About CarTold

Start with the model. Then check the car.

CarTold brings together U.S. recall notices, owner complaints, safety investigations, service bulletins, crash-test ratings and fuel economy figures. Choose a make, model and year to see its records in one report.

Our guides and research help you use those records: which questions to put to the seller, which documents to ask a dealer for, and which concerns to take to an independent mechanic. A model-year report gives you a place to start. The individual car's VIN, service history and inspection fill in the rest.

Find a vehicle report or read the buying guides.

What the evidence can support

A large complaint count cannot tell you how likely a car is to break down. A recall listing cannot tell you whether a particular car needs the repair. We explain these limits beside the figures and link to the sources so you can follow up. We publish no CarTold reliability score and make no claim to have road-tested or inspected the vehicles covered here. Read how we build the reports.

Free to use

You can read the reports and use the tools without an account. Our business is intended to be funded by advertising. Payment does not buy a favorable report, a place in our coverage, or the removal of a finding. Our editorial policy sets out those boundaries.

Who runs CarTold

CarTold is owned and operated by Norbin AS, a Norwegian company (organization number 915 097 049) registered at Hjalmar Wessels vei 10, 1721 Sarpsborg, Norway. The site exists to help U.S. used-car buyers check a model's public safety and ownership record before they buy.

The reports are built from public data published by NHTSA, the EPA and the EIA. We collect and check those records, and our editorial work explains what they show, where they fall short and what to ask next. Contact us with questions or corrections.

Who writes CarTold