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Meaning of a VIN Number
All cars and light
trucks built after 1981 have a unique 17-character VIN number that provides access
to valuable information about that vehicle's history. The letters I, O and Q
never appear in a VIN. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be
found on dashboards, driver's side door jamb stickers, and title documents.
Get a
FREE VIN Check from AutoCheck®.
How to Decode a
VIN
When decoded, the
Vehicle Identification Number, VIN, indicates the country and year that the
vehicle was manufactured, the make of the vehicle, make, model and serial
number; the assembly plant where the vehicle was made, and in some cases it
identifies equipment specifications. The sequence for characters is
first A to Z, then 1 to 9, and last 0. The letters "I", "O" and "Q" are
typically omitted.
The vehicle
identification number is divided into four parts:
|
World Manufacturer's
Identification (WMI) |
Vehicle Description
Section |
The VIN Accuracy Check
Digit |
Vehicle Identification
Section |
|
3 characters |
5 characters |
1 digit |
8 characters |
World Manufacturer’s Identification (WMI)
First Character in
the WMI (of three) - The first character in the World Manufacturer's
Identification (WMI) sequence represents the country where the vehicle was
manufactured. Countries such as the United States (1 or 4), Canada (2)
and Mexico (3) are represented by numbers while other countries such as
Germany (W), Italy (Z) and Japan (J) are represented by letters.
The second character in the WMI (of three) refers to the manufacturer. The
characters can be either letters or numbers. For example: Jaguar (A), Dodge
(B), Chrysler (C), Jeep (J), Buick (4), Cadillac (6) or Saturn (8).
The third character represents the vehicle type or manufacturing division.
Vehicle Description Section (VDS) and Check Digit
-
The vehicle
description section consists of five characters (the 4th to 8th
characters) which identify everything from the body style, engine type,
and braking system to model, series, restraint system, etc
-
The 9th
character is a VIN accuracy check digit which verifies the previous VIN
numbers. It is determined by carrying out a mathematical computation
developed by the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Vehicle Identification Section (VIS)
The vehicle
identification section includes the last eight characters in the VIN number.
-
The numbers
identify the model year (10th character)
-
The assembly
plant for the vehicle (11th character). A number or letter
may represent the model year. For example: 1998 (W), 2000 (Y), 2007 (7)
or 2008 (8).
-
The 12th
to 17th characters are the actual serial number of the
vehicle—these last 6 digits make the vehicle unique (think of DNA). It
can also help to identify whether the vehicle was the first, the
hundredth, or the last vehicle off the manufacturer’s assembly line
Get a
FREE VIN Check from AutoCheck®.
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