Used car inspection checklist: the FTC's 53 defects, free download

At a glance

The checklist: 53 defects the FTC lists, by system

The back of the Buyers Guide opens with one line: "Here is a list of some major defects that may occur in used vehicles." Note the word "some": treat the list as the minimum your mechanic covers, and ask what else the inspection includes.

By our count, the list has 53 items under 14 system headings. Brakes have the most, nine, followed by the suspension with eight and steering with six; the fuel system has one. The At a glance table gives every item in the form's own words.

Three items set a measurement a mechanic can check: brake lining or pad thickness less than 1/32 inch, steering linkage free play more than 1/4 inch, and tire tread depth less than 2/32 inch.

Six more point to a standard instead of a number. Three brake items are marked "DOT spec." and two steering items "DOT specs.", and "Drum or rotor too thin" is marked "Mfgr. Specs". Ask the mechanic to measure those against the specification and write down the result.

The form also prints an Air Bags heading with no items under it, and our file keeps it as a row that says so. For airbags, run the open-recall search by VIN under Paperwork checks; the form's "Gauges or warning devices" item covers warning lights.

Checks you can do yourself

By our classification, not the FTC's, you can notice 11 of the 53 items yourself before paying for an inspection: six on a test drive and five standing by the car. The other 42 are for the mechanic. The file's who_checks column marks each row the same way.

• On the test drive: the car does not stop in a straight line; improper shifting or functioning in any gear; a manual clutch that slips or chatters. Also check that the gauges or warning devices, the air conditioner, and the heater and defroster work.
• Standing by the car: abnormal exhaust discharge; visible fuel leakage; mismatched tire sizes; visible tire damage; visible cracks, damage or repairs on the wheels.
• Signs of flood damage (FTC advice, not one of the 53 form items). Look for mud or sand under the seats or dashboard; rust around the doors; carpet that is loose, stained or mismatched; a smell of mold, decay or strong cleaning products. A mechanic can check for water damage, which the FTC says can slowly destroy mechanical and electrical systems.

What the FTC list does not cover

The back of the form was set out in the rule on Nov. 18, 2016, and its list still names a generator and "Knocks or misses related to camshaft lifters and push rods". By our keyword check, none of its 53 items covers trouble codes or tire age, so the file adds the three rows below.

None of the items names exterior lights and turn signals, body paint or panel repair, or a test-drive routine either. Ask the mechanic to include them.

• Malfunction indicator light (MIL). On a 1996 or newer car, turn the key to on without starting the engine: the MIL should light. If the light stays dark at key-on, or stays on once the engine runs, the car would fail a state OBD emissions test; have the mechanic find out why.
• OBD scan. Ask the mechanic to plug a scan tool into the OBD connector and report stored trouble codes and readiness, which shows whether the car's onboard tests are complete. A dark light, or a passed state test, does not prove there are no stored codes: a state test passes a car with codes stored while the light is off, so ask for the scan. On a 2001 or newer car, more than one unset readiness monitor means it could not pass a state OBD test that day and would be sent away to be driven and retested. Ask the seller to drive it and rescan before you pay, or ask the mechanic what the unset monitors mean.
• Tire age. A new tire's 13-symbol tire identification number is required on one sidewall, so check the inner side too. Its last four digits are the week and year it was made: 0109 means the first full calendar week of 2009.

Paperwork checks before you pay

VIN. Read it through the glass from outside, next to the left windshield pillar, where federal rules put it. It must match the VIN the dealer writes on the Buyers Guide and the one in the title's mileage disclosure.

Title history. Search the VIN on NMVTIS, an official Justice Department site, for the title, brand history and latest reported odometer reading. A brand is a label a state attaches to flag a car's present or earlier condition, such as junk, salvage or flood. A clean result is not proof: the department warns a search may return a false negative until every reporting entity sends its data.

Open recalls. The Buyers Guide tells you to check for open safety recalls. Run the VIN through the automaker's or NHTSA's recall lookup. The automaker's lookup is free, needs no registration and shows each recall not yet completed on that VIN. Our guide to checking a car for recalls explains each status.

