Special Offer: Free auto insurance quote from 21st Century Insurance.
21st Century Insurance will save you money or they will send you $21 check *click here for details.

Get auto insurance comparison quotes savings: InsureCom , InsuranceTracker , INSWEB , 4Insurance, Netquote , Insurance com , Electric Insurance , Insurance Finder , Electric Insurance Company

Each character or digit on the VIN has a particular purpose, and you can use the following information to check the accuracy of the car with its VIN number..

The 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 works

 

STEP 1
Assign 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=7
B=2 H=8 R=9 Y=8
C=3 J=1 S=2 Z=9
D=4 K=2 T=3
E=5 M=3 U=4
F=6 N=4 V=5


STEP 2
Multiply 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 = 9
2nd = 7 11th = 8
3rd = 6 12th = 7
4th = 5 13th = 6
5th = 4 14th = 5
6th = 3 15th = 4
7th = 2 16th = 3
8th = 10 17th = 2
9th = check digit


STEP 3
Add the products from steps 1 and 2 and divide the total by 11.

STEP 4
The 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), 199 7(V), 1998 (W), 1999 (X), 2000 (Y)------2001(1), 2002 (2), 2004 (3)

Eleventh vehicle identification number digit reveals the assembly plant for the vehicle.

The twelfth to seventeenth vehicle identification number digits indicate the sequence of the vehicle for production as it rolled of the manufacturers assembly line.

The Vehicle Identification Number was originally described in ISO Standard 3779 in February 1977 and last revised in 1983. The ISO-VIN was designed to identify motor vehicles, trailers, motorcycles and mopeds and consists of three sections:

WMI - World Manufacturer Identifier, which uniquely identifies the maker of the vehicle. It occupies the first three positions of the VIN, except when a manufacturer builds less than 500 vehicles per year, in which case the third digit is always a 9 and the 12th, 13th and 14th position of the VIN are used for the second part of the WMI. The WMI is described in ISO 3780.

VDS - Vehicle Descriptor Section. These 6 characters occupy positions 4 through 9 of the VIN and may be used by the manufacturer to identify attributes of the vehicle.

VIS - Vehicle Identifier Section. The last 8 characters of the VIN are used for the identification a of specific vehicle. The last four characters shall always be numeric.

ISO 3779 makes a provision for a code for the year in which a vehicle is built. When a manufacturer uses a year code, ISO recommends that the 10th position of the VIN is used.

The same applies to the use of a factory code. When a manufacturer uses a factory or plant code, ISO recommends that the 11th position of the VIN is used. In the VIN-code, capital letters A through Z and numbers 1 through 0 may be used, except the letters I, O and Q for obvious reasons. No signs or spaces are allowed in the VIN.

VIN number check is very important because you can learn the history and a lot of information about a vehicle. You can find out if a car is a lemon. First, you want to make sure that the VIN number on the car is the same as the description of the car. You need to check the engine compartment and all possible places (dashboard, hood, ) for that particular model, type and year of vehicle, make sure each of the VIN sticker match with the one on the body.

565.6 Content requirements. Vehicle Identification Numbers VIN:

Content requirements
Code of Federal Regulations
Title 49, Volume 5, Parts 400 to 999
Revised as of October 1, 2000
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
CITE: 49CFR565.6

[Page 160-162]

TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

CHAPTER V--
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

PART 565--VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER REQUIREMENTS--Table of Contents

Sec. 565.6 Content requirements.

The VIN shall consist of four sections of characters which shall be grouped accordingly:

(a) The first section shall consist of three characters that occupy positions one through three (1-3) in the VIN. This section shall uniquely identify the manufacturer, make and type of the motor vehicle if its manufacturer produces 500 or more motor vehicles of its type annually. If the manufacturer produces less than 500 motor vehicles of its type annually, these characters along with the third, fourth and fifth characters of the fourth section shall uniquely identify the manufacturer, make and type of the motor vehicle. These characters are assigned in accordance with Sec. 565.7(a).

(b) The second section shall consist of five characters, which occupy positions four through eight (4-8) in the VIN. This section shall uniquely identify the attributes of the vehicle as specified in Table I. For passenger cars, and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg. (10,000 lbs.) or less, the first and second characters shall be alphabetic and the third and fourth characters shall be numeric. The fifth character may be either alphabetic or numeric. The characters utilized and their placement within the section may be determined by the manufacturer, but the specified attributes must be decipherable with information supplied by the manufacturer in accordance with Sec. 565.7

(c). In submitting the required information to NHTSA relating to gross vehicle weight rating, the designations in Table II shall be used. The use of these designations within the VIN itself is not required.

Tables I and II follow:

Table I--Type of Vehicle and Information Decipherable

Passenger car: Line, series, body type, engine type and restraint system type.

Multipurpose passenger vehicle: Line, series, body type, engine type, gross vehicle weight rating.

[Page 161]

Truck: Model or line, series, chassis, cab type, engine type, brake system and gross vehicle weight rating.

Bus: Model or line, series, body type, engine type, and brake system

Trailer, including trailer kits and incomplete trailer: Type of trailer, body type, length and axle configuration.

