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Used Car Shoppers Need to Watch for Telltale Signs of Water Damage

CENTREVILLE, Va., Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- We're halfway through Hurricane Season for 2024 and already tens of thousands of cars are at risk of suffering extensive water damage, CARFAX data shows.

After a series of tropical storms and hurricanes hit the U.S. from June through August, CARFAX estimates that extensive flooding from Texas to Vermont has left as many as 89,000 vehicles with water damage. That's on top of the estimated 454,000 water-damaged cars that CARFAX data shows were already on the road in 2023 – before any of these summer hurricanes and storms hit.

Texas and Florida lead the nation when it comes to the number of flood-damaged cars already on the road. CARFAX research shows these vehicles often pop up in states where flooding might not be top of mind for car shoppers, including places such as Kentucky, Illinois and Tennessee.

"We see these flooded cars show up all around the country, putting unsuspecting buyers at risk," said Faisal Hasan, General Manager for Data at CARFAX. "These cars may look showroom fresh, but they're literally rotting from the inside out." Floodwater can cause mechanical, electrical, health and safety issues in a vehicle even if it was submerged for only a short time.

CARFAX data shows these 10 states have the most water-damaged cars:

1. Texas                64,000
2. Florida              62,700
3. Kentucky          30,200
4. Pennsylvania    21,800
5. California          20,200
6. New Jersey      15,600
7. New York         15,300
8. Illinois              14,500
9. N. Carolina      14,300
10. Mississippi       12,000

For consumers who want to make sure the car they're buying hasn't been labeled a flood-damaged car, CARFAX has a free Flood Check^® tool at carfax.com/flood. Consumers should look for these 7 signs of flooding when considering any used car:

• Damp carpets
• A musty odor in the interior, sometimes covered up with a strong air-freshener
• Upholstery or carpeting that may be loose, new, stained or that doesn't match the rest of the interior
• Rust around doors, under the dashboard, on the pedals or inside the hood and trunk latches
• Mud or silt in the glove compartment or under the seats
• Brittle wires under the dashboard
• Fog or moisture beads in the interior lights, exterior lights or instrument panel

Editor's note: We have estimates on the number of flooded cars for each state and the Top 100 markets. Interviews with a used car expert from CARFAX also are available at any time. Please contact us at PublicRelations@carfax.com.

About CARFAX

CARFAX, part of S&P Global Mobility, helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX^® vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides CARFAX Used Car Listings, CARFAX Car Care, CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world's largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell – Show me the CARFAX^®.

S&P Global Mobility is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets.

Contact: Patrick Olsen
Carfax Public Relations
PublicRelations@Carfax.com

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SOURCE CARFAX