AG Josh Stein’s office warns about flood-damaged vehicles being resold
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — If you’re in the market to buy a vehicle, the state attorney general is issuing a warning about flood-damaged cars or trucks after severe flooding was brought by Hurricane Helene.
The attorney general’s office said this can open the door for dishonest car dealers to prey on unsuspecting customers.
Some of the things you need to look out for include:
- Water stains, mildew, or sand and silt under the carpets, headliner, and behind the dashboard
- Electronic damage, rust in any parts of the vehicle, fogging inside headlights or taillights
- Signs of oxidation on wires or under the hood
- A musty interior odor that has been covered up by air freshener
- Dampness in the seats and carpets
- New items in the car that don’t match the original design
Tiffany Wright with AAA said the first warning signs can appear almost immediately.
“Use your senses. Use your eyes, use your nose,” Wright said. “You know, specifically when we’re talking about a potentially flooded vehicle, you want to make sure you don’t smell anything moldy. Anything that smells like mildew. Those are going to be the tell-tell signs that this could be a flooded vehicle.”
Wright noted you should check electrical connections to see if they’ve been replaced, which could indicate prior damage. She added you also can’t assume a car has a clean history just because it looks new.
“That’s the kind of unfavorable practice we can see sometimes at some dealerships that do this ‘title washing’ where they make a title look like it’s new but it’s not. That might get a buyer to look at a vehicle and think ‘this vehicle looks great’ but then under further inspection you will see there’s a lot more damage,” Wright said.
You can also look up the title history on Carfax or use vehiclehistory.gov to look for any indication the vehicle was damaged or came from an area that recently flooded.
