The U.S. Department of Justice provides a National Motor Vehicle Title Information System which allows consumers to check on a used car or truck they are considering buying to determine whether the vehicle is unsafe, stolen and whether it has been in an accident.

The Title Information System allows consumers to find out who the legal owner of a vehicle his, the car brand’s history, the vehicle’s accident history, the salvage history and the total loss history on a car for a fee of about $5.00.