Hurricane Ian damaged 358,000 vehicles. How to avoid buying one of them

If you plan on buying a used car in the next few months, be sure to check it for flood damage before signing on the dotted line.

After widespread flooding in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina last month due to Hurricane Ian, vehicle history reporting website Carfax now estimates as many as 358,000 cars were damaged by flooding. Some of these vehicles end up being resold – already 400,000 cars on the road have been water damaged from past floods.

“Flooding causes all kinds of hidden damage that can come to light months later,” said Teresa Murray, consumer advocate at the US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

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“You don’t want anything to do with a flooded vehicle, no matter the damage is disclosed and no matter what assurances you get from a seller,” Murray said.

Floods can destroy electronics, lubricants and mechanical systems in vehicles, sometimes slowly. Corrosion can eventually find its way into the car’s vital electronics, including the airbag control units.

“The bottom line is that these flood-damaged vehicles are literally rotting from the inside out,” said Carfax spokeswoman Emilie Voss.

“They may look good cosmetically, but there may be mechanical, electrical, safety and health issues that will show up later,” Voss said.

Buyers should always check a used vehicle’s vehicle history report to ensure they know what they are buying, regardless of when or where they are making the purchase. Flooded cars often end up for sale in locations far removed from where they were originally damaged.

Through services like Carfax or the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s VINCheck, you can enter a car’s vehicle identification number, or VIN, to see if there’s anything in its history that’s a red flag. However, you may not be able to find out everything.

That’s because not all flooded cars are recorded as such unless an insurance company is involved. If an insurer receives a claim and the vehicle is totaled – meaning the repairs would cost more than the car’s value – the car’s title is generally changed to reflect its status.

These wrecked cars are usually sold at scrap auctions to junkyards and vehicle rebuilders. Resale to consumers may be legal if the title discloses flood damage.

But not all car owners report an insurance claim. If they don’t have comprehensive coverage — the portion of auto insurance that would cover flooding — they’re generally out of luck when it comes to coverage. This means that without the involvement of insurance companies, flood damage may go unreported anywhere.

“If you suspect a vehicle has suffered flood damage, go ahead,” Murray said.

There are things to look for in a used vehicle that could indicate flood damage, according to Carfax:

• A musty indoor smell that vendors sometimes try to mask with a powerful air freshener
• Upholstery or carpeting that may be loose, new, stained, or inconsistent with the rest of the interior
• Damp carpets
• Rust on doors, under the dashboard, on the pedals or in the bonnet and trunk latches
• Mud or silt in the glove box or under the seats
• Frayed cables under the dashboard
• Fog or moisture beads in the interior lights, exterior lights or the instrument panel