How to decode a VIN by section

A 17-character VIN splits into three sections: characters 1-3 are the WMI (World Manufacturer Identifier) showing country and manufacturer; characters 4-9 are the VDS (Vehicle Descriptor) encoding model/body/engine; characters 10-17 are the VIS (Vehicle Identifier Section) with the model year, plant code, and serial number.

  1. Read characters 1-3 (WMI) — First character = country of origin (1/4/5 = USA, 2 = Canada, 3 = Mexico, J = Japan, K = Korea, W = Germany, etc.). Second character = manufacturer. Third = vehicle type or division.
  2. Read characters 4-9 (VDS) — Manufacturer-specific encoding of model, body style, engine type, restraint system. Character 9 is a check digit that mathematically validates the VIN.
  3. Read character 10 (model year) — 1980 = A, 1981 = B, ... 2000 = Y, 2001 = 1, 2009 = 9, 2010 = A again (year codes recycle every 30 years; cross-check with the manufacture date).
  4. Read character 11 (plant code) — Assembly plant identifier. Manufacturer-specific.
  5. Read characters 12-17 (serial) — Vehicle serial number within the production run. Useful for warranty and recall identification.
  6. Run the free decoder — vincheck.it.com/vin-decoder does all of the above plus pulls NHTSA-issued spec data the structural decode can't show.

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