How to read a vehicle vin number

Vehicle Features: Digits These digits identify the various features of the specific model — trim specifications, driveline options, etc.

VIN Decoder

Verifying : Digit 9 Determined through a complex mathematical formula that relates to the other numbers in the VIN; used to verify that the VIN itself is not fake. Model Year: Digit 10 Represents the vehicle's model year, which is not to be confused with the year it was sold or delivered. Assembly Plant: Digit 11 An internal digit that shows where the car was built. Sequence Of Model Production: Digit These digits indicate the order in which the vehicle left the assembly line.

This is effectively the serial number. We won't tell you what this vehicle is, but you should know more about it by the time we reach the end of the number. Our first decoding challenge is to figure out who made this vehicle. This is found in the digits 1ZV.

How VIN Decoder Works?

The first digit in the make code will always be the country of manufacture. There are numerous country codes, but the most common ones are:. Looking at our code, it's clear we're dealing with an American car or a foreign car built in America. When we add the next two digits to the equation, we discover the manufacturer. The full three-digit code is called the "World Manufacturer Identifier. This means our car is either a Ford or a Mazda product.

VIN NUMBER EXPLANATION VALUABLE INFORMATION for each digit

More than just telling you what model of car you have, this section often describes the type of engine and platform the car uses. How this is used is based on the country and company in question, but most companies selling cars in North America have similar formats. The first digit, H , is a safety code and indicates that the car has front and side airbags.

Other digits include "B" for the use of active belts but no airbags. The letters "L" and "F" or "K" indicate different generations of airbags. Digits five through seven, in this case T82 , tell us what kind of vehicle this is. The most important digit, if you're trying to determine what engine the car has, is the eighth one.

In this case, the digit H indicates that we have a car with Ford's 4. If the digit was an "N," it would indicate a V-6 and we'd know something was fishy. Most companies use the ninth digit, always a number, as a check digit. Using a complex mathematical equation, they can determine if the product of multiplying all of the numbers and letters in the VIN besides the 9th digit, when divided by 11, has a remainder equal to the check digit.

Decode the VIN

If it does, the VIN is real. If you're a total math nerd, you can follow these instructions. If you're a little lazier, you can use this calculator to determine if your check digit is correct. Ours is correct, so we know either the VIN plate is legit or, at least, its creator is really good at math.

Since , different countries have used slight variations of model years. Still, there's a generally accepted format that most companies use for the 10th digit. If the car was built between and , the digits will appear here. Our vehicle's 8 tells us that it's a model-year car.


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Here you can find out the vehicle model, engine type, body style and things like that. Each vehicle maker uses different codes for this so go to the Automobile Manufacturer for your vehicle to get the codes. It does not tell you anything about the vehicle itself. Letters and numbers 10 through 17 is the Vehicle Descriptor Section. This gives you information such as when it was produced, what options it comes with and so on. The 10th letter or number of the VIN tells you the model year of the vehicle.

Note that this may be different from when it was manufactured, as many automobile manufacturers start to produce next years model this year.

VIN-to-Year Chart - ALLDATA Support

Find the model year by matching the 10th digit of your VIN to the table below:. As you can see, each letter or number has been assigned to two different years. If the 7th VIN position is a letter, then your vehicle is made in through If the 7th VIN is a number, then your vehicle is made prior to This is where the auto manufacturers enter unique information about the particular vehicle the VIN belongs to. The name of the assembly plant, extra options added to the vehicle, Production Sequence Number and things of that nature.

This is different from company to company, so to find more details about this go to the Automobile Manufacturer website for your vehicle.

How to Find the VIN Number?

A lot of vehicle information is also available on the Window Sticker. Meadowvale Honda. Service: Sales: Parts: Print Share. What is a VIN Number? Position 1 The very first letter or number of the VIN tells you in what region of the world your vehicle was made.