Vehicle identification number

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Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) are used to uniquely identify motor vehicles. Prior to 1980 there was not an accepted standard for these numbers, so different manufacturers used different formats. Modern day VINs consist of 17 characters that do not include the letters I, O or Q. In the United States a confidential vehicle identification number is used with certain major assemblies of a vehicle and is known only to designated persons within the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Automobile Theft Bureau.

1 Parts of the VIN
2 World Manufacturer Identifier
- 2.1 WMI Regions
- 2.2 List of common WMIs
3 Vehicle Descriptor Section
- 3.1 North American Check Digits
4 Vehicle Identifier Section
- 4.1 North American Model Year
- 4.2 North American Plant Code
5 Model year encoding
6 Check digit calculation
- 6.1 Example
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Parts of the VIN

Modern Vehicle Identification Number systems are based on two related standards originally issued by the ISO in 1979 and 1980, ISO 3779 and ISO 3780, respectively. Compatible, but somewhat different, implementations of these ISO standards have been adopted by the European Union and the United States of America.

The VIN is composed of the following sections:

Standard	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
ISO 3779	WMI			VDS						VIS
North American > 500 vehicles / year	Manufacturer Identifier			Vehicle Attributes					Check Digit	Model Year	Plant Code	Sequential Number
North American < 500 vehicles / year	Manufacturer Identifier			Vehicle Attributes					Check Digit	Model Year	Plant Code	Manufacturer Identifier			Sequential Number

[edit] World Manufacturer Identifier

The first three characters uniquely identify the manufacturer of the vehicle using the World Manufacturer Identifier or WMI code. A manufacturer that builds fewer than 500 vehicles per year uses a 9 as the third digit and the 12th, 13th and 14th position of the VIN for a second part of the identification. Some manufacturers use the third character as a code for a vehicle category (e.g., bus or truck), a division within a manufacturer, or both. For example, within 1G (assigned to General Motors in the United States), 1G1 represents Chevrolet passenger cars; 1G2, Pontiac passenger cars; and 1GC, Chevrolet trucks.

[edit] WMI Regions

The first character of the WMI is the region in which the manufacturer is located. In practice, each is assigned to a country of manufacture. Common auto-manufacturing countries are noted.

WMI	Region	Notes
A-H	Africa	AA-AH = South Africa
J-R	Asia	J = Japan KL-KR = South Korea L = China MA-ME = India MF-MK = Indonesia ML-MR = Thailand PA-PE = Philippines PL-PR = Malaysia
S-Z	Europe	SA-SM = United Kingdom SN-ST, W = Germany SU-SZ = Poland TA-TH = Switzerland TJ-TP = Czech Republic TR-TV = Hungary VA-VE = Austria VF-VR = France VS-VW = Spain VX-V2 = Yugoslavia XS-XW = USSR X3-X0 = Russia YA-YE = Belgium YF-YK = Finland YS-YW = Sweden ZA-ZR = Italy
1-5	North America	1, 4, 5 = United States 2 = Canada 3 = Mexico
6-7	Oceania	6A-6W = Australia 7A-7E = New Zealand
8-0	South America	8A-8E = Argentina 8F-8J = Chile 8X-82 = Venezuela 9A-9E, 93-99 = Brazil 9F-9J = Colombia

[edit] List of common WMIs

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in the US assigns WMIs to countries and manufacturers. The following table contains a list of commonly used WMIs, although there are many others assigned.

