

What is structure of Vehicle Identification Number?

Position 11 Shows where the vehicle was built (1 - means United States)
2-3 FT Designated the vehicle manufacturer (F - means Ford Inc.)
4-8 GHDLZ Denotes the vehicle's brand, engine size, and type
9 B Vehicle Security Code
10 G Shows Vehicle Year
11 K Indicates which plant assembled the vehicle
12-17 456923 Displays the serial number of the vehicle

The scheme below depicts a reference vehicle ID structure. Please notice that vehicles manufactured before 1981 may have less symbols than today's ISO standard VIN consisting of 17 characters.

VIN chart - a reference VIN structure

What vehicle history report may show?

A typical car identifier consists of a 17-digit code. The code is divided into several sections having specific meaning. That unique ID allows to distinguish one vehicle from another. The ID may encode such parameters like maker, factory, model, engine, trim and color. There are no vehicles that have the same codes. Manufacturers strictly pursuing ISO standards assign VIN permanently to each new vehicle coming from a production line and recorded in databases maintained by car manufacturers and government agencies like NHTSA and DMV. Buyers are not willing to get cheated while acquiring used vehicle and that is the main reason why they want to decode vehicle id number. Decoding the code may help to know the following:
  • Ownership history. A number of vehicle owners, duration of ownership, registration details, city and state of registration.

  • Technical checklist. Shows possible problems, ranging from salvage/reconstruction to Lemon check.

  • Sale history. Shows records related to vehicle loan/sale events including issuing financial institution.

  • Accident history. A list of accidents reported with exact dates and possible severity of damages incurred.

  • Recall history. Shows if vehicle has any pending or existed recalls. Recalls can include important safety related issues and defects that can affect vehicle operation.
Needless to say, all these aspects play a significant role in consumers protection. Do not hesitate to use our lookup service. What Vehicle History Report (or VHR) does contain? Here's a list of possible features: title problems, accidents, total loss, flood damage, odometer status, dealer service records, frame damage, airbag deployment, vehicle registration, recalls and more.

  • What is VIN? VIN is a Vehicle Identification Number
  • What is VIS? VIS is a Vehicle Identifier Section

NHTSA.gov    Safercar.gov    Safercar.gov