Motorcycle: Type of motorcycle, line, engine type, and net brake horsepower.

Incomplete Vehicle other than a trailer: Model or line, series, cab type, engine type and brake system.

Note to Table I: Engine net brake horsepower when encoded in the VIN shall differ by no more than 10 percent from the actual net brake horsepower; shall in the case of motorcycle with an actual net brake horsepower of 2 or less, be not more than 2; and shall be greater than 2 in the case of a motorcycle with an actual brake horsepower greater than

2. Table II--Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Classes

Class A--Not greater than 1360 kg. (3,000 lbs.)
Class B--Greater than 1360 kg. to 1814 kg. (3,001-4,000 lbs.)
Class C--Greater than 1814 kg. to 2268 kg. (4,001-5,000 lbs.)
Class D--Greater than 2268 kg. to 2722 kg. (5,001-6,000 lbs.)
Class E--Greater than 2722 kg. to 3175 kg. (6,001-7,000 lbs.)
Class F--Greater than 3175 kg. to 3629 kg. (7,001-8,000 lbs.)
Class G--Greater than 3629 kg. to 4082 kg. (8,001-9,000 lbs.)
Class H--Greater than 4082 kg. to 4536 kg. (9,001-10,000 lbs.)
Class 3--Greater than 4536 kg. to 6350 kg. (10,001-14,000 lbs.)
Class 4--Greater than 6350 kg. to 7257 kg. (14,001-16,000 lbs.)
Class 5--Greater than 7257 kg. to 8845 kg. (16,001-19,500 lbs.)
Class 6--Greater than 8845 kg. to 11793 kg. (19,501-26,000 lbs.)
Class 7--Greater than 11793 kg. to 14968 kg.(26,001-33,000 lbs.)
Class 8--Greater than 14968 kg. (33,001 lbs. and over)

(c) The third section shall consist of one character, which occupies position nine (9) in the VIN. This section shall be the check digit whose purpose is to provide a means for verifying the accuracy of any VIN transcription. After all other characters in VIN have been determined by the manufacturer, the check digit shall be calculated by carrying out the mathematical computation specified in paragraphs (c) (1) through (4) of this section.

(1) Assign to each number in the VIN its actual mathematical value and assign to each letter the value specified for it in Table III, as follows:
Table III--Assigned Values

(2) Multiply the assigned value for each character in the VIN by the position weight factor specified in Table IV, as follows:

Table IV-- VIN Position and Weight Factor

(3) Add the resulting products and divide the total by 11.
(4) The numerical remainder is the check digit. If the remainder is 10 the letter ``X'' shall be used to designate the check digit. The correct numeric remainder, zero through nine (0-9) or the letter ``X,'' shall appear in VIN position nine (9).

(5) A sample check digit calculation is shown in Table V as follows:

Table V--Calculation of a Check Digit
VIN Position................................ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Sample VIN.................................. 1 G 4 A H 5 9 H .. 5 G 1 1 8 3 4 1.
Assigned Value.............................. 1 7 4 1 8 5 9 8 .. 5 7 1 1 8 3 4 1.
Weight Factor............................... 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 10 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Multiply Assigned value times weight factor. 8 49 24 5 32 15 18 80 0 45 56 7 6 40 12 12 2

Add products: 8+49+24+5+32+15+18+80+0+45+56+7+6+40+12+12+2 = 411
Divide by 11: 411/11 = 37 4/11
The remainder is 4; this is the check digit to be inserted in position nine (9) of the VIN

(d) The fourth section shall consist of eight characters, which occupy positions ten through seventeen (10-17) of the VIN. The last five

(5) characters of this section shall be numeric for passenger cars and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg. (10,000 lbs.) or less, and the last four (4) characters shall be numeric for all other vehicles. (1) The first character of the fourth section shall represent the vehicle model year. The year shall be designated as indicated in Table VI as follows:

Table VI--Year Codes for VIN

(2) The second character of the fourth section shall represent the plant of manufacture.

(3) The third through the eighth characters of the fourth section shall represent the number sequentially assigned by the manufacturer in the production process if the manufacturer produces 500 or more vehicles of its type annually. If the manufacturer produces less than 500 motor vehicles of its type annually, the third, fourth and fifth characters of the fourth section, combined with the three characters of the first section, shall uniquely identify the manufacturer, make and type of the motor vehicle and the sixth, seventh, and eighth characters of the fourth section shall represent the number sequentially assigned by the manufacturer in the production process.

Courtesy of NHTSA

Offers unlimited VIN number check for auto vehicle history report, i.e., odometer rollback, recall, Lemon Car Check, car accident report, salvage, or flood from AutoCheck database

Click here to try the free Vin number Check

Reveal the full history of one or many cars... RISK-FREE!
Be sure that the car you buy has a CLEAN HISTORY with a Vehicle History Report. It's a small investment in your peace of mind.

Purchase today. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, contact us to receive a 100% refund on the purchase of your report.

