The attorney general's office and the Governor's Office of Consumer Protection warned that many previously flooded vehicles get sold at auction and then may be sold at used car lots or through online classified ads.
Insurance companies in other states may write off flooded cars as "salvage" or "totaled," but that may not appear on the titles. Electrical problems are very likely, and the brakes, airbag's and computer system may also be seriously compromised.
Car shoppers should ask to see the title before signing anything and should run the vehicle identification number into the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, a national database used by insurers.
Thousands of cars and trucks were damaged by the waters that flooded New York City and other parts of the Northeast when Hurrican Sandy struck. (AP file photo)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/11/255471