World Wide 2008 back to 1988 Vin Alpha Numeric ID decoding Information

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) Note than not all the codes have 3 positions. In the case of two position codes, the blank code is not a blank, but usually represents part of the body style or division. If the third position is a "9", it means that the manufacturer will produce less than 500 units per year.Digit 1Digit 2Digit 3ManufacturerCountry1F
FordUSA1G
General MotorsUSA1GCGeneral Motors / ChevroletUSA1GMGeneral Motors / PontiacUSA1L
Ford / LincolnUSA1L
Ford / MercuryUSA1N
Nissan USAUSA1VWVolkswagen USAUSA1YVMazda USAUSA2Y
Ford CanadaCanada2Y1Chevrolet CanadaCanada2G1Pontiac CanadaCanada2G
General Motors CanadaCanada2HMHyundai CanadaCanada2M
Mercury CanadaCanada3F
Ford MexicoMexico3G
General Motors MexicoMexico3VWVolkswagen MexicoMexico4F
Mazda USAUSA4M
MercuryUSA4S
Subaru-Isuzu AutomotiveUSA4USBMW USAUSA5L
LincolnUSA6F
Ford AustraliaAustralia6H
General Motors Holden AustraliaAustralia6MMMitsubishi AustraliaAustralia6T1Toyota AustraliaAustralia9BWVolkswagen BrazilBrazilJA
IsuzuJapanJF
SubaruJapanJH
HondaJapanJM
MazdaJapanJN
NissanJapanJS
SuzukiJapanJT
ToyotaJapanKL
DaewooKoreaKMHHyundaiKoreaKN
KiaKoreaSAJJaguarEnglandSALLand RoverEnglandSCCLotus carsEnglandTRUAudiGermanyVF1RenaultFranceVF3PeugeotFranceVF7CitroenFranceVAUAudiGermanyWBABMWGermanyWBABMWGermanyWDBMercedes-BenzGermanyWP0PorcheGermanyWV2VolkswagenGermanyWVWVolkswagenGermanyYK1SaabFindland, SweedenYS1SaabFindland, SweedenZDFFerrari DinoItalyZFAFiatItalyZFFFerrariItalyModel Year Position #10J1988K1989L1990M1991N1992P1993R1994S1995T1996V1997W1998X1999Y20001200122002320034200452005620067200782008Each character or digit has a particular purpose.They are as follows:1G1JF27W8GJ1782271234567891011121314151617Country ManufacturedManufacturerVehicle TypeVehicle FeaturesAccuracy Check DigitModel YearProduction PlantSequential NumberThe 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 worksSTEP 1Assign 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=7B=2 H=8 R=9 Y=8C=3 J=1 S=2 Z=9D=4 K=2 T=3E=5 M=3 U=4F=6 N=4 V=5STEP 2Multiply 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 = 92nd = 7 11th = 83rd = 6 12th = 74th = 5 13th = 65th = 4 14th = 56th = 3 15th = 47th = 2 16th = 38th = 10 17th = 29th = check digitSTEP 3Add the products from steps 1 and 2 and divide the total by 11.STEP 4The 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