How to spot a flood-damaged car

Bring a flashlight and take your time.

• Smell. A musty smell points to water. A heavy scent of air freshener or cleaner can be covering up mold or mildew.
• Under the carpet. Feel under the carpet and floor mats for dampness. Look for mud, sand, silt, or water stains. New carpet in an older car is a red flag.
• Hidden spots. Look for mud, dirt, or a water line in the glove box, under the dashboard, and in the trunk. Lift out the spare tire and check the well for rust, stains, or silt.
• Lights. Look for fog or a water line inside the headlights and taillights.
• Seat belts and upholstery. Pull each seat belt all the way out and look for stains or fading. Check the door panels too.
• Rust in odd places. Look for rusty seat bolts or console screws, or heavy rust and flaking metal underneath that doesn't fit the car's age.
• Engine bay. Look for mud or grit in tight spots around the alternator, the starter, and behind the wiring.
• Drain plugs. Check the rubber drain plugs under the car and at the bottom of each door. If they look recently pulled or replaced, someone may have drained floodwater.
• Electrical. Try the lights, windows, locks, power seats, radio, and air conditioning. Water damage often shows up in the electrical system.

One sign alone doesn't prove a flood, and a careful cleanup can make a flooded car look fine. Texas's DMV says there's no foolproof way to spot water damage, so check the records and get the inspection too.

If the listing shows the VIN, run it before you go see the car. A bad history can rule the car out before you make the trip.

When an insurer declares a flooded car a total loss, meaning repairs would cost more than a set percentage of what the car is worth, the car gets a new title branded salvage or flood. A brand is a label printed on the title that shows the car's past damage. The FTC describes a flood title as one for a car that sat in water deep enough to fill the engine compartment, but what counts as a flood brand varies by state.

A clean title still isn't proof. Some states have no flood brand at all, and some label a repaired flood car rebuilt instead. After Hurricane Katrina, truckloads of flooded cars were taken from Louisiana as far as the upper Midwest, where they were dried out, cleaned, and readied for sale in states that don't brand flood cars. Re-titling a car in another state to drop its brand is called title washing. Our guide to washed titles explains how it works.

1. Run a title-history report by VIN. Reports from NMVTIS, the federal title database, keep brands from every state that reported one, plus insurance total-loss and salvage records. Use the VIN check near the top of this page.
2. Run NICB's free VINCheck. It shows whether participating insurers reported the car as salvage or flood-damaged, or stolen and not recovered. You get five searches a day, and NICB says it isn't a full vehicle history.
3. Read the history closely. Be suspicious of an insurance company listed as a past owner, a car titled in several states over a short time, or a car from an area hit by a recent flood or hurricane.
4. If the title or report says salvage or rebuilt, ask why, and whether it was a collision or a flood. Ask for the repair records too. A rebuilt title can hide a flood.

Before you pay, have a mechanic you choose inspect the car, and tell them you're worried about flood damage. Ask them to check the mechanical and electrical parts, and the systems that hold fluids, for water contamination. Ask them to look closely at the wiring for rust, water residue, and corrosion too.

If the seller won't allow an independent inspection, walk away. Use our inspection planner to note what to ask and what the mechanic finds.

Water ruins what you can't see. Soaked computer chips and wiring can fail, and the trouble may not show up right away. Saltwater makes the electrical system, including the airbag sensors, more likely to fail, and wet seats, carpet, and air ducts can leave mold and rusted parts. In hybrids and electric cars, NHTSA warns that flooding can cause high-voltage short circuits that shock people and start fires.

1. If it's a hybrid or electric car, follow NHTSA's advice: don't park it in a garage or within 50 feet of a building, another car, or anything that can burn, and contact a dealer for that brand about the battery.
2. Get it inspected now, with the electrical system and airbags at the top of the list. Ask for the findings in writing.
3. Gather the ad, your contract, the title, any history report, the inspection report, and photos of the damage.
4. Tell the seller in writing what you found and what you want, such as a refund or a buyback.
5. If you think a dealer knowingly sold a flood car as a good used car, the FTC says to contact your auto insurer, local law enforcement, or NICB at 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422). You can also complain to your state consumer protection office and your state motor vehicle agency.

There's no federal 3-day right to cancel a car purchase, so a return isn't automatic. Some states require dealers to disclose a branded title; Florida, for example, requires it in writing. Rules vary by state, so a local consumer attorney can tell you your options.