VIN decoder
27 Feb 2008, 21:55
VIN Number Decoder
You don't have to be concerned with all 17 characters in a vehicle's VIN Number. For your convenience we only cover the important ones.
(Example: Ford VIN Decoder - VIN: 2FTRX18W1XCA01212)
The first three characters signify the make of the car, usually as follows: The first character of your VIN represents the country of manufacture
1 = USA J = Japan Y = Finland, Sweden
2 = Canada K = Korea
3 = Mexico W = Germany
The second character represents the manufacturer or make of the vehicle, as follows:
A = Alfa Romeo, B = Dodge, C = Chrysler, D = Daihatsu, E = Eagle, F= Ford/Eagle,
G = All General Motors vehicles (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn)
H = Honda/Acura, J= Jeep, L = Lincoln, M = Mitsubishi, N = Nissan/Infiniti, P = Plymouth,
S = Subaru, T = Toyota/Lexus, V = Volkswagen
Other makes use a 3-character combination:
TRU/WAU = Audi, 4US/WBA/WBS = BMW, 2HM/KMH = Hyundai, SAJ = Jaguar,
SAL = Land Rover, 1YV/JM1 = Mazda, WDB = Mercedes-Benz, VF3 = Peugeot,
WP0 = Porsche, YK1/YS3 = Saab, YV1=Volvo, 8 = Isuzu
The fourth character is the type of restraint system or brake type:
For the Ford VIN Decoder, the R represents hydraulic brakes
The fifth, sixth & seventh characters are the car line, series and body style
This will obviously be different for all makes, but let's use the Ford VIN Decoder example above: Characters 5, 6 & 7 are X18: X18 is a Ford F150 Pickup 4WD Super Cab
The eighth character is a description of the engine:
This will be different for all makes as well, so let's use the Ford VIN Decoder example again: Character 8 is a W: W represents a 4.6 liter V-8 engine
The tenth character represents the year of the car. Pay close attention to this one:
B = 1981 F = 1985 K = 1989 P = 1993 V = 1997 1 = 2001
C = 1982 G = 1986 L = 1990 R = 1994 W = 1998 2 = 2002
D = 1983 H = 1987 M = 1991 S = 1995 X = 1999 3 = 2003
E = 1984 J = 1988 N = 1992 T = 1996 Y = 2000
The eleventh character indicates the assembly plant.
In the above Ford VIN Decoder example, the C indicates Ontario, Canada
Characters 12-17 represent the vehicle's unique fingerprint.
It is these six digits which make every single vehicle in the world different.
You don't have to be concerned with all 17 characters in a vehicle's VIN Number. For your convenience we only cover the important ones.
(Example: Ford VIN Decoder - VIN: 2FTRX18W1XCA01212)
The first three characters signify the make of the car, usually as follows: The first character of your VIN represents the country of manufacture
1 = USA J = Japan Y = Finland, Sweden
2 = Canada K = Korea
3 = Mexico W = Germany
The second character represents the manufacturer or make of the vehicle, as follows:
A = Alfa Romeo, B = Dodge, C = Chrysler, D = Daihatsu, E = Eagle, F= Ford/Eagle,
G = All General Motors vehicles (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn)
H = Honda/Acura, J= Jeep, L = Lincoln, M = Mitsubishi, N = Nissan/Infiniti, P = Plymouth,
S = Subaru, T = Toyota/Lexus, V = Volkswagen
Other makes use a 3-character combination:
TRU/WAU = Audi, 4US/WBA/WBS = BMW, 2HM/KMH = Hyundai, SAJ = Jaguar,
SAL = Land Rover, 1YV/JM1 = Mazda, WDB = Mercedes-Benz, VF3 = Peugeot,
WP0 = Porsche, YK1/YS3 = Saab, YV1=Volvo, 8 = Isuzu
The fourth character is the type of restraint system or brake type:
For the Ford VIN Decoder, the R represents hydraulic brakes
The fifth, sixth & seventh characters are the car line, series and body style
This will obviously be different for all makes, but let's use the Ford VIN Decoder example above: Characters 5, 6 & 7 are X18: X18 is a Ford F150 Pickup 4WD Super Cab
The eighth character is a description of the engine:
This will be different for all makes as well, so let's use the Ford VIN Decoder example again: Character 8 is a W: W represents a 4.6 liter V-8 engine
The tenth character represents the year of the car. Pay close attention to this one:
B = 1981 F = 1985 K = 1989 P = 1993 V = 1997 1 = 2001
C = 1982 G = 1986 L = 1990 R = 1994 W = 1998 2 = 2002
D = 1983 H = 1987 M = 1991 S = 1995 X = 1999 3 = 2003
E = 1984 J = 1988 N = 1992 T = 1996 Y = 2000
The eleventh character indicates the assembly plant.
In the above Ford VIN Decoder example, the C indicates Ontario, Canada
Characters 12-17 represent the vehicle's unique fingerprint.
It is these six digits which make every single vehicle in the world different.