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How to Decode a VIN
How to Decode a VIN
Under standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every car and light truck model year 1981 or later has a unique 17-digit VIN in a fixed format. The information below should help you understand what the VIN means and should also shed some light on why Xtime might decode a VIN, but that same VIN shows as invalid when we try to look it up on a manufacturer site. (Hint: Xtime is only looking at certain parts of the VIN when decoding!)
Note: The letters I, O, Q and U never appear in a modern VIN.
World Manufacturer
World Manufacturer
The first three digits of the VIN make up the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) number. However, if an automaker builds fewer than 500 vehicles per year, 9 will be the third digit and positions 12-14 (part of the production number) will make up the second part of the manufacturer’s WMI.
Country
Country
The first digit in the VIN indicates the vehicle’s country of origin, or final point of assembly. Usually this is the country where the car was made, but in some European countries, it may be the country where the manufacturer is headquartered. Here are some examples:
Value
1, 4, 5
2
3
J
K
S
V
T
W
Y
Z
Country
United States
Canada
Mexico
Japan
Korea
UK
France/Spain
Switzerland
Germany
Sweden/Finland
Italy
Manufacturer
Manufacturer
The second digit in the VIN indicates the manufacturer and the region where the vehicle was produced.
Vehicle Type
Vehicle Type
The third digit indicates the vehicle type or manufacturing division.
Vehicle Descriptor Section
Vehicle Descriptor Section
Digits 4 through 9 make up the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS).
Digits 4 through 8 identify the vehicle model, body style, engine type, transmission and more. Service shops commonly use this information to identify systems installed by the manufacturer so that they can properly service a car.
The ninth digit, or check digit, is used to detect invalid VINs based on a mathematical formula that was developed by the Department of Transportation.
Vehicle Identifier Section
Vehicle Identifier Section
Digits 10 through 17 make up the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS). The tenth digit indicates the year.
Year
1980 A
1981 B
1982 C
1983 D
1984 E
1985 F
1986 G
1987 H
1988 J
1989 K
1990 L
1991 M
1992 N
1993 P
1994 R
Year
1995 S
1996 T
1997 V
1998 W
1999 X
2000 Y
2001 1
2002 2
2003 3
2004 4
2005 5
2006 6
2007 7
2008 8
2009 9
Year
2010 A
2011 B
2012 C
2013 D
2014 E
2015 F
2016 G
2017 H
2018 J
2019 K
2020 L
2021 M
2022 N
2023 P
2024 R
Year
2025 S
2026 T
2027 V
2028 W
2029 X
2030 Y
2031 1
2032 2
2033 3
2034 4
2035 5
2036 6
2037 7
2038 8
2039 9
Assembly Plant
Assembly Plant
The 11th digit identifies the manufacturing plant in which the vehicle was assembled. Each manufacturer has its own set of plant codes.
Production Number
Production Number
Digits 12 through 17 indicate the production or serial number. This number could indicate the sequence in which a vehicle came off the assembly line. Since there is no fixed standard for this number, each manufacturer may use this number differently.
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