Many of those vehicles are expected to soon resurface for sale in the used car market and shop inspections should look for these signs of flood damage
Centreville, Va.—As Hurricane Season begins to ramp up, CARFAX estimates as many as 45,000 vehicles have been damaged by flooding from mid-year storms.
Severe heavy rains and flash flooding between April and July swamped thousands of cars in states such as Texas, Kentucky, and West Virginia, and many of those vehicles are expected to soon resurface for sale in the used car market.
More such weather is expected, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean this year. This influx of flood-damaged vehicles is on top of the estimated up to 482,000 water-damaged cars that CARFAX data shows were already on U.S. roads at the start of 2025.
“Flood-damaged cars don’t just stay in storm-hit areas — they show up all over the country,” said Faisal Hasan, Vice President of Data Acquisition at CARFAX. “The same vehicles pictured in one state, floating in floodwaters, can get cleaned up by scammers and sold elsewhere. And while these rehabbed cars may look showroom fresh, they’re literally rotting from the inside out.”
Florida and Texas lead the nation in the number of flood-damaged cars already on the road. But CARFAX research shows these vehicles often turn up in states where flooding isn’t top of mind for car shoppers, including places such as Pennsylvania or Illinois.
Signs of flooding:
- Damp or loose carpentry, or carpentry that’s mismatched from the upholstery.
- Rust around doors, under the dashboard, on the pedals, or inside the hood or trunk latches.
- A musty odor, potentially of mold or mildew.
- Mud or silt in unusual places such as the glove compartment, under the seats, or up high.
- Brittle wires under the dashboard.
- Fog or moisture beads in the interior lights, head- and taillights, or in the instrument panel.
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