U.S. Justice Department introduces national used vehicle database

A major problem in the used car industry is the illegal practice of ‘title washing,’ a process where salvaged wrecks are rebuilt and given new title information and then sold to unknowing buyers. Three consumer groups recently attempted to sue the federal government to force it to create a new national database of vehicle title information to prevent the practice from occurring, and now the U.S. Justice Department has finally reacted by introducing a nationwide electronic vehicle database. Laws for a national database were enacted back in 1992 and 1996 but only now has any serious action been taken.