WMI	Manufacturer
A3	Mitsubishi
HD	Harley-Davidson
JA	Isuzu
JF	Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru)
JH	Honda
JK	Kawasaki (motorcycles)
JM	Mazda
JN	Nissan
JS	Suzuki
JT	Toyota
KL	Daewoo General Motors South Korea
KM8	Hyundai
KMH	Hyundai
KNA	Kia
KNB	Kia
KNC	Kia
KNM	Renault Samsung
L56	Renault Samsung
L5Y	MERATO MOTORCYCLE Taizhou Zhongneng
LSY	Brilliance Zhonghua
LTV	Toyota Tian Jin
LVS	Ford Chang An
LZM	MAN China
LZE	Isuzu Guangzhou
MA3	Suzuki India
SAL	Land Rover
SAJ	Jaguar
SCC	Lotus Cars
SHS	Honda UK
SJN	Nissan UK
SDB	Peugeot UK
TMB	Škoda
TMT	Tatra
TRA	Ikarus Bus
TRU	Audi Hungary
TSM	Suzuki, (Hungary)
UU1	Dacia, (Romania)
VF1	Renault
VF3	Peugeot
VF7	Citroën
VSS	SEAT
VSX	Opel Spain
VS6	Ford Spain
VSG	Nissan Spain
VSE	Suzuki Spain (Santana Motors)
VWV	Volkswagen Spain
WAU	Audi
WBA	BMW
WBS	BMW M
WDB	Mercedes-Benz
WDC	DaimlerChrysler
WF0	Ford Germany
WMW	MINI
WP0	Porsche
W0L	Opel
WVW	Volkswagen
WV1	Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
WV2	Volkswagen Bus/Van
XTA	Lada/AutoVaz (Russia)
YK1	Saab
YS3	Saab
YV1	Volvo Cars
YV2	Volvo Trucks
YV3	Volvo Buse
ZAM	Maserati Biturbo
ZAP	Piaggio Vespa
ZCG	Cagiva SpA
ZDM	Ducati Motor Holdings SpA
ZDF	Ferrari Dino
ZFA	Fiat
ZFF	Ferrari
1FA	Ford Motor Company
1FB	Ford Motor Company
1FC	Ford Motor Company
1FD	Ford Motor Company
1FM	Ford Motor Company
1FU	Freightliner
1FV	Freightliner
1F9	FWD Corp.
1G	General Motors USA
1GC	Chevrolet USA
1G6	Cadillac USA
1G2	Pontiac USA
1GM	Pontiac USA
1H	Honda USA
1L	Lincoln USA
1ME	Mercury USA
1M1	Mack Truck USA
1M2	Mack Truck USA
1M3	Mack Truck USA
1M4	Mack Truck USA
1R9	Roadrunner Hay Squeeze USA
1N	Nissan USA
1NX	NUMMI USA
1VW	Volkswagen USA
1XP	[[Peterbilt] USA]
1YV	Mazda USA
2FA	Ford Motor Company Canada
2FB	Ford Motor Company Canada
2FC	Ford Motor Company Canada
2FM	Ford Motor Company Canada
2FT	Ford Motor Company Canada
2FU	Freightliner
2FV	Freightliner
2G	General Motors Canada
2G1	Chevrolet Canada
2G2	Pontiac Canada
2HG	Honda Canada
2HK	Honda Canada
2HM	Hyundai Canada
2M	Mercury
2T	Toyota Canada
2WK	Western Star
2WL	Western Star
2WM	Western Star
3FE	Ford Motor Company Mexico
3G	General Motors Mexico
3H	Honda Mexico
3N	Nissan Mexico
3VW	Volkswagen Mexico
4F	Mazda USA
4M	Mercury
4S	Subaru-Isuzu Automotive
4T	Toyota
4US	BMW USA
4UZ	Frt-Thomas Bus
4V1	Volvo
4V2	Volvo
4V3	Volvo
4V4	Volvo
4V5	Volvo
4V6	Volvo
4VL	Volvo
4VM	Volvo
4VZ	Volvo
5F	Honda USA-Alabama
5L	Lincoln
5N1	Nissan USA
5NP	Hyundai USA
5T	Toyota USA - trucks
6F	Ford Motor Company Australia
6G2	Pontiac Australia (GTO)
6H	General Motors-Holden
6MM	Mitsubishi Motors Australia
6T1	Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
8AG	Chevrolet Argentina
8GG	Chevrolet Chile
8AP	Fiat Argentina
8AF	Ford Motor Company Argentina
8AD	Peugeot Argentina
8GD	Peugeot Chile
8A1	Renault Argentina
8AK	Suzuki Argentina
8AJ	Toyota Argentina
8AW	Volkswagen Argentina
93V	Audi Brazil
9BG	Chevrolet Brazil
935	Citroën Brazil
9BD	Fiat Brazil
9BF	Ford Motor Company Brazil
93H	Honda Brazil
9BM	Mercedes-Benz Brazil
9BS	Scania Brazil
93Y	Renault Brazil
UU1	Renault-Dacia Romania-Pitesti
93R	Toyota Brazil
9BW	Volkswagen Brazil

[edit] Vehicle Descriptor Section

The 4th through 9th positions in the VIN are the Vehicle Descriptor Section or VDS. This is used, according to local regulations, to identify the vehicle type and may include information on the platform used, the model, and the body style. Each manufacturer has a unique system for using this field.

