Scrap failure: what are the causes of a large-scale accident on the electronic PTS website

Experts believe that the reason for the large-scale failure on the website of electronic vehicle passports (EPTS), which was recorded on October 8 throughout Russia, was a malfunction in the state document management system. On Wednesday morning, car owners began to complain en masse that their EPTS issued this September had suddenly been cancelled. At the traffic police, they were offered to wait — it is impossible to register a car with such a passport. However, there are those who believe that the failure could have happened due to the preparation of the system for the new rules of collection of scrap. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Massive failure on the electronic passports website

A massive failure on the EPTS website was observed on October 8, 2025 throughout Russia — almost 30 thousand documents issued after September 18 for new and already registered cars suddenly received the status of "cancelled".

The situation turned out to be critical for car owners, because without a valid electronic control system, it is impossible to register a car with the traffic police, experts explained to Izvestia.

A technical glitch occurred during the data exchange between the Federal Customs Service of Russia and Electronic Passport JSC, the press service of the Federal Customs Service told Izvestia. The problem was solved within a few hours — now all 27.6 thousand previously cancelled EPTS have been restored, they noted.

The information was also confirmed by the administrator of the Electronic Passport system.

"When transmitting information through the Unified System of Interdepartmental Electronic Interaction (SMEV), a technical malfunction occurred, which led to the automatic assignment of the status of "cancelled" EPTS/EPSM. This situation has nothing to do with hacking or unauthorized access to electronic passport systems," the organization's website said.

Anton Shaparin, Vice President of the National Automobile Union, told Izvestia that the reason for the large-scale failure on the EPTS website was a malfunction in the state document management system.

— The problem has already been solved. I called the director of the EPTS, the issue has already been resolved. There was a malfunction in the government document management system," the expert said.

Residents of the Far East were among the first to report a large-scale failure on the website of electronic vehicle passports.

"The status of "cancelled" has already been received by hundreds of EPTS since about 03:00 in Vladivostok, and tens of thousands more throughout the country. Electronic passports "chip off" for days — all September passports. The documents issued up to and including September 20 have already become invalid," the local news portal noted. VL.ru .

In the Far East, traffic police departments refused to register vehicles due to a malfunction. The agency recommended making an appointment again — at the same time, you will not need to pay the fee a second time. And the inspection of the car is valid for 30 days, they reminded me.

The Interior Ministry told Izvestia that the department's information systems involved in the vehicle registration process are operating normally.

Is the failure related to increased recycling

The massive cancellation of electronic vehicle passports has caused serious inconvenience to car owners across the country, says Alexey Ivanov, owner of the Alliance Trucks commercial vehicle dealership network.

— The problem is of a technical nature — a data transmission failure between the Federal Customs Service and the automated electronic passport system. According to the latest information, incorrect information from customs led to the automatic cancellation of documents issued after September 18. Of course, the situation was critical for thousands of car owners, because without a valid EPTS, it is impossible to register a car with the traffic police," he explained to Izvestia.

After correcting the errors, the cancelled passports automatically restored their valid status, which saved the owners from having to re-issue the documents, Alexey Ivanov said.

"This is fundamental — the system allows you to fix a technical error centrally," he said.

According to the expert, the failure could be related, among other things, to the upcoming changes in the rules for collecting scrap. He recalled that from November 1, 2025, it is planned to change the collection calculation system for cars with a capacity of over 160 horsepower. Instead of preferential rates for individuals from 3 to 5 thousand rubles, commercial rates will be applied — from 750 thousand to 2 million rubles, depending on the characteristics.

— Mass preparation of systems for such large-scale changes could theoretically provoke technical difficulties. But the Russian electronic document management system in the automotive sector is constantly being improved — such situations, although they create temporary difficulties, help identify bottlenecks and improve the reliability of the infrastructure," said Alexey Ivanov.

How has the demand for powerful cars changed

Due to the future increase in recycling, demand for powerful cars has soared — buyers have become more likely to choose models that will become much more expensive, experts from the Drom automotive portal told Izvestia.

— This is a common reaction of people to the upcoming price increase. Citizens who were going to buy such cars earlier decided in an extremely short time in order to make it before the car prices rise. Due to such a shake—up in demand, a few months after the increase in recycling, sales of cars of all price categories will decrease significantly," says Igor Oleinikov, an analyst at the automotive portal.

In particular, in the Far East, car sales increased by 7% in September, and the average monthly cost rose to 1.1 million rubles. The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado became the leader. Its sales in September increased by 63%, and the price rose by 13% to 3.1 million rubles.

In second place is the Honda Fit, the cost of this car increased by 2% to 718 thousand rubles. The third place is occupied by the Toyota Corolla Fielder: sales growth for the month increased by 10%, while for the month it became more expensive by 3% — up to 866 thousand rubles, auto experts said.

According to analysts, mostly Russians have become more likely to buy cars with a capacity of over 160 hp. For example, in August 2025, two people purchased the Hyundai Palisade, and in September, the number of buyers increased to 20 people. At the same time, the cost of such a car fell by 3% to 4 million rubles. The situation is similar with the Kia Sorento — they began to be purchased almost 50% more often, but the price remained the same — 1.9 million rubles.

BMW cars have also shown sales growth over the past month. In September, the 5-Series became 74% more likely to be bought and X5 models 52% more likely, experts noted.

Can drivers receive compensation for a crash

A failure in the EPTS system caused massive queues. Cars imported and cleared after September 18 could not be registered, de-registered, or received from a dealership that had already been purchased and delivered.

Some companies and individuals have suffered financial losses due to vehicle downtime, said Sofya Lukinova, head of the Legal Department at VMT Consult.

According to her lawyer, the failure brought other inconveniences to car owners. For example, drivers will have to re—register with the traffic police, but they will not need to pay the fee a second time.

Victims who have suffered significant monetary losses can file a complaint with the traffic police or file a lawsuit, including a collective one, the lawyer noted. However, such a failure is likely to be regarded as a force majeure event - the chance of receiving compensation that would cover the legal costs is low, she believes.