Free VIN decoder & vehicle inspection insights
Know what to check before you buy.
Free vehicle specifications and recall campaigns from NHTSA. Turn public records into a practical inspection checklist.
U.S. vehicle data. Coverage varies by vehicle.
Guide
How to read a VIN
Since model year 1981, every road vehicle sold in the United States carries a 17-character vehicle identification number defined by federal regulation 49 CFR Part 565. The letters I, O and Q are never used, to avoid confusion with 1 and 0.
A VIN identifies how a vehicle left the factory. It does not record what happened afterwards: owners, accidents, mileage and repairs live in separate systems.
Where to find it
- Base of the windshield, driver side
- Certification label on the driver door jamb
- Title, registration and insurance card
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Country or region Where the manufacturer is based or the vehicle was built. 1, 4 and 5 are the United States; 2 is Canada; J is Japan; W is Germany. |
| 2–3 | Manufacturer Together with position 1 this forms the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), assigned by SAE International. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle descriptor Manufacturer-defined codes for model line, body style, restraint system, engine and series. |
| 9 | Check digit A weighted checksum of the other 16 characters. Mandatory in North America; a mismatch usually means a transcription error. |
| 10 | Model year A letter or digit on a 30-year cycle. K is 1989 or 2019; context from other positions resolves which. |
| 11 | Assembly plant Manufacturer-defined code for the factory that built the vehicle. |
| 12–17 | Production sequence The serial number. Small-volume makers use positions 12–14 as part of the manufacturer code. |
Sources & methodology
A cited report, with clear limits
vinlentra combines public federal records into an inspection checklist. Each finding names its source, and unavailable facts stay clearly labeled instead of being guessed.
| Source | Publisher | What we use it for | Coverage | Nature of record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Information Catalog (vPIC) | NHTSA | Factory specifications, equipment, plant of manufacture | Model year 1981 onward | Manufacturer-submitted |
| Recalls database | NHTSA | Safety recall campaigns, consequences and remedies | Campaigns by year, make and model | Manufacturer-filed, NHTSA-published |
| Office of Defects Investigation complaints | NHTSA | Owner-reported defects grouped by vehicle system | Complaints filed by owners | Owner-submitted, not verified |
| Fuel economy data | U.S. EPA / DOE | Referenced for fuel cost considerations | Model year 1984 onward | Lab-tested ratings |
What we will not claim
Some of the most important facts about a used car are not in a VIN and not in our sources. We list them on every result so a missing row is never mistaken for a clean one.
Accident and damage history
Not encoded in a VIN. Requires insurer or repair-network records, which we do not license.
Odometer readings
Not encoded in a VIN. Verify against the title, service records and the instrument cluster.
Title brands (salvage, flood, lemon)
Held by state DMVs and NMVTIS-approved providers. Not included in this report.
Number of previous owners
Not encoded in a VIN. Requires state registration records.
Exterior and interior color
Not part of the federal VIN standard for passenger vehicles.
Recall completion on this VIN
Campaigns below are by year, make and model. Confirm completion for this exact VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Pricing
Pay for analysis, not for data that should be free
Federal specification and recall data is public, so decoding it costs nothing. The report is where we do the work: grouping, cross-referencing and turning records into a checklist.
Inspection Report
For the test drive and the negotiation. Take it to your mechanic.
View sample report| Included | Decode | Inspection Report |
|---|---|---|
| Decoded factory specifications | ||
| Recall campaigns for year, make, model | ||
| Field-level data provenance | ||
| Owner-reported defects by system | ||
| Inspection checklist | ||
| Ownership cost considerations | ||
| Numbered citations |
The report is a research aid, not a mechanical inspection or vehicle history report.
Questions