[edit] North American Check Digits

One element that is fairly consistent is the use of position 9 as a check digit, compulsory for vehicles in North America and used fairly consistently even outside this rule.

[edit] Vehicle Identifier Section

The 10th through 17th positions are used as the Vehicle Identifier Section or VIS. This is used by the manufacturer to identify the individual vehicle in question. This may include information on options installed or engine and transmission choices, but often is a simple sequential number. In fact, in North America, the last five digits must be numeric.

[edit] North American Model Year

One consistent element of the VIS is character number 10, which is required (in North America) to encode the model year of the vehicle.

[edit] North American Plant Code

Another consistently-used element (which is compulsory in North America) is the use of the 11th character to encode the factory of manufacture of the vehicle. Although each manufacturer has their own set of plant codes, their location in the VIN is standardized.

[edit] Model year encoding

Besides the three letters that are not allowed in the VIN itself (I, O and Q), the letters U and Z and the digit 0 are not used for the year code. Note that the year code can be the calendar year in which a vehicle is built, or a model or type year allocated by the manufacturer. The year 1980 is encoded as "A", and subsequent years increment through the allowed letters, so that "Y" represents the year 2000. 2001 through 2009 are encoded as the digits 1 through 9, and subsequent years are encoded as "A", "B", "C", etc.

Code	Year	Code	Year	Code	Year	Code	Year
A	1980	L	1990	Y	2000	A	2010
B	1981	M	1991	1	2001	B	2011
C	1982	N	1992	2	2002	C	2012
D	1983	P	1993	3	2003	D	2013
E	1984	R	1994	4	2004
F	1985	S	1995	5	2005
G	1986	T	1996	6	2006
H	1987	V	1997	7	2007
J	1988	W	1998	8	2008
K	1989	X	1999	9	2009

[edit] Check digit calculation

Firstly, find the numerical value associated with each letter in the VIN. (I, O and Q are not allowed.) Digits use their own values.

A: 1	J: 1
B: 2	K: 2	S: 2
C: 3	L: 3	T: 3
D: 4	M: 4	U: 4
E: 5	N: 5	V: 5
F: 6		W: 6
G: 7	P: 7	X: 7
H: 8		Y: 8
	R: 9	Z: 9

Secondly, look up the weight factor for each position in the VIN except the 9th (the position of the check digit).

1st: ×8	5th: ×4	10th: ×9	14th: ×5
2nd: ×7	6th: ×3	11th: ×8	15th: ×4
3rd: ×6	7th: ×2	12th: ×7	16th: ×3
4th: ×5	8th: ×10	13th: ×6	17th: ×2

Thirdly, multiply the numbers and the numerical values of the letters by their assigned weight factor, and sum the resulting products. Divide the sum of the products by 11. The remainder is the check digit. If the remainder is 10, the check digit is the letter X.

[edit] Example

Consider the hypothetical VIN 1M8GDM9A_KP042788, where the underscore will be the check digit.

     VIN:  1  M  8  G  D  M  9  A  _  K  P  0  4  2  7  8  8
   Value:  1  4  8  7  4  4  9  1  0  2  7  0  4  2  7  8  8
  Weight:  8  7  6  5  4  3  2 10  0  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2
Products:  8 28 48 35 16 12 18 10  0 18 56  0 24 10 28 24 16

The sum of all 16 products is 351. Dividing by 11 gives a remainder of 10, so the check digit is "X" and the complete VIN is 1M8GDM9AXKP042788.

