Terms of sale

Last updated October 19, 2026

These terms apply when you order a report on cardefectradar.com. By paying, or by sending a free order by email, you agree to them.

Who we are

Car Defect Radar is run by BootstrapBits, based in Mexico. You can reach us at [email protected].

What you buy

A PDF report on the 1 to 3 cars you pick, emailed to you within 24 hours of your order. It draws on public data: complaints owners filed with NHTSA, recalls, investigations and crash ratings from NHTSA, and fuel economy from the U.S. EPA and DOE. It covers the make, model and model year you pick. If you give a mileage or a VIN, the report places your car against the complaints and points out its engine.

The report is a dated snapshot. It shows the data as it stood when we made it and is not updated afterwards. If we read more of a car’s complaints within 30 days of your order, you can ask us to re-send the report for free.

Price and payment

Prices are shown on the order page in US dollars, and that is the total you pay. We don’t charge for cars with too few complaints to be useful; if every car in your order is one of these, the report is free and you order it by email. Payment is handled by Stripe. We never see your card number.

What the report is not

• It is not advice to buy or skip any car, and not a substitute for having the car inspected by a mechanic you trust.
• It is not a vehicle history report and not a recall check for a specific car. Confirm open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov before you buy.
• Complaints are unverified reports from owners. They don’t prove a defect exists, and cars with more owners get more complaints.
• Shares and ranges come from the complaints we read, often a sample. They are estimates, and the report says how precise they are.
• No report can tell you whether a particular car will have a problem.

Mistakes

We take care, but the public data has errors (a complaint filed under the wrong model year, for example), and so can we. If you find a mistake, tell us: we’ll fix it and send you a corrected report for free.

Refunds

You can get a full refund within 7 days of receiving your report, for any reason. The details are on the refunds page.

Using the report

The report is for you and for the people helping you decide, such as a family member or your mechanic. Please don’t resell it or publish it.

Liability

As far as the law allows, our total liability for a report is limited to the amount you paid for it, and we are not liable for decisions you make based on it. Nothing in these terms takes away rights that consumer law where you live gives you and that can’t be waived.

Not affiliated

Car Defect Radar is independent. It is not affiliated with NHTSA, the EPA or any government agency, with IIHS or NICB, or with any carmaker.

Law and changes

These terms are governed by the laws of Mexico, subject to the consumer protections mentioned above. We may update them; the version on this page when you order is the one that applies to that order.