Vehicle Identification Number Decoder
Reference page for Identifying Vehicle Specifics From Your VIN Number
Automobiles are made all over the world these days. Often, this creates parts variances due to these variable locations. The VIN number on a vehicle is more than just a serial number. It tells the cars origin story. This can be very crucial when it comes to buying parts.
There will be times when you have parts that just don't seem to be correct when using just the make and model. The reason is, different braking systems, or emissions or even computer systems are used due to the part of the world the vehicle was manufactured. So just giving your year, make, model and engine size won't give the parts person accurate enough information.
This reference page will prepare you for information you may need when working on your vehicle. It really helps to know where your vehicle was made, the type engine used, assembly plant and especially country. Use the decoder below to help you identify these specifics. This decoding only works for 1980 and up. Before 1980, VIN numbers were few as 5 digits to 13 digits. Today's standard is 17 digits.
NOTE: VIN's do not include the letters I (i), O (o), Q (q), U (u) or Z (z), or the number 0, so that they will not be confused with similar looking numbers/letters.
Vehicle Identification Number Decoder
Identify Your Year By 10th Digit In VIN Number
| Code | Year |
|---|---|
| A | 1980 |
| B | 1981 |
| C | 1982 |
| D | 1983 |
| E | 1984 |
| F | 1985 |
| G | 1986 |
| H | 1987 |
| J | 1988 |
| K | 1989 |
| L | 1990 |
| M | 1991 |
| N | 1992 |
| P | 1993 |
| R | 1994 |
| S | 1995 |
| T | 1996 |
| V | 1997 |
| W | 1998 |
| X | 1999 |
| Y | 2000 |
| 1 | 2001 |
| 2 | 2002 |
| 3 | 2003 |
| 4 | 2004 |
| 5 | 2005 |
| 6 | 2006 |
| 7 | 2007 |
| 8 | 2008 |
| 9 | 2009 |
| A | 2010 |
| B | 2011 |
| C | 2012 |
| D | 2013 |
| E | 2014 |
| F | 2015 |
| G | 2016 |
| H | 2017 |
| J | 2018 |
| K | 2019 |
| L | 2020 |
| M | 2021 |
| N | 2022 |
| P | 2023 |
Identify The World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)
Identify the Country of Origin from the 1st digit in the VIN number. This will tell you what region of the world the vehicle was manufactured.
| WMI 1st Digit | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A-H | Africa | AA-AH = South Africa |
| J-R | Asia | >J = Japan |
| KL-KR = South Korea | ||
| L = China | ||
| MA-ME = India | ||
| MF-MK = Indonesia | ||
| ML-MR = Thailand | ||
| MS = Myanmar | ||
| PA-PE = Philippines | ||
| PL-PR = Malaysia | ||
| RF-RG = Taiwan | ||
| S-Z | Europe | SA-SM = United Kingdom |
| SN-ST, W = Germany | ||
| SU-SZ = Poland | ||
| TA-TH = Switzerland | ||
| TJ-TP = Czech Republic | ||
| TR-TV = Hungary | ||
| TW = Portugal | ||
| VA-VE = Austria | ||
| VF-VR = France | ||
| VS-VW = Spain | ||
| VX-V2 = Yugoslavia | ||
| XL-XM = The Netherlands | ||
| XS-XW = USSR | ||
| X3-X0 = Russia | ||
| YA-YE = Belgium | ||
| YF-YK = Finland | ||
| YS-YW = Sweden | ||
| ZA-ZR = Italy | ||
| 1 - 5 | North America | 1, 4, 5 = United States |
| 2 = Canada | ||
| 3 = Mexico | ||
| 6 - 7 | Oceania | 6A-6W = Australia |
| 7A-7E = New Zealand | ||
| 8 - 0 | South America | 8A-8E = Argentina |
| 8F-8J = Chile | ||
| 8X-82 = Venezuela | ||
| 9A-9E, 93-99 = Brazil | ||
| 9F-9J = Colombia |
Additional Truck VIN Information
When working on passenger pickup trucks, often specific details about the truck are needed. For an example; for shocks, there may be a variance on the part number based on GVWR, line or series. This is another case just providing year make and model will not provide enough information to get the correct part.
The 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th digits in the VIN number will provide you with the information a parts department will need. Here is what each digit means in the VIN number.
