RunThatVIN

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How VINs actually work

Plain explanations of the seventeen-character standard, with the lookup tables you would otherwise have to hunt for.

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How to read a VIN

What each of the seventeen positions encodes, section by section.

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Where to find the VIN

Cars, motorcycles, RVs, ATVs and trailers — and on the paperwork.

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VIN year chart, 1980 to 2039

Position 10 decoded, and why the cycle repeats every thirty years.

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How the check digit works

The arithmetic behind position 9, worked through by hand.

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Why a VIN won't decode

Pre-1981 vehicles, grey imports, typos and nonstandard numbers.

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Imported vehicles and the 25-year rule

NHTSA's 25-year exemption, registered importers, the HS-7, and why an import's VIN and recalls may not show up.

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What to verify by VIN before you buy

The free checks worth ten minutes, in the order worth doing them.

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What a free VIN check covers

The free official checks, what each one shows and misses, and what you only get in a paid report.

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How to check if a car is stolen

NICB VINCheck, NMVTIS, matching the VIN to the paperwork, and what to do if something is off.

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Window stickers and the Buyers Guide

What the Monroney label and the FTC Used Car Buyers Guide must show, and how to match the VIN on each.

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Lemon law buybacks

What federal warranty law covers, why state rules vary, and how to check a used car for a buyback.

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VIN cloning and fraud

Why a cloned VIN passes every check, and what actually catches it.

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VIN parts marking and theft

Why major parts carry the VIN, which vehicles are exempt, NHTSA theft rates, and whether window etching is required.

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Odometer fraud

How rollback works, the signs on a used car, and what the law requires at sale.

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Flood-damaged cars

How flood cars reach the market, the signs to check, and what title records and a VIN can and can't show.

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How vehicle recalls work

From defect finding to Part 573 report, owner letter, free remedy and campaign number.

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Getting a recall repaired

Check the VIN, book a dealer, and handle parts delays, reimbursement and refusals.

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Recall history by VIN

What NHTSA's VIN search shows, where completed recalls are recorded, and what to ask when buying.

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Recalls vs service bulletins

Recalls, TSBs, service campaigns and warranty extensions: who pays and where to look.

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Over-the-air recalls

Why a software update is still a recall, how owners are told, and how to check it reached your car.

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Car seat recalls

Car seats have no VIN. How to check a child seat for recalls, register it, and what to do after a crash.

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NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

What the crash and rollover ratings test, why they go by year, make and model, and how to compare them.

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Tire identification number

How to read the DOT code on a sidewall, the week and year a tire was made, and how tire recalls work.

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The Takata airbag recall

NHTSA's figures, Do Not Drive warnings, and how to check one car for the free repair.

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WMI codes explained

VIN positions 1–3: who assigns them, what they say about origin, and real examples.

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Motorcycle and trailer VINs

What the VIN must describe on motorcycles, trailers and low-speed vehicles, small-maker codes, and homemade trailers.

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Title brands and NMVTIS

What salvage, rebuilt and flood brands mean, and what an NMVTIS report shows.

Where to start

These guides are written to be read on their own, but most questions fall into one of four paths. Pick the one that matches what you are trying to do.

You have a VIN and want to know what it says

Start with how to read a VIN, which walks through all seventeen positions. The first three are the manufacturer code, covered in WMI codes explained. Position 10 is the model year, and the year chart lists every code from 1980 to 2039. If a lookup returns nothing, why a VIN won't decode covers the usual causes, and how the check digit works shows the arithmetic behind position 9.

You are about to buy a used car

Read what to verify by VIN before you buy first. It links out to the checks that need more depth: title brands and NMVTIS, odometer fraud, flood-damaged cars, VIN cloning and lemon law buybacks. What a free VIN check covers lists the free official checks, and how to check if a car is stolen walks through the theft check. On a dealer's lot, window stickers and the Buyers Guide explains what the paperwork on the glass has to show.

You want to know about recalls

How vehicle recalls work explains the process from defect to remedy, and getting a recall repaired covers what an owner does next. Recall history by VIN explains what a VIN search does and doesn't show. Tires and child car seats have no VIN, so they have their own guides: tire identification number and car seat recalls.

Your vehicle is not an ordinary passenger car

Motorcycles, trailers and low-speed vehicles follow the same VIN rules with a few differences, covered in motorcycle and trailer VINs. For a vehicle built for another market, see imported vehicles and the 25-year rule.

Every guide lists the primary sources it relies on, such as NHTSA, the Code of Federal Regulations and the FTC. How we choose and check those sources is set out in how we write and check this site and on the data sources page.