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Each character or digit on the VIN has a particular purpose,
and you can use the following information to check the accuracy
of the car with its VIN number..
The first character vehicle identification number (VIN) serial
number identifies the country from which the vehicle was manufactured.
First vehicle identification number digit: U.S.A.(1 or 4), Canada
(2), Mexico (3), Japan (J), Korea (K), England (S), Germany (W),
Italy (Z)
Second vehicle identification number digit specifies the manufacturer.
Audi (A), BMW (B), Buick (4), Cadillac (6), Chevrolet (1), Chrysler
(C), Dodge (B), Ford (F), GM Canada (7), General Motors (G), Honda
(H), Jaguar (A), Lincoln (L), Mercedes Benz (D), Mercury (M),
Nissan (N), Oldsmobile (3), Pontiac (2 or 5), Plymouth (P), Saturn
(8), Toyota (T), Volvo (V).
Third vehicle identification number digit indicates the vehicle
type or manufacturing division.
Fourth through eighth vehicle identification number digit reveals
the vehicle features such as body style, engine type, model, series,
etc.
The ninth vehicle identification number digit is a VIN accuracy
check digit, verifying the previous VIN numbers. This is how the
check digit works
STEP 1
Assign to each number in the VIN its actual mathematical value
and assign to each letter the value specified for it in the
following chart:
ASSIGNED VALUES:
A=1 G=7 P=7 X=7
B=2 H=8 R=9 Y=8
C=3 J=1 S=2 Z=9
D=4 K=2 T=3
E=5 M=3 U=4
F=6 N=4 V=5
STEP 2
Multiply the assigned value for each character in the VIN by
the position weight factor specified in the following chart:
VIN POSITION AND WEIGHT FACTOR:
1st = 8 10th = 9
2nd = 7 11th = 8
3rd = 6 12th = 7
4th = 5 13th = 6
5th = 4 14th = 5
6th = 3 15th = 4
7th = 2 16th = 3
8th = 10 17th = 2
9th = check digit
STEP 3
Add the products from steps 1 and 2 and divide the total by
11.
STEP 4
The numerical remainder is the check digit which would appear
in the 9th position in the VIN. If the remainder is 10, then
the letter "X" is used for the check digit.
Tenth vehicle identification number digit tells the model year.
1988 (J), 1989 (K), 1990 (L), 1991 (M), 1992 (N), 1993 (P), 1994
(R), 1995 (S), 1996 (T), 199 7(V), 1998 (W), 1999 (X), 2000 (Y)------2001(1),
2002 (2), 2003 (3)
Eleventh vehicle identification number digit reveals the assembly
plant for the vehicle.
The twelfth to seventeenth vehicle identification number digits
indicate the sequence of the vehicle for production as it rolled
of the manufacturers assembly line.
The Vehicle Identification Number was originally described in ISO
Standard 3779 in February 1977 and last revised in 1983. The ISO-VIN
was designed to identify motor vehicles, trailers, motorcycles and
mopeds and consists of three sections:
WMI - World Manufacturer Identifier, which uniquely identifies
the maker of the vehicle. It occupies the first three positions
of the VIN, except when a manufacturer builds less than 500 vehicles
per year, in which case the third digit is always a 9 and the 12th,
13th and 14th position of the VIN are used for the second part of
the WMI. The WMI is described in ISO 3780.
VDS - Vehicle Descriptor Section. These 6 characters occupy positions
4 through 9 of the VIN and may be used by the manufacturer to identify
attributes of the vehicle.
VIS - Vehicle Identifier Section. The last 8 characters of the
VIN are used for the identification a of specific vehicle. The last
four characters shall always be numeric.
ISO 3779 makes a provision for a code for the year in which a vehicle
is built. When a manufacturer uses a year code, ISO recommends that
the 10th position of the VIN is used.
The same applies to the use of a factory code. When a manufacturer
uses a factory or plant code, ISO recommends that the 11th position
of the VIN is used. In the VIN-code, capital letters A through Z
and numbers 1 through 0 may be used, except the letters I, O and
Q for obvious reasons. No signs or spaces are allowed in the VIN.
VIN number check is very important because
you can learn the history and a lot of information about a vehicle.
You can find out if a car is a lemon. First, you want to make sure
that the VIN number on the car is the same as the description of
the car. You need to check the engine compartment and all possible
places (dashboard, hood, ) for that particular model, type and year
of vehicle, make sure each of the VIN sticker match with the one
on the body.
