How to Locate a Missing Car

GPS car navigation
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If you parked your car in an airport and forgot where you left it, finding it can be a stressful experience. What’s even worse is having it stolen. A missing or stolen car can become part of a crime-related incident, or it may be salvaged and stripped for parts. Being calm and patient while applying a few tried and true techniques can help you find your missing automobile.

Gather Documents

Gather documents that bear the vehicle identification number (VIN) of the car. These include the car manual or car insurance documents. If you don’t have any of these documents, call your auto insurance provider and ask for the VIN number. You will need this number to find the missing automobile.

If You Have GPS

Contact your GPS vehicle tracking system provider. If the vehicle has a GPS tracking system such as OnStar or LoJack, the service provider will work with the police to help find the missing vehicle via GPS tracking.

Report to the Authorities

Report the missing car to the police serving the location where your car was last seen. Provide the color, model, make and VIN of your car and file a missing/stolen vehicle report.

Check Online

Visit the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) website to search for a missing vehicle. Click on the tab that says “VINCHECK” and enter the VIN in the search box. VINCHECK will find cars that have been reported as salvaged or stolen and recovered by authorities in other jurisdictions.

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