NATB/NICB

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) Passenger Vehicle Identification Manual is published annually. Each published manual contains vehicle identification number (VIN) structure and decoding for the last three model years for most U.S. and Canadian passenger vehicles, including light duty trucks and motorcycles.

The Commercial Vehicle and Off-Road Equipment Identification Manual is published every five years. This manual contains vehicle identification number (VIN) structure for commercial vehicles and product identification number (PIN) structure for off-road equipment for the last five model years. These manuals also cover the following areas:

• Summarization of the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard which requires VIN markings on major vehicle parts (dash, engine, and transmission) of passenger motor vehicles designated as high-theft vehicles.

• Glossary of vehicle related terminology.

Beginning with the 1981 model year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, required manufacturers selling over-the-road vehicles in the United States to produce vehicles with a 17-character fixed format VIN. This VIN format applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, incomplete vehicles and motorcycles.

VIN Plate Attachment

The Public VIN is located in the windshield area, either on the post or in the dash of the vehicle. The Public VIN is the primary identifier of the vehicle, other Confidential VINs may be located elsewhere on the vehicle. The location of the Confidential VINs is not made public. These are used by law enforcement to verify the validity of the Public VIN.

The Public VIN is broken down into several parts and provides a complete description of the vehicle and its equipment.

Each character of the 17-character VIN is assigned a value. This standard establishes a fixed VIN format including a check digit and applies to all passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, incomplete vehicles, and motorcycles with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or less.

The first three characters of the VIN are designated the WMI (World Manufacturers Identification). The WMI uniquely identifies the Nation of Origin, Manufacturer, Make, and Type of vehicle.

The second section has five characters and has been designated the VDS (Vehicle Description Section). The VDS uniquely identifies the attributes of the vehicle such as Model, Body, Style, Engine, etc.

The third section of the VIN is located after the check digit.   It is eight characters    in length and is called the VIS (Vehicle Identification Section). The first character represents the vehicle model year; the second character represents the plant of manufacture; and the last six characters represent the sequential production number.

Foreign Vehicles

Foreign vehicles manufactured for U.S. Consumption follow the same 17-character VIN pattern as American vehicles. A check of the 10th character from the front of the VIN will be a letter/number indicating the year.

Foreign vehicles NOT manufactured for U.S. Consumption also use a 17-character VIN. The 10th character from the front of the VIN will be a number. There is NO year indicator on these VINs. Examples of foreign consumption VIN plates are provided in the NATB manual.

Motorcycles

Motorcycles are titled by the public VIN on the frame. The engine number may or may not match this Public VIN, depending on the make of the Motorcycle. To determine the proper VIN, please check the NATB/NICB Manual using the specific name of the Motorcycle.

Harley-Davidson

Due to the popularity of the machine, and the modifications that are often done to it, Harley-Davidson has been selected to illustrate the many different VINs and their locations of these over the years.

The Public VIN Plate uses 17 characters and follows the same procedures as the automobile VIN break down. The Engine VIN uses only 10 characters. These correspond to the 17-character VIN. The Engine and Frame VINs are compared below:

17 Character VIN:

VIN: 1 H D 1 C C H 1 2 E Y 0 1 0 0 0 0

10 Character Engine:

VIN: C C H E 0 1 0 0 0 0

• 1st character on Engine VIN same as 5th character on VIN plate = Line

• 2nd character on Engine VIN same as 6th character on VIN plate = Series

• 3rd character on Engine VIN same as 7th character on VIN plate = Engine Type

• 4th character on Engine VIN same as 10th character on VIN plate = Year

• 5,6,7,8,9,10 on Engine VIN same as 12, 13,14,15,16 and 17 on VIN plate, these are the sequential numbers

For 1980 Only (9-character VIN); Frame and Engine number match exactly. 

VIN on Frame: 9G 24861 J0

VIN on Engine:      9G 24861 J0

• Character 1 & 2 = Model

• Character 3,4,5,6,7= Sequential Production Number

• Character 8 = Manufacturer (Harley) J used only in 1980

• Character 9 = Model year

For 1970 through 1979 (9-character VIN); Frame and Engine number match exactly.

VIN on Frame: 2A 20202 H9

VIN on Engine:2A 20202 H9

Character reference same as 1980 above. 

For 1969 and earlier (up to a 10-character VIN)

VIN on Frame: None

VIN on Engine:69 XLCH 1234

Engine Number used for titling and registration purposes:

• Character 1 & 2 = Year

• Character 3,4,5 = Model

• Character 6,7,8,9,10 = Sequential

Note: Between 1985 and 1997, the NATB/NICB Passenger Manuals did not include Motorcycle information. Motorcycle information for these years may be found in the Commercial Vehicle NATB/NICB Manuals.

Note: This is the only time a “J” is used for the Manufacturer, all others use an “H”.

Note: The Frame VIN plate and Engine VIN plate must match in these specific areas. If not, a Certified VIN inspection must be completed, and a special ID number will be required.