What are the 3 most important digits of a VIN?
The first digit defines the country of origin or the final point of assembly of your vehicle.
- The second digit indicates the manufacturer and the region where your vehicle was produced.
- The third digit, when coupled with the first two digits, indicates your vehicle’s type or manufacturing division.
What letters and numbers are not used in a VIN?
In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States standardized the format. It required all on-road vehicles sold to contain a 17-character VIN, which does not include the letters O (o), I (i), and Q (q) (to avoid confusion with numerals 0, 1, and 9).
How do I interpret my VIN number?
How to decode a VIN?
- Digits 1 through 3 combined is the WMI, (World Manufacturer Identifier).
- Digits 4 through 8 represent the vehicle descriptor section.
- Digit 9 is a check digit.
- Digits 10 through 17 is the Vehicle Identifier Section.
- The 11th digit is the manufacturer’s plant code.
When did they start putting VIN numbers on cars?
A vehicle identification number is a distinctive serial number used by automotive manufacturers to identify each individual motor vehicle. Vehicle identification numbers were first used on motor vehicles in 1954; each manufacturer used their own VIN format until 1981 and made the system very confusing.
What does the eleventh digit on a VIN number mean?
This digit simply shows what plant the vehicle was assembled at. So in our VIN number decoding example the vehicle was assembled in Pontiac Michigan, based on “E” being the eleventh digit. The last six VIN digits are the sequence production numbers. You’ll see this abbreviated in the VIN number decoder as SP No.
Which is the most common character in a VIN?
This is the most common character used in a VIN, the 10th character from the left will tell you what year the vehicle is. Free VIN Check Here! The first character of a VIN will tell you the Country of origin where the vehicle was made. Here are a few of the most common Country of origin VIN Codes:
When did the NHTSA start requiring VIN numbers?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began requiring standardized VINs in 1954 for all road vehicles. Vehicles model year 1981 and newer have a VIN made up of 17 characters (letters and numerals). Before that, the VIN length and format varied among vehicles.