For Software Developers [especially PL/SQL], here's a program to implement the above formula:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION VALIDATE_VIN(IN_VIN IN VARCHAR2) RETURN NUMBER AS

--Author: Rajnikant Tahlyan --Date: 13-Feb-2007

--MEANING OF DIFFERENT CHARACTERS IN A VIN --CHARACTER 1 --> COUNTRY --CHARACTER 2 --> MANUFACTURER --CHARACTER 3 --> MAKE --CHARACTER 4-6 --> ENGINE --CHARACTER 7 --> BODY/TRANSMISSION --CHARACTER 8 --> TRIM LEVEL/RESTRAINT --CHARACTER 9 --> CHECK DIGIT --CHARACTER 10 --> MODEL YEAR --CHARACTER 11 --> ASSEMBLY PLANT --CHARACTER 12-17 --> SERIAL NUMBER

V_CHECK_DIGIT_NUM NUMBER; V_CHECK_DIGIT VARCHAR2(1);

--VALUES ASSIGNED TO CHARACTERS AS PER "SUPPLEMENT TO TRUCK BLUE BOOK - 1999 TRUCK IDENTIFICATION" V_A NUMBER := 1; V_B NUMBER := 2; V_C NUMBER := 3; V_D NUMBER := 4; V_E NUMBER := 5; V_F NUMBER := 6; V_G NUMBER := 7; V_H NUMBER := 8; V_J NUMBER := 1; V_K NUMBER := 2; V_L NUMBER := 3; V_M NUMBER := 4; V_N NUMBER := 5; V_P NUMBER := 7; V_R NUMBER := 9; V_S NUMBER := 2; V_T NUMBER := 3; V_U NUMBER := 4; V_V NUMBER := 5; V_W NUMBER := 6; V_X NUMBER := 7; V_Y NUMBER := 8; V_Z NUMBER := 9;

BEGIN

    IF (LENGTH(IN_VIN) <> 17) THEN
       RETURN 1; --FAILURE --> ERRORNEOUS VIN, AFTER 1981 EACH VIN HAS TO BE OF 17 CHARACTERS - EITHER THE VIN IS FAKE OR EARLIER THAN 1981
    ELSE
        --USE FORMULA TO CALCULATE THE CHECK DIGIT
       SELECT MOD((DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,1,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,1,1))*8 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,2,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,2,1))*7 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,3,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,3,1))*6 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,4,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,4,1))*5 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,5,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,5,1))*4 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,6,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,6,1))*3 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,7,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,7,1))*2 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,8,1) ,'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,8,1))*10 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,10,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,10,1))*9 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,11,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,11,1))*8 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,12,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,12,1))*7 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,13,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,13,1))*6 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,14,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,14,1))*5 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,15,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,15,1))*4 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,16,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,16,1))*3 +
                   DECODE(SUBSTR(IN_VIN,17,1),'A',V_A,'B',V_B,'C',V_C,'D',V_D,'E',V_E,'F',V_F,'G',V_G,'H',V_H,'J',V_J,'K',V_K,'L',V_L,'M',V_M,'N',V_N,'P',V_P,'R',V_R,'S',V_S,'T',V_T,'U',V_U,'V',V_V,'W',V_W,'X',V_X,'Y',V_Y,'Z',V_Z,SUBSTR(IN_VIN,17,1))*2),11)
        INTO V_CHECK_DIGIT_NUM
        FROM DUAL;

        --IF CHECK DIGIT IS 10, USE X ELSE WHAT EVER IS RETURNED I.E. 0-9
        IF (V_CHECK_DIGIT_NUM = 10) THEN
           V_CHECK_DIGIT := 'X';
        ELSE
           V_CHECK_DIGIT := TO_CHAR(V_CHECK_DIGIT_NUM);
        END IF;

        --IF THE CALCULATED CHECK DIGIT MATCHES THE 9TH CHARACTER OF VIN, RETURN SUCCESS [0] ELSE FAILURE [1]
        IF (V_CHECK_DIGIT = SUBSTR(IN_VIN,9,1)) THEN
           RETURN 0; --SUCCESS, THE VIN IS GENUINE
        ELSE
           RETURN 1; --FAILURE, CHECK DIGIT MISMATCH, THE VIN IS FAKE
        END IF;

    END IF;

END VALIDATE_VIN;

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../v/e/h/Vehicle_identification_number.html"

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