What is a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) ?
A car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) is the identifying code for your SPECIFIC automobile. It is your car's fingerprint. It sets their vehicles apart from the millions of vehicles out there. Recently the VIN is reflected by 17 digit characters. It displays a car’s uniqueness and manufacturer and provides a method to trace your car from the factory to the junk yard. Your VIN can be used to track recalls, registrations, warranty claims, thefts and insurance coverage. If you want to know the history of your car visit our car vehicle identification number (VIN) service check

Visit the following links to understand more about VIN number:

FREE Vin Number Check

Back to Lemon History Check > VIN Number Check

3447 vehicle history report
56 a free auto history report on a vehicle
35 free full history report vehicle
29 free history online report vehicle

276 vehicle history check
202 vehicle history check

8076 vehicle history
4184 vehicle history report
3447 vehicle history report
847 vehicle history
276 vehicle history check
272 vehicle history search
202 vehicle history check
158 used vehicle history
149 history report sample vehicle

1902 autocheck
144 autocheck AutoCheck compare
77 experian autocheck
25 autocheck autochk found not program skipping

73 auto spell check
58 free auto history check
57 auto financing check credit no
57 auto vin number check
49 auto background check
43 auto check credit no sales
43 auto check part
39 auto Check Car Title
38 auto check tag
35 auto check free record
31 free auto Lemon Car Check
31 auto price check
27 auto check credit dealer no
26 auto check free report
25 auto check list repair
25 auto VIN Check

31 car report seat
30 car consumer rating report seat
30 car consumer report safety seat
30 car fact report
27 car consumer price report used
27 car consumer report suv
27 car report wax
26 car performance report
25 aid car lemon report
25 car consumer report report
25 car free full history report
25 car report test

2179 vin number check
539 free vin number check
144 car vin number check
102 check motorcycle number vin
99 vehicle vin number check
57 auto vin number check
40 car check number used vin
37 car check free number vin

AutoCheck DMV

3952 vin check
2179 vin number check
1775 free vin check
539 free vin number check
428 motorcycle vin check
289 check vin numbers
201 car vin check
181 auto vin check
144 car vin number check
144 vehicle vin check
119 free car vin check
102 check motorcycle number vin
99 vehicle vin number check
76 free auto vin check
57 auto vin number check
49 check free numbers vin
43 check classic car vin
40 car check number used vin
40 check car vin numbers
39 vin check digit
37 car check free number vin
37 vin Lemon Car Check
35 vin VIN Check
34 used car vin check
32 free vin history check
31 automobile vin check
29 atv check vin
28 vin history check
26 canada check vin
25 check ford vin

3447 vehicle history report
847 vehicle history
202 vehicle history check
56 a free auto history report on a vehicle
45 free history vehicle vin
35 free full history report vehicle
29 free history online report vehicle

45 vehicle repair history
42 electric history vehicle
42 vehicle identification number history
41 vehicle history record
41 used vehicle history report
38 vehicle owner history
36 motor vehicle history report
36 history sport utility vehicle
35 vehicle history by vin
35 find vehicle history
35 free full history report vehicle
35 history military vehicle
35 vehicle registration history
34 vehicle history information

155 car accident attorney tennessee
155 accident car current event
155 car accident insurance
154 car accident investigator
152 brooklyn car accident lawyer
151 personal injury car accident
151 serious car accident
144 accident bush car laura
144 accident car danny heatly

112 consumer report used car guide
106 car and driver report
103 car consumer report review
102 car consumer report tire
101 consumer report on baby car seat
100 car accident police report
100 best car consumer report
97 audio car consumer report
93 car minority report
92 consumer report car buying guide
88 consumer report best used car
86 canada car consumer report
86 car child consumer report seat
86 car consumer report stereo
85 used car history report
84 2004 car consumer report
78 car lemon report
71 used car reliability report
66 2004 car consumer report
66 car battery consumer report
65 consumer report car insurance
65 car edmonds report

64 alarm car consumer report
64 free used car history report
63 car vin report
57 consumer report car buying
57 car consumer convertible report seat
57 free car fact report
56 car report safety seat
53 canadian car consumer report
47 car edmunds report
45 consumer report safest car
43 car consumer price report
42 car consumer report seat toddler
39 car consumer hybrid report
38 accident car florida report
38 booster car consumer report seat
36 car consumer new price report
35 comsumer report used car rating
34 car crash report test
34 car mtbf report
34 car report theft
33 accident car free report
33 car repair report
32 car consumer rating report safety
31 buying car consumer guide report used

51 vehicle accident history
49 consumer guide vehicle history report
45 free history vehicle vin

30 canada history report vehicle
29 free history online report vehicle
28 history motorcycle report vehicle
25 car vehicle history
25 dodge history vehicle

127 motor vehicle history
114 vehicle title history
79 AutoCheck Vehicle History Report
74 vehicle history vin
63 history terrain vehicle
61 ford history vehicle
56 a free auto history report on a vehicle

185 accident car danny heatley
185 drunk driving car accident
181 new york car accident attorney
178 accident car in uk year
176 car accident whiplash
174 car accident attorney manhattan
167 car accident lawsuit
165 accident advise car medical
160 car accident lawyer tennessee
158 car accident maryland
157 accident car lisa lopez
156 accident car in injury

SHOPPING