Title Washing

Title washing is a form of fraud where a vehicle’s title history is altered to hide its past status, such as branding for significant damage (e.g., salvage or flood). This often involves moving the vehicle to a different jurisdiction with looser title-reporting rules, or manipulating paperwork, so that prior brands are removed and the title appears “clean.” For instance, a car declared salvage in one province might be re-registered in another province or the U.S. without the salvage brand, then sold to an unsuspecting buyer. Canadian dealerships must guard against title washing by thoroughly checking the history of vehicles, especially those sourced from out-of-province or the U.S. Tools like CARFAX (which gathers data from all North American jurisdictions) can reveal if a car had a title brand that was cleared [oai_citation:7‡canadianautodealer.ca](https://canadianautodealer.ca/2014/08/vehicle-title-washing-on-the-rise/#:~:text=Title%20washing%20makes%20rebuilt%20wrecks,used%20cars%20with%20washed%20titles). By identifying washed titles, dealers ensure required disclosures are made and protect customers from buying unsafe or misrepresented vehicles.