WASHINGTON, D.C. – The new National Motor Vehicle Title Information System will be implemented by Jan. 30, providing a national database of vehicles compiled from state, salvage and insurer reporting. It will require insurance companies and salvage yards to report vehicles that are severely damaged or totaled, and consumers will have access to such information as odometer readings and theft records. Data is predicted to be more comprehensive, up-to-date and less expensive than some private sector reports.
           
The implementation of this system is the result of a 2008 court case, Public Citizen Inc., Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, and Consumer Action v. Michael Mukasey, Attorney General of the United States. Public Citizen filed the suit to fight for a used car database that was established by Congress in 1992 in the Anti-Car Theft Act. However, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had never made the system available to the public.