January 30, 2009, Newsletter Issue #179: Decoding the 17-Digit Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN)

Tip of the Week

The 17-digit numbers found on Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) symbolize the following information:


- The first character- identifies the country where car was manufactured.

- The second character refers to the manufacturer. For example: eight stands for vehicles manufactured by Saturn.

- Third character refers to the type of vehicle type the manufacturing sect.

- The fourth and eighth characters identify the car's features (including the body style, model, features and so forth).

- Ninth character reveals the vehicle identification number's accuracy as a check digit.

- The tenth character refers to the car's model year. For instance, ‘Y" represents the year 2000.

- An eleventh character symbolizes the assembly plant of the vehicle.

- The twelfth and seventeenth characters- refer to the sequence of the automobile's production order when it rolled off the manufacturer's assembly line.

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