Odometer Rollback

Odometer rollback is the illegal practice of altering a vehicle’s odometer to show fewer kilometers than the vehicle has actually traveled. The motive is usually to inflate the car’s value or make it easier to sell by presenting it as having low mileage. For example, a car that has 180,000 km might be rolled back to 90,000 km. In Canada, odometer tampering is fraud; dealerships face legal penalties if they knowingly sell a rolled-back vehicle, and consumer protection laws allow buyers to take action if they discover it. To prevent being duped by a rollback, dealerships check service records and use vehicle history reports that log mileage at various points (e.g., emissions tests, registrations). Educating customers is also key: OMVIC notes that rolled-back odometers are common in cars sold by curbsiders [oai_citation:6‡omvic.ca](https://www.omvic.ca/buying/shopping-tips/curbsiders/spot-a-roll-back/#:~:text=Rolled,being%20offered%20for%20sale%20online), so buyers should be cautious with private sales. By staying vigilant, dealers protect their reputation and customers from this kind of fraud.