4th = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
5th = Line/Chassis Type
6th = Series
7th = Body Type
Chevrolet GMC Pickup Truck Additional VIN Info
| 4th Digit | 5th Digit | 6th Digit | 7th Digit |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 0-3,000 lbs. | B incomplete | 1 ½ ton & 1500 | 1 cutaway van |
| B 3,001-4,000 lbs. | C 4×2 full-size pickup | 2 ¾ ton & 2500 | 2 forward control |
| C 4,001-5,000 lbs. | E 4×2 compact pickup | 3 1 ton & 3500 | 3 four-door cab |
| D 5,001-6,000 lbs. | G 4×2 minivan | 4 ½ ton heavy duty | 4 two-door cab |
| E 6,001-7,000 lbs. | H cutaway chassis | 5 3 ton (GMC Mexico only) | 5 van |
| F 7,001-8,000 lbs. | J 4×4 compact pickup | 6 ½ ton Luxury & 1500 Luxury | 6 Suburban |
| G 8,001-9,000 lbs. | K 4×4 full-size pickup | 7 ¾ ton Luxury & 2500 Luxury | 7 motor home chassis |
| H 9,001-10,000 lbs. | L 4×4 minivan | 8 1 ton Luxury & 3500 Luxury | 8 two-door sport-utility |
| J 10,001-14,000 lbs. | M 4×2 minivan | 9 incomplete | 9 extended cab stake/platform |
| K 14,001-16,000 lbs. | P forward control chassis | 0 extended wheelbase minivan | 0 chassis only sedan pickup |
| L 16,001-19,500 lbs. | R 4×2 full-size pickup | ||
| M 19.501-26,000 lbs. | S 4×2 sport-utility | ||
| T 4×4 sport-utility | |||
| U 4×2 APV | |||
| V 4×4 full-size pickup | |||
| W Chevrolet El Camino | |||
| X 4×4 APV |
Dodge Trucks Additional VIN Info
| 4th Digit | 5th Digit | 6th Digit | 7th Digit |
|---|---|---|---|
| D 0-3,000 lbs. | B Ram wagon/van | 0 150S | 1 van |
| E 3,001-4,000 lbs. | C Ram cab chassis/4×2 pick-up | 1 150/1500 | 2 2-door Club Cab |
| F 4,001-5,000 lbs. | E Ram cab chassis/4×2 pick-up | 2 250/2500 | 3 Club Cab/4-door Quad Cab |
| G 5,001-6,000 lbs. | F Ram cab chassis/4×4 pick-up | 3 350/3500 | 4 extended wagon / van |
| H 6,001-7,000 lbs. | G Dakota/sport 4×4 | 6 miscellaneous | 5 wagon |
| J 7,001-8,000 lbs. | L Dakota/sport 4×2 | 6 conventional cab/cab chassis | |
| K 8,001-9,000 lbs. | R Durango 4×2 | 7 2-door sport-utility | |
| L 9,001-10,000 lbs. | S Durango 4×4 | ||
| M 10,001-14,000 lbs. | |||
| W bus/incomplete w/hydraulic brakes |
Ford Trucks Additional VIN Info
| 4th Digit | 5th Digit | 6th Digit | 7th Digit |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 0-3,000 lbs. | C E-Series chassis | 0 150 series Flareside | 0 Econoline RV cutaway |
| B 3,001-4,000 lbs. | C Econoline chassis | 1 150 series Styleside & Econoline | 1 Econoline Club Wagon passenger van |
| C 4,001-5,000 lbs. | E E-Series cargo van | 2 250 series | 4 Econoline cargo van |
| D 5,001-6,000 lbs. | E Econoline cargo van | 3 350 series | 7 Econoline commercial cutaway |
| E 6,001-7,000 lbs. | F F-series pick-up, regular cab | 4 Super Duty series | 7 F-series 4x2 |
| F 7,001-8,000 lbs. | R Ranger pick-up | 8 F-series 4x4 | |
| G 8,001-8,500 lbs. | W F-series Crew pick-up | 9 Econoline commercial basic | |
| H 8,501-9,000 lbs. | X F-series SuperCab pick-up | ||
| J 9,001-10,000 lbs. | |||
| K 10,001-14,000 lbs. | |||
| L 14,001-16,000 lbs. | |||
| M 16,001-19,500 lbs. | |||
| R 6,001-7,000 lbs. |
