About Bumper Vehicle History Report Data

Sales Listings

Sales listings data is aggregated from over 50,000 dealerships and websites nationwide. It may include private listing and auction listings on Copart and eBay. 

Accidents

Bumper searches accident records from 32 state-level agencies, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming, to the extent such specific data is available. Bumper may not have the complete historical accident records for every state mentioned above. In most states, we cover the last 10-20 years. This data generally comes from state offices governing accident data, including the department of motor vehicles (DMV), transportation departments, state police agencies, and highway patrol. 

Salvage and Total Loss

Bumper reports include NMVTIS salvage data. NMVTIS is the only publicly available system in the United States to which all insurance carriers, auto recyclers, junk yards, and salvage yards, are required, under federal law, to report to on a regular basis. They are required to provide NMVTIS with the following information on each vehicle received into inventory every month:

• The name, address, and contact information for the reporting entity.
• VIN.
• Date the automobile was obtained.
• Name of the individual or entity from whom the automobile was obtained (this information will be available to law enforcement and appropriate governmental agencies ONLY).
• A statement of whether the automobile was crushed or disposed of, or offered for sale.
• Whether the vehicle is intended for export out of the United States.

Auto recyclers, and junk and salvage yards, that handle fewer than five vehicles per year that are determined to be salvage (including total loss) or junk are not required to report to NMVTIS consistent with federal legal requirements for automobile dealers.

A vehicle that has a salvage or total loss history has had severe damage. Salvage and total loss history help consumers avoid purchasing a potentially unsafe vehicle.

Theft

Theft data included in Bumper reports originates from FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The NCIC is a governmental system that receives vehicle theft data from approximately 18,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the United States. This national data includes the reported thefts of self-insured and uninsured vehicles, not all of which are reported to other data sources. Most theft records are only alerts that include the date and status of the theft, nothing more. Thefts may include data in the US and Mexico. 

Title 

Bumper’s title data is provided by NMVTIS. Currently, 99% of vehicles on the road in the U.S. are represented in the NMVTIS system., including 49 state jurisdictions plus DC. These state agencies have separate responsibilities and reporting requirements under the NMVTIS rules and regulations than do other reporting entities, such as junk/salvage yards and insurance carriers. Verifying the validity of the title helps prevent auto fraud and theft. Specifically, states must report:

• An automobile’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN);
• Any description of the automobile on the certificate of title, including all brand information;
• The name of the individual or entity to whom the title certificate was issued (for law enforcement and state motor vehicle agencies ONLY); and
• Information from junk or salvage yard operators or insurance carriers regarding their acquisition of junk automobiles or salvage automobiles, if this information is being collected by the state.

The Anti-Car Theft Act also requires that the NMVTIS operator make available the odometer reading that is disclosed pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 32705 on the date that the certificate of title was issued and any later mileage information, if available. States shall provide information on new titles and any updated title information to NMVTIS at least once every 24 hours.

Title Records

Brands are descriptive labels (applied by state motor vehicle titling agencies) regarding the status of a motor vehicle, such as “junk,” “salvage,” and “flood.” NMVTIS keeps a history of brands that have been applied to the vehicle by any state. Brand information may help protect consumers from purchasing a damaged vehicle that is presented for sale without disclosure of the vehicle’s real condition. Without knowing the brand history, a consumer may pay more than a vehicle’s true value or purchase a vehicle that has not been adequately repaired and is not safe to drive.

Odometer Readings

Odometer Readings are presented throughout the report. Each time a major event is reported, such as an accident, sales listing, title, or salvage, the odometer may be recorded at that point. Checking the odometer reading may help consumers to identify discrepancies in the vehicle’s history. The crime of odometer fraud may result in a consumer paying more than the vehicle’s fair market value or cause the consumer to purchase an unsafe vehicle.

Liens

Lien data may include the name of the financial institution that has a lien on the vehicle and the date the lien was issued. Our Lien Data Source covers a majority of the market in the US and Canada. Lien data is sourced in different timeframes based on the lender. Some are updated daily, whereas others may be weekly, semi-weekly, monthly and semi-monthly. 

Impounds

In most cases, Impound data is reported to us that day or the day after the event. This data covers jurisdictions in the US that report data to Bumper. In most cases, it includes the date it was reported and the state. 

Exports

This section contains all US used vehicles being exported to countries outside the US. Mexico and Canada are considered cross-border and not exports. This data does not contain Imports into the US. Exports also may include vehicles that have been presented for exportation but haven’t left the US.

Market Value

We aggregate Market Value data from multiple sources, including J.D. Power. Accurate and unbiased J.D. Power values are built on a 90-year legacy. Over 20 million vehicle transactions per year are analyzed with rigorous methodology and leading data science. In addition to a retail value, we provide trade-in values for rough, average and clean vehicles. 

Recall

Bumper safety recall data includes both open and historical recalls on vehicles, and supports all major manufacturers. This data generally comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or vehicle manufacturers. Data is generally reported to Bumper in real-time. For open recalls, in addition to the recall, Bumper may report the part costs and labor hours. Bumper also shows which recalls have been closed. Historical recalls are based on the year and model of the vehicle, and may not always apply to the specific VIN. 

Featured Data Providers

• NMVTIS
• J.D. Power
• NHTSA
• AAMVA

Where does Bumper data come from?

• State motor vehicle titling agencies
• Junk yards
• Salvage yards
• Auto recyclers
• Insurance carriers
• Inspection sites 
• Dealerships
• Manufacturers (OEMs)
• Federal Agencies