Despite government's best efforts, flood-damaged vehicles will be sold to unsuspecting buyers. Many of them will be sold here in Texas. Flood waters can damage a vehicle's electrical systems and major components, including air bags and anti-lock brakes.

Protect Yourself

If you are shopping for a used car, the following steps may help you avoid flood-damaged vehicles.

Search our database. (Please note this database only includes vehicles with flood-damage titles in Texas.)
Order a TxDOT vehicle title history.
If the title history is clean, hire a mechanic to inspect the vehicle before buying.
Consider searching vehicle title records through commercial Web sites, which provide vehicle histories for all states.

Note: Vehicles affected by by Hurricane Ike are being updated into the system.

Search by Year and Make

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Search by VIN

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Flood Damage Warning Signs

Mud, grit, rust or mold under the dashboard
Mud and grit in engine compartments such as the alternator, starter motor and power steering pump crevices
Rust and flaking on the vehicle's undercarriage
Musty and/or recently shampooed carpet
Vehicle history reveals it has been titled several times over a short period
Vehicles for sale on street corners (TxDOT verifies dealer licenses at (800) 687-7846)
Vehicle is in an insurance company's name or has a flood title, salvage title or rebuilt title
Vehicle title is unavailable
Vehicle titled or registered in a flood-affected area

Vehicle Title History

TxDOT provides a vehicle title history for every vehicle titled in Texas. This title history may give you some peace of mind, but remember:

if a vehicle suffered flood damage in another state, our database may not record that damage, and
if a vehicle does not appear in our online database listing, there is still a chance the vehicle has water damage but has not been titled correctly.

Flood-Damaged Vehicle Resources

NICB

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) lists vehicles affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Florida

The State of Florida provides a database of flood-damaged vehicles with Florida titles.