565.6 Content requirements. Vehicle Identification Numbers
VIN:
Content requirements
Code of Federal Regulations
Title 49, Volume 5, Parts 400 to 999
Revised as of October 1, 2000
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
CITE: 49CFR565.6
[Page 160-162]
TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
CHAPTER V--
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PART 565--VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER REQUIREMENTS--Table of
Contents
Sec. 565.6 Content requirements.
The VIN shall consist of four sections of characters which shall
be grouped accordingly:
(a) The first section shall consist of three characters that occupy
positions one through three (1-3) in the VIN. This section shall
uniquely identify the manufacturer, make and type of the motor vehicle
if its manufacturer produces 500 or more motor vehicles of its type
annually. If the manufacturer produces less than 500 motor vehicles
of its type annually, these characters along with the third, fourth
and fifth characters of the fourth section shall uniquely identify
the manufacturer, make and type of the motor vehicle. These characters
are assigned in accordance with Sec. 565.7(a).
(b) The second section shall consist of five characters, which
occupy positions four through eight (4-8) in the VIN. This section
shall uniquely identify the attributes of the vehicle as specified
in Table I. For passenger cars, and for multipurpose passenger vehicles
and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg. (10,000
lbs.) or less, the first and second characters shall be alphabetic
and the third and fourth characters shall be numeric. The fifth
character may be either alphabetic or numeric. The characters utilized
and their placement within the section may be determined by the
manufacturer, but the specified attributes must be decipherable
with information supplied by the manufacturer in accordance with
Sec. 565.7
(c). In submitting the required information to NHTSA relating to
gross vehicle weight rating, the designations in Table II shall
be used. The use of these designations within the VIN itself is
not required.
Tables I and II follow:
Table I--Type of Vehicle and Information Decipherable
Passenger car: Line, series, body type, engine type and restraint
system type.
Multipurpose passenger vehicle: Line, series, body type, engine
type, gross vehicle weight rating.
[Page 161]
Truck: Model or line, series, chassis, cab type, engine type, brake
system and gross vehicle weight rating.
Bus: Model or line, series, body type, engine type, and brake system
Trailer, including trailer kits and incomplete trailer: Type of
trailer, body type, length and axle configuration.
Motorcycle: Type of motorcycle, line, engine type, and net brake
horsepower.
Incomplete Vehicle other than a trailer: Model or line, series,
cab type, engine type and brake system.
Note to Table I: Engine net brake horsepower when encoded in the
VIN shall differ by no more than 10 percent from the actual net
brake horsepower; shall in the case of motorcycle with an actual
net brake horsepower of 2 or less, be not more than 2; and shall
be greater than 2 in the case of a motorcycle with an actual brake
horsepower greater than
2. Table II--Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Classes
Class A--Not greater than 1360 kg. (3,000 lbs.)
Class B--Greater than 1360 kg. to 1814 kg. (3,001-4,000 lbs.)
Class C--Greater than 1814 kg. to 2268 kg. (4,001-5,000 lbs.)
Class D--Greater than 2268 kg. to 2722 kg. (5,001-6,000 lbs.)
Class E--Greater than 2722 kg. to 3175 kg. (6,001-7,000 lbs.)
Class F--Greater than 3175 kg. to 3629 kg. (7,001-8,000 lbs.)
Class G--Greater than 3629 kg. to 4082 kg. (8,001-9,000 lbs.)
Class H--Greater than 4082 kg. to 4536 kg. (9,001-10,000 lbs.)
Class 3--Greater than 4536 kg. to 6350 kg. (10,001-14,000 lbs.)
Class 4--Greater than 6350 kg. to 7257 kg. (14,001-16,000 lbs.)
Class 5--Greater than 7257 kg. to 8845 kg. (16,001-19,500 lbs.)
Class 6--Greater than 8845 kg. to 11793 kg. (19,501-26,000 lbs.)
Class 7--Greater than 11793 kg. to 14968 kg.(26,001-33,000 lbs.)
Class 8--Greater than 14968 kg. (33,001 lbs. and over)
(c) The third section shall consist of one character, which occupies
position nine (9) in the VIN. This section shall be the check digit
whose purpose is to provide a means for verifying the accuracy of
any VIN transcription. After all other characters in VIN have been
determined by the manufacturer, the check digit shall be calculated
by carrying out the mathematical computation specified in paragraphs
(c) (1) through (4) of this section.