Odometer disclosure. When the car changes hands, the seller discloses the mileage on the title and certifies it as actual, as exceeding mechanical limits, or as not the actual mileage. Compare that with the odometer and the NMVTIS reading. Under federal rules, model year 2010 or earlier is exempt, and 2011 or later needs a disclosure until 20 years after Jan. 1 of its model year (see our odometer disclosure guide).

Your rights when the car is on a dealer's lot

A dealer must display a Buyers Guide in every used car offered for sale, and the FTC says you are also entitled to one when you buy a used car online. It has to be displayed so both sides can be read; the FTC's guidance for dealers says one left in the glove compartment, the trunk or under a seat does not count.

The front shows how the car is sold. There are two versions of the form, "As Is - No Dealer Warranty" and "Implied Warranties Only"; dealers in states that limit or prohibit removing implied warranties must use the second. If the dealer offers a warranty, the guide has to name the systems covered, how long the coverage lasts and what share of the repair cost the dealer pays.

The final guide becomes part of your contract and overrides anything in the contract that says otherwise. The FTC's example: if the guide says the car has a warranty and the contract says "as is," the dealer must give you the warranty. Get the final version at the sale, and since the guide itself warns that spoken promises are difficult to enforce, have every promise written on it.

If the dealer handles the sale in Spanish, the guide must be in Spanish too. A line on the English form tells buyers, in Spanish, to ask for that copy.

The rule covers only dealers who sold or offered five or more used vehicles in the previous 12 months. It applies in every state except Maine and Wisconsin, whose dealers display their own version. For a private sale, see our guide to buying from a private seller.

Getting an independent inspection

The FTC's advice is to pay an independent mechanic for a mechanical inspection, even when the dealer calls the car certified, has inspected it and sells it with a warranty or service contract. The fee is yours to pay.

A mechanical inspection is not a safety inspection, which the FTC says usually only looks at what makes a car unsafe to drive. Give the mechanic the checklist so the 53 items on the form are covered, and ask which other checks their inspection adds. Our years-to-avoid guides, listed at automotor.news/guides/, add checks for particular model years; for a Jeep Grand Cherokee, for example, see automotor.news/guides/jeep-grand-cherokee-years-to-avoid/.

Get the results in writing: a report with a cost estimate for all necessary repairs that names the car's make, model and VIN. If you still want the car, the FTC says the estimated repair costs are your basis to negotiate the price.

When to walk away

• The dealer won't allow an independent inspection. The FTC's advice is to consider going to another dealer.
• The VIN on the car differs from the title or the Buyers Guide. Do not buy until the title and the Buyers Guide show the VIN that is on the car. Federal rules say a VIN may not repeat within a 60-year period beginning with the 1980 model year.
• NMVTIS shows a junk, salvage or flood brand nobody mentioned. The Justice Department warns that buyers of cars whose brands were hidden may pay more than fair market value and may end up with an unsafe vehicle. In one of its examples, cars from a saltwater flood that had made their airbag sensors more prone to failure were dried out and readied for sale in states that do not brand flood vehicles.
• The seller states the mileage exceeds mechanical limits or is not the actual mileage. The "not the actual mileage" statement must come with a warning that the reading and the real mileage differ.
• A recall is open and the seller can't show it was fixed. If the automaker has no remedy yet, its lookup must say so; decide whether you can live with that before you pay.
• A dealer's car has no Buyers Guide, or the salesperson promises something it contradicts. Dealers may not make oral or written statements that contradict it.

Steps

1. Download the checklist (first link under Sources); it opens and prints from Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. The same 53 items are in the At a glance table on this page.
2. At a dealer only: read both sides of the Buyers Guide (which warranty box is marked, and the defect list), and at the sale take the final version with every promise written on it.
3. Read the VIN through the glass from outside, next to the left windshield pillar, and match it to the title and the Buyers Guide.
4. Search the VIN in NMVTIS for brands and the latest reported odometer reading.
5. Check for open recalls by running the VIN through the automaker's or NHTSA's recall lookup.
6. Compare the odometer with the mileage on the title and the statement the seller certified.
7. On a 1996 or newer car, turn the key to on without starting the engine and check that the malfunction indicator light comes on. At the car, also read each tire's date code.
8. Book an independent mechanic, hand over the checklist, ask for an OBD scan of trouble codes and readiness, and get a written report with repair costs.
9. Use the estimate to negotiate, or walk away.