CENTREVILLE, Va. -

With inspection experts already cautioning dealers because of inventory being so difficult to get, CARFAX shared even more data about how many vehicles potentially have been damaged in the wake of Hurricane Ida and other intense storms across the United States in recent weeks.

CARFAX said on Thursday that widespread flooding from Hurricane Ida — centered around New York City, New Jersey and Louisiana — potentially damaged as many as 212,000 vehicles.

The vehicle history report company pointed out that amount is on top of 378,000 flood-damaged cars that CARFAX data shows were already on the road in 2021.

CARFAX indicated Texas continues to lead the nation in the number of flood-damaged vehicle on the road today, but its data also showed water-damaged vehicles appear even in states where flooding isn’t common.

While flood-damaged vehicles are in use in every state, CARFAX data noted that these 10 states have the most:

1. Texas: 66,500
2. Florida: 34,000
3. Kentucky: 23,800
4. Pennsylvania: 19,000
5. North Carolina: 15,300
6. California: 14,000
7. Illinois: 13,500
8. South Carolina: 11,400
9. New Jersey: 11,200
10. Michigan: 10,400

“Our data suggests that unsuspecting buyers everywhere are at risk of winding up with a previously flooded car,”, CARFAX spokesperson Chris Basso said in a news release. “The real danger is that these cars may look fine and run well for a while, but sooner rather than later major problems are likely to occur.

“Flooded cars literally rot from the inside out and the damage is often difficult for untrained eyes to detect. Together with our dealers, CARFAX is making the necessary resources available to help ensure consumers avoid unknowingly buying one of these waterlogged wrecks,” Basso continued.

Similar to what the team at AiM Mobile Inspections shared, CARFAX offered these seven “telltale signs” of a flooded vehicle, including:

— A musty odor in the interior, which sellers sometimes try to cover with a strong air-freshener

— Loose, stained, or mismatched upholstery and carpeting

— Damp carpets

— Rust around doors, under the dashboard, on the pedals, or inside the hood and trunk latches

— Dried mud or silt in the glove compartment or under the seats

— Brittle wires under the dashboard

— Fog or moisture beads in the interior lights, exterior lights, or instrument panel