A VIN is a unique vehicle identification number assigned to each vehicle manufactured. It is a standard that has been used around the world since 1981, although VINs have been around since 1954. The VIN is an alphanumeric code that identifies information about the individual car such as the make, model, year, and other useful information. Many agencies, such as law enforcement and insurance companies, use VINs. Learn how to decode a VIN to look up a car's history or buy the correct parts for a car being remodeled.
Edit Steps
- 1Locate the VIN on your car to start the VIN decoding process. It may be in 1 of several locations.
- Look on the dash at the base of the windshield on the driver's side for a small plaque.
- Look for a sticker on the driver's door.
- A VIN may also be found in the engine compartment on or near the firewall.
- Older cars may have VINs found elsewhere, such as on the steering column, radiator support bracket, or the left-side inner wheel arch.
- 2Decode VIN positions 1 to 3.
- The first character identifies the country where the vehicle was made. The United States, Mexico, and Canada are represented by numbers. Other countries may be represented by letters, such as J for Japan and W for Germany.
- The second character identifies the vehicle manufacturer. You may see a letter, such as a C for Chrysler, or a number, such as 6 for Cadillac.
- The third character of the VIN identifies the vehicle type or the manufacturing division.
- 3Decode VIN positions 4 to 8. These letters or numbers are used by the manufacturers to identify specifics, such as the car line, engine, weight, or body style.
- 4Find the digit in the 9th position. This character is a security code guaranteeing the validity of the VIN.
- 5Identify the year the car was made with the character in the 10th position of the VIN. The year 1980 was assigned the letter A, and subsequent years follow the letters of the alphabet. The years after 2000 are assigned numbers, and the years 2010 onward are assigned letters in alphabetical order again. Examples 1990 = L, 2000 = Y, 2005 = 5, 2010 = A.
- 6Discover the plant your vehicle was manufactured in with the 11th character. The VIN codes for each plant are determined by the manufacturer. For example, Eagle may assign the Brownsville, Texas, plant a B, and Toyota may assign the Georgetown, Kentucky, plant a Z.
- 7Find your vehicle's serial number in the last 6 digits of the VIN. These digits are assigned by the manufacturer, and they may either be sequential or may begin at 000001 each year.
Edit Tips
- Flex fuel cars may be identified in VIN positions 2, 3, and 8.
- Online charts are available that list the characters assigned to flex fuel vehicles.
- No year has been assigned the letter Z in the 10th position as a date of manufacture.
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