(1) Assign to each number in the VIN its actual mathematical value
and assign to each letter the value specified for it in Table III,
as follows:
Table III--Assigned Values
A = 1
B = 2
C = 3
D = 4
E = 5
|
F = 6
G = 7
H = 8
J = 1
K = 2 |
L = 3
M = 4
N = 5
P = 7
R = 9 |
S = 2
T = 3
U = 4
V = 5
W = 6 |
X = 7
Y = 8
Z = 9 |
(2) Multiply the assigned value for each character in the VIN
by the position weight factor specified in Table IV, as follows:
Table IV-- VIN Position and Weight Factor
| VIN Position |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
| Weight Factor |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
10 |
| VIN Position |
9th |
10th |
11th |
12th |
13th |
14th |
15th |
16th |
17th |
| Weight Factor |
check
digit |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
(3) Add the resulting products and divide the total by 11.
(4) The numerical remainder is the check digit. If the remainder
is 10 the letter ``X'' shall be used to designate the check digit.
The correct numeric remainder, zero through nine (0-9) or the letter
``X,'' shall appear in VIN position nine (9).
(5) A sample check digit calculation is shown in Table V as follows:
Table V--Calculation of a Check Digit
VIN Position................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Sample VIN.................................. 1 G 4 A H 5 9 H ..
5 G 1 1 8 3 4 1.
Assigned Value.............................. 1 7 4 1 8 5 9 8 ..
5 7 1 1 8 3 4 1.
Weight Factor............................... 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 10 0
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Multiply Assigned value times weight factor. 8 49 24 5 32 15 18
80 0 45 56 7 6 40 12 12 2
Add products: 8+49+24+5+32+15+18+80+0+45+56+7+6+40+12+12+2 = 411
Divide by 11: 411/11 = 37 4/11
The remainder is 4; this is the check digit to be inserted in position
nine (9) of the VIN
(d) The fourth section shall consist of eight characters, which
occupy positions ten through seventeen (10-17) of the VIN. The last
five
(5) characters of this section shall be numeric for passenger cars
and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross
vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg. (10,000 lbs.) or less, and the
last four (4) characters shall be numeric for all other vehicles.
(1) The first character of the fourth section shall represent the
vehicle model year. The year shall be designated as indicated in
Table VI as follows:
Table VI--Year Codes for VIN
| Year Code |
| 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 |
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 |
| 2010 A |
2011 B |
2012 C |
2013 D |
|
|
(2) The second character of the fourth section shall represent
the plant of manufacture.
(3) The third through the eighth characters of the fourth section
shall represent the number sequentially assigned by the manufacturer
in the production process if the manufacturer produces 500 or more
vehicles of its type annually. If the manufacturer produces less
than 500 motor vehicles of its type annually, the third, fourth
and fifth characters of the fourth section, combined with the three
characters of the first section, shall uniquely identify the manufacturer,
make and type of the motor vehicle and the sixth, seventh, and eighth
characters of the fourth section shall represent the number sequentially
assigned by the manufacturer in the production process.
Courtesy of NHTSA
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What is a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) ?
A car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) is the identifying
code for your SPECIFIC automobile. It is your car's fingerprint.
It sets their vehicles apart from the millions of vehicles out there.
Recently the VIN is reflected by 17 digit characters. It displays
a car’s uniqueness and manufacturer and provides a method
to trace your car from the factory to the junk yard. Your VIN can
be used to track recalls, registrations, warranty claims, thefts
and insurance coverage. If you want to know the history of your
car visit our car
vehicle identification number (VIN) service check
Visit the following links to understand more about VIN number:
- Applicability
and purpose - The application and the intention of VIN number
identification and recall usage.
- History
of VIN - The start of VIN number in the United States
- Content
Requirement - Learn how to read the code "decoder"
the Vehicle Identification Numbers
- Flood
Damage - How to identify Flood damage and insurance prevention.
- Glossary
- Learn the terms of the VIN number
- Motor
Vehicles - the motor vehicle import and the requirement
- Theft
- Using VIN number to indentify theft recovery vehicle.
- Theft
Fact - The statististics of top 10 stolen vehicles and
10 metropolitan areas with highest level of vehicle theft
rates.
- Theft
Prevention - Suggestion on the level of protection for
your car.
- General
Requirement - All about the requirement of VIN number on a
car
- Where
can I find my car VIN number? - Suggestions on places where
you may find vin number sticker or engraving on the body parts
of your car.
FREE Vin Number Check
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