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WhichTrim · $9.99 once

Car Check

A history report tells you what happened to one car. The Car Check tells you what happens to this car: NHTSA’s complaints, recalls, investigations, dealer bulletins and the manufacturer’s own death and injury reports, read into a verdict, what breaks and at what mileage, whether the maker pays for it, the model years compared, and a lot check written from this car’s own failures.

Decoded by NHTSA in your browser; the VIN goes only to NHTSA’s decoder, never to WhichTrim.

See exactly what you get: open the sample Car Check (a real model year’s record, as a buyer gets it).

What you get for $9.99

Pictures: the sample Car Check, the 2016 Hyundai Sonata’s real record

The verdict, before anything else

A grade for this model year against every other year of the model, and one sentence on whether to buy it, with the numbers behind it.

  • The grade and what it rests on
  • Complaints, fires, crashes and the deaths and injuries the maker reported
  • The coverage programs to ask about
Page one of the sample Car Check: the 2016 Hyundai Sonata's grade D and the verdict

What breaks, and at what mileage

Where the owner complaints land, by system, what owners say happened in their own words, and the mileage the failures were reported at.

  • Complaints by system, largest first
  • The symptoms owners describe
  • The mileage when it failed
The sample Car Check's failures page: complaints by system and what owners say happened

Whether the maker pays for it

Every warranty extension and coverage program on file for this model year, with its terms, and every recall with the share of cars still not repaired.

  • Coverage programs and what they cover
  • Recalls and how many cars are still unfixed
  • Numbers to quote at the service desk
The sample Car Check's coverage page: Hyundai's warranty extensions and recalls for the 2016 Sonata

The year to buy instead

Every model year of the model side by side on the same records, and the year to buy if the price is close.

  • Grade, complaints, fires, crashes and recalls by year
  • The maker's own death and injury reports
  • A lot check and questions for the seller
The sample Car Check's model-year comparison, pointing to the 2019 Sonata

Get the Car Check Open the sample Car Check

If you experience any issues, please write to info@whichtrim.com.

Common questions

Source: WhichTrim

What is in the Car Check?

For one model year: the verdict; what breaks and at what mileage, in the owners' words; the coverage programs and recalls with completion rates; fires, crashes, the maker's death and injury reports, the federal investigations and the trouble codes; every model year compared; and a lot check with questions for the seller.

Is this a vehicle history report?

No. A history report covers one car's past; the Car Check covers what this model year does. Use both, and the mechanic's inspection.

Do I need an account?

No. One payment through Stripe, then print it or save it as a PDF.

What happens after I pay?

Stripe brings you back to your Car Check’s page, where it is built for the model year. Print it there, or save it as a PDF.