Avoid costly surprises. Run the VIN and get open safety recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash-test ratings, full specifications and a guided title & odometer check, all in one report.
Carchieve focuses on the federal safety record (open recalls, owner complaints and NHTSA crash ratings) plus full VIN-decoded specifications. For title brands, reported accidents and prior-owner history, your report includes a guided check that points you to the official records to confirm them yourself.
Useful tools, free to use. No account required.
Decode any VIN to year, make, model, engine and full factory build.
Open tool →Find a vehicle and its history starting from a US license plate.
Open tool →Estimate your monthly payment before you visit the dealer.
Open tool →See open safety recalls for any year, make and model.
Open tool →“The report flagged an open airbag recall the seller never mentioned. Saved me a real headache.”
“Cheaper than the big guys and I got the recalls, complaints and crash ratings all in one place.”
“I ran three cars before I bought. Easy to read and the PDF was great to bring to my mechanic.”
Carchieve gives you the safety and reliability record that matters most before you buy, for a fraction of the price, with the same share ready PDF you can hand to any dealer or mechanic.
See pricing| Carchieve | Carfax | |
|---|---|---|
| Single report price | $24.99 | ~$45 |
| Open safety recalls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Owner complaint analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| NHTSA crash-test ratings | ✓ | ✗ |
| Downloadable PDF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bundle savings | $18.00/report | ✗ |
Data sources & partners
Carchieve aggregates records from federal databases and trusted automotive data sources. Partner marks shown are representative.
A Carchieve car report is a complete vehicle history report built from any 17 character VIN. In one place you get the decoded vehicle, every open safety recall, the defects owners report to federal regulators, official NHTSA crash test ratings, a guided odometer and title check, and a buyer action plan. You get it on screen and as a downloadable PDF.
A free VIN check tells you a few things, like open recalls and a basic decode, but those records live on separate government sites. Carchieve pulls them together, organizes them, and explains what each finding means, so a quick VIN lookup becomes a decision you can act on.
A used car can look perfect and still hide an unrepaired recall, a defect owners complain about, or a branded title. A Carchieve car history check surfaces those risks in under a minute, long before they become an expensive surprise.
If you searched for a Carfax alternative, Carchieve focuses on the safety and reliability record that matters most before purchase, for a fraction of the price, with a professional PDF you can take to any dealer or mechanic.
A Carchieve report is a complete safety and records check on any U.S. vehicle. Enter the 17-character VIN and you get the decoded vehicle identity and full specifications, every open safety recall, owner-reported complaints by system, official NHTSA crash-test ratings, and a buyer action plan, in one clean report and a downloadable PDF.
Carchieve doesn't just dump raw data. It authenticates the VIN, organizes every federal safety record into a buyer-ready dossier, scores the vehicle, and tells you exactly what to inspect, ask and verify before you pay, the way a careful mechanic would read the car.
Reports are generated in under a minute. As soon as your VIN is checked against the recall, complaint, ratings and identity databases, your report and PDF are ready to view and download.
Yes. A single report is $24.99. If you're comparing several cars, the 3- and 5-report bundles save you money per report and the extra credits stay in your account until you use them.
Only the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN is on the lower-left corner of the windshield, the driver-side door jamb, and the vehicle title or registration.
Every report is built from authoritative U.S. vehicle databases, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall, complaint and 5-Star safety-rating programs and the federal VIN product information catalog. Carchieve authenticates the VIN check digit so you know the identity is genuine.
Yes. Every report includes a professionally formatted PDF you can download, print, or forward to a private seller, dealer, or mechanic to support your buying decision.