A STUDY AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF ODOMETER TAMPERING BY SUBSEQUENT PURCHASERS OF ONE-TIME LEASE VEHICLES. FINAL REPORT

The study determined the extent to which 1-time lease vehicle odometers are altered and tampered with by subsequent purchasers. Vehicle data was subpoenaed from a lease car company covering a period of one year. From this information 5,000 Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) were transmitted to 23 states through the State of Illinois Department of Law Enforcement computer and a nationwide switching and communications network located in Arizona. NLETS, as the system is called, then directed computer inquiries to each of the target states in order to determine the whereabouts of the test vehicles. Information transmitted by the 23 states enabled the Attorney General to then request the physical documents from the respective states. These documents bore mileage readings which were ultimately compared with the mileages at the time the lease car company sold the vehicles after the lease periods. The study found a substantial rollback rate. The rate as determined by the data collected was approximately 49.8%. The study found that simply requining the recording of mileages does not deter rollbacks. It was found that a few states had high mileage recording rates and low rollback rates at the same time. These states appear to also have mechanisms for visually inspecting and possibly rejecting questionable documents. The study recommends tighter mileage recording statutues, yearly reporting of lease car sales with mileages by lease car companies, more aggressive title reviews by state agencies and a central agency to coordinate interstate investigations regarding one-time lease cars.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Illinois Office of Attorney General

  100 West Randolph, 12th Floor
  Chicago, IL  United States  60601
• Authors:
  • Snyder
• Publication Date: 1985-8-1

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 29 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Leasing; Oedometers; Statistical analysis; Tampering; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mileage
• Geographic Terms: Illinois
• Old TRIS Terms: Rollback
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00492239
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-806 859
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 31 1990 12:00AM