Questions and Answers

If an insurance company determines a vehicle to be salvaged or a total loss, but does not pay a claim (i.e., third party claims) is the insurance company required to report the determination to NMVTIS?

Yes. An insurance company's determination of salvage or total loss, regardless of whether a claim is paid, must be reported to NMVTIS.

Are junk/salvage yards and insurance companies required to report specified information on vehicles to NMVTIS?

Yes. Every junk/salvage yard and insurance company is required to report various types of information on vehicles.

What is a junk/salvage yard?

Junk/salvage yards are those individuals or entities engaged in the business of acquiring or owning junk or salvage automobiles for resale in their entirety or as spare parts or for rebuilding, restoration, or crushing. This would include scrap-vehicle shredders and scrap-metal processors, as well as pull- or pick-apart yards, salvage pools, salvage auctions, and other types of auctions, businesses, and individuals that handle salvage vehicles (including those vehicles declared a total loss).

What is an insurance company?

An insurance company is an individual or entity engaged in the business of underwriting automobile insurance. This would include any entity that enters into a formal arrangement, typically of a commercial nature, where a fee(s), contribution(s), or other consideration is received as part of pooling the risk of loss of an automobile(s) or as part of accepting the risk of loss of an automobile(s) on behalf of another individual or entity.

What is the purpose of NMVTIS?

NMVTIS was created to:

• Prevent the introduction or reintroduction of stolen motor vehicles into interstate commerce;
• Protect states and consumers (individual and commercial) from fraud;
• Reduce the use of stolen vehicles for illicit purposes including funding of criminal enterprises;
• Provide consumers protection from unsafe vehicles.

What do the letters and numbers in a VIN mean?

The VIN is a unique serial number used by the automotive industry. The numbers, letters and sequence of the VIN can actually tell you the following:

• The country where the car was manufactured
• Make of the car
• Body type (2-door, 4-door, coupe or hatchback)
• Model year
• Engine and transmission type
• Certain vehicle options.

Know now. Check a VIN with checkthatvin.