The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System requires all states, insurance companies and junkyards to report vehicles that were stolen or so badly damaged they were written off. Consumers can then check that database before buying a used vehicle. ‘This system could have a profound effect on auto safety and the way consumers buy cars, in general,’ said Deepak Gupta, a lawyer for Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy group.”
The Chicago Tribune (1/3, Jenson) reported, “On New Year’s Day a new federal system aimed at protecting consumers from buying rebuilt wrecks took full effect, only 17 years after the law requiring it was enacted.