after further investigation, we believe there is a strong possibility this vehicle’s odometer has been rolled back. We are working closely with the individual and apologize for any delays caused by this error.”

Graziano isn’t the only victim of “odometer fraud.”

Dennis Estevez purchased a truck with 184,000 kilometres, but eventually found out the odometer had been rolled back from 320,000.

The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) recommends you get a CARFAX report, a used vehicle information package (UVIP) from the Ontario Transportation Ministry, and take the vehicle to a mechanic for an inspection before purchasing it.

“Odometer rollbacks are a serious issue that consumers need to be aware of,” a spokesperson for OMVIC told CTV News. “OMVIC can assist consumers in a variety of ways.”

“For example, consumers who purchase vehicles with rolled back odometers from registered dealers may be eligible for compensation from the Motor Vehicle Dealers Compensation Fund (MVDCF). The first step is to file a complaint with OMVIC. Our Complaints and Inquiries team will review the complaint, verify the details, and work with both the consumer and the dealer to try to resolve the issue. If the matter cannot be resolved, the consumer may be eligible to have the claim considered by the MVDCF.”

After CTV News contacted CARFAX, Graziano reached out to the dealership where he purchased the truck, and they agreed to compensate him for the rolled back odometer.