Makes
Ford VIN decoder
Decode any Ford VIN for manufacturer specifications and NHTSA safety recall campaigns, and see which World Manufacturer Identifiers NHTSA has on record for Ford.
Enter all 17 characters. The decoder reads the make, model and year from the whole VIN, not just the first three characters.
Ford WMI codes
The first three characters of a VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier. NHTSA lists 54 of them for Ford. Ford Motor Company also builds Lincoln vehicles, so some of these codes belong to Lincoln models. They were issued across 7 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway and United States (USA). They span 6 vehicle types, listed separately below.
The country shown is where the identifier was issued, which usually but not always matches where a given vehicle was assembled. The eleventh character identifies the specific plant. A single WMI can cover more than one vehicle type, so some codes appear in more than one table.
Passenger Car 15 codes
| WMI | Registered entity | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1F7 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1FA | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1FL | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Norway |
| 1L1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1ME | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1MR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 2FA | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2ME | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 3FA | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 3LN | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 3MA | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 3ME | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 6MP | FORD MOTOR CO OF AUSTRALIA LTD. | Australia |
Truck 9 codes
| WMI | Registered entity | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1FT | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 2FT | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 3FT | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 4F3 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 4F4 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 4M4 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 4N4 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 5LT | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 9BF | FORD MOTOR COMPANY BRASIL LTDA. | Brazil |
Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) 11 codes
| WMI | Registered entity | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1F1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1FM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 2FM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2LM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2MR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 3FM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 4F2 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 4M2 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 4N2 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 5L1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 5LM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
Bus 3 codes
| WMI | Registered entity | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1FB | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 2FB | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | United States (USA) |
| 3FB | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
Incomplete Vehicle 15 codes
| WMI | Registered entity | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1FC | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1FD | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1LJ | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 1MH | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 2FC | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2FD | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2L1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2LJ | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 2MH | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD. | Canada |
| 3FC | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 3FD | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 3FE | FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO | Mexico |
| 4M3 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 4N3 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
| 5LD | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | United States (USA) |
Trailer 1 code
| WMI | Registered entity | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 7A5 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF NEW ZEALAND LTD | New Zealand |
Common Ford models
Some of the Ford models you are most likely to be decoding, as NHTSA spells them. Recall searches by year, make and model need that exact spelling.
- F-150
- F-250 — NHTSA recall records list the Super Duty trucks as F-250 SD, F-350 SD and so on.
- Explorer
- Escape
- Bronco
- Bronco Sport
- Ranger
- Maverick
- Expedition
- Edge
- Mustang
- Mustang Mach-E
Notable Ford recalls since 2018
A few of the largest or most serious recent safety recalls covering Ford vehicles. They are examples, not a complete list: a single model year can have a dozen campaigns. A recall on the model does not mean it is still open on a particular car, so check the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup, or see every campaign for a year and model with our recall lookup.
Structure: body, roof and pillars
Vehicles: Certain 2011-2019 Ford Explorer vehicles.
The clips that hold the trim on the A-pillars (beside the windshield) may not be fully engaged, so the trim can come loose. A trim piece that falls off becomes a road hazard for following traffic and raises the risk of a crash.
Dealers inspect the A-pillar trim and replace it as needed at no charge.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Vehicles: Certain 2021-2023 Ford Bronco, Explorer and F-250/F-350/F-450/F-550 Super Duty, 2021-2022 F-150 and Mustang, 2022 Expedition, and Lincoln Aviator and Navigator vehicles (years vary by model).
The low-pressure fuel pump can fail. A failed pump can stall the engine while driving, raising the risk of a crash.
Dealers replace the low-pressure fuel pump on Super Duty trucks and update the powertrain control module software on the other vehicles, at no charge.
Power train: automatic transmission
Vehicles: Certain 2018-2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, 2020-2021 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 Ford F-150 vehicles.
The transmission park pawl can engage while the vehicle is moving, damaging the park system. A damaged park system may fail to hold the vehicle, so it could roll away and cause a crash.
Dealers will update the powertrain control module software and inspect and replace damaged transmission parts at no charge; NHTSA's record says the remedy was anticipated to be available in April 2027, with interim warning letters sent first.
Fuel system: fuel injection
Vehicles: Certain 2020-2023 Ford Escape and 2021-2023 Ford Bronco Sport vehicles with the 1.5L engine.
A fuel injector can crack and leak fuel into the engine compartment. Fuel leaking near a hot engine or exhaust parts can start a fire.
Dealers update the engine control software to detect an injector leak and install a drain tube, at no charge.
Suspension: rear
Vehicles: Certain 2017-2019 Ford Explorer vehicles. This campaign expands recall 21V-537.
The rear suspension toe links can fracture. A broken toe link can cause a loss of steering control and raise the risk of a crash.
Dealers replace the rear toe links at no charge.
Reading the rest of a Ford VIN
Characters 4 to 8 describe the vehicle — model, body style, engine, restraint system. Ford assigns that scheme itself and files it with NHTSA, which is why decoding requires a lookup rather than arithmetic. Character 9 is the check digit, character 10 is the model year, and character 11 is the assembly plant.
See how to read a VIN for the full breakdown, or model year codes for the position 10 table.
Where the VIN is on a Ford
On the driver's side dashboard, readable through the windshield, and on a sticker in the driver's door jamb. The door jamb sticker usually carries a scannable barcode, which is more reliable than transcribing 17 characters by eye — the decoder can read it with your camera.
More detail in where to find the VIN.