A VIN number is a 17 character alpha/numeric serial number unique to each vehicle, by manufacturer, make, model and year. Each character in the VIN number can be decoded to determine where the car was built, what year, which automotive features are included and more. Together, all the VIN numbers create a history about your Pontiac. VIN Decoder is absolutely free. In most cases, when buyers go to a showroom to buy a car, they are uncertain about the features of a certain vehicle. Sometimes they are afraid they might end up buying a car with different features rather than the ones they expected. Sometimes they don't know the origin of the car, the model or even how old it.

Do you want to learn about the engine, transmission, or any other vital info about your car? Would you like to find out when and where the car was produced? It's easy! You only need to use our free, handy, and intuitive VIN decoder.

What is a VIN Decoder?

A VIN decoder is an online tool designed to assist the automobiles buyers and owners know all the data related to a particular car easily and quickly. To use the tool, you need to input the VIN of the transport you are interested in, in the VIN decoder search bar and then click the 'decode' button. Whether you want statistic about your car or you need the information about the auto you want to buy, you will get all the crucial details about it on the screen once you click the decode button.

VIN Decoder is absolutely free

In most cases, when buyers go to a showroom to buy a car, they are uncertain about the features of a certain vehicle. Sometimes they are afraid they might end up buying a car with different features rather than the ones they expected. Sometimes they don't know the origin of the car, the model or even how old it is. If you find yourself in this confusing situation, VIN decoder is your savior. It will eradicate all those fears you have since it provides you with all the vital data about the car you are purchasing.

How VIN Decoder Works?

VIN decoder works straightforwardly. With immense data about all the vehicles, it can access and provide details about any carrier. The information about vehicles stored in VIN decoder includes features such the engine, the make of the car, model, transmission type, the year when it was produced, the place of manufacture, production number and much more. The data stored here is continuously updated and more data added. Therefore, you get the correct and up-to-date data about a particular car.

Hence, the VIN decoder identification can protect you from fraudulent vehicle deals especially when buying a car.

What Vehicles can VIN Decode?

Introduced in 1981 in the USA, VIN system doesn't cover all types of vehicles. Here we have compiled some of the vehicles where you can use the Vehicle Identification Number:

• Car;
• SUV;
• Pickup;
• Motorcycle;
• VAN;
• Commercial Truck;
• RV and Motorhome;
• Moped and Scooter;
• Buses;
• ATV.

What is a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)?

A vehicle identification number is a unique cryptogram for identifying a specific automobile. Basically, it is like a vehicle's fingerprint since no two vehicles can share the same vehicle identification number.

The VIN is a composition of 17 characters (capital letters and digits) that serves as a unique identifier for each vehicle. However, it doesn't include letters I, O and Q. The VIN shows the unique specifications, features, and manufacturer of each vehicle. They help track recalls, registrations, insurance coverage, warranty claims, and theft.

What does each digit mean in a VIN?

In the VIN number, the first digit shows the country where the vehicle was manufactured, the second and third digits shows the maker or the manufacturer, and the car type respectively. The fourth and the eighth characters represent the vehicle attributes such as brand and the size. The ninth digit represents the security code that classifies the VIN as approved by the maker. The tenth digit represents the model year of the vehicle, and the eleventh digit shows the authorized plant which assembled the vehicle (table below). The last six characters represent the serial number.

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Here is a table simplifying the VIN:

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)

World Manufacturer Identifier briefly referred to as WMI code is part of the 17 digits of the VIN. It describes a specific vehicle in terms of the country where it was produced, the manufacturer and the type of the vehicle. It is usually the first three digits of VIN. If a manufacturer manufactures less than 1000 vehicles yearly, uses 9 as the third character and the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th characters of the VIN for the next part of identification.

• Country — It is represented by the first character in the VIN, e.g., AA-AH represents South Africa.
• Manufacturer — Represented by the second character e.g.,1G represents General Motors in the US.
• Vehicle Type — It is represented by the third character, e.g., 1G1 represents Chevrolet passenger cars.

Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

The 4^th to 8^th characters are usually set aside to acquire the descriptive features of the vehicle. Almost all the essential data encoded in a VIN is captured here. However, some attributes of the specific vehicle captured are left to the maker to decide. And to make everything more intricate, each maker possesses a unique system of encoding vehicle data into the VIN.

• Vehicle Attributes — The main data captured here include the engine, restraint system and the body type.
• Check Digit — It is represented by the ninth digit. It is the security code that classifies the VIN as approved by the maker. It verifies the first eight digits based on mathematical calculations developed by the Transportation Department in the US.

Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

This starts from the 10^th character to 17^th character.

• Year — The 10^th character stands for the year the vehicle was built. The years are represented as follows:

  Code	Year
  A	1980
  B	1981
  C	1982
  D	1983
  E	1984
  F	1985
  G	1986
  H	1987
  J	1988
  K	1989
  L	1990

  Code	Year
  M	1991
  N	1992
  P	1993
  R	1994
  S	1995
  T	1996
  V	1997
  W	1998
  X	1999
  Y	2000
  1	2001

  Code	Year
  2	2002
  3	2003
  4	2004
  5	2005
  6	2006
  7	2007
  8	2008
  9	2009
  A	2010
  B	2011
  C	2012

  Code	Year
  D	2013
  E	2014
  F	2015
  G	2016
  H	2017
  J	2018
  K	2019
  L	2020
  M	2021
  N	2022
  P	2023

• Assembly Plant — It is represented by the 11^th character, and it shows the plant where the vehicle was built.
• Sequential Number — This is the serial characters of the vehicle represented by digits starting from 12^th to 17^th.

Where to find VIN?

The VIN can be found on either the vehicle and in the documents. Whether in the documents or on the vehicle, it should be the same. It is essential to make sure the VIN on the record matches that one on the vehicle especially if you are buying a second-hand car.

Depending on the firm which produced a vehicle, you can find VIN in different locations.

1. On vehicle:
   • The lower corner of the dashboard near the driver (you can also see it from outside). Some manuals call it windshield;
   • Drivers or passenger’s door jamb. You can see it whenever you open the door;
   • The front area of the block with the engine, below the hood of the car.
2. In the documents. You can find it in these documents:
   • Vehicle title;
   • Insurance card;
   • Manuals;
   • Car registration card;
   • Body repair records;
   • Police reports.

Why does a VIN Matter?

There are circumstances in which you will need to check VIN of a vehicle because a lot of information registries utilize it to capture details about the vehicle.

If you are planning to purchase a second-hand vehicle, you can check VIN of the vehicle you want to buy to know more about it such as acquire information concerning its previous owners, repairs and if it had been involved in accidents. You will also be able to know if the maker of the car had at any time issued a recall of the car and whether the repairs in question were taken care of. Lastly, the VIN assist the law enforcement agencies in identifying stolen vehicles.

Is it Safe to Give Out a VIN Number?

Absolutely, Yes. Failure to do so will make anyone interested in buying your car unable to verify some features about the care which you claim your car has. That may make them suspicious of your claims about your car attributes.

VIN is not a sensitive element like a social security number, and there is no harm in giving it out to whoever is concerned. While the Vehicle Identification Number is unique for a specific car, it cannot put your safety at risk if you give it out. Sincerely speaking, some VIN is placed in open areas on the vehicle where anyone can access them easily such as on the dashboard. Besides, you are always driving around every day with your license plate suspended on your car. Also, any license plate can be effortlessly convert to a VIN on the same site.

Example of VIN Decoding

The vehicle identification number is used to identify your car. It consists of unique letters and numbers with special meaning and offers information about your car. There are various reasons you may want to decode it. Maybe you are replacing a part of your car, and you need to get the same replacement part, or perhaps you are buying a car, and you want to be sure about its features as claimed by the owner. Whatever the reason you want to decode it, you will get a lot of information about it.

Here is an example of VIN decoding:

How to Lookup a VIN?

Start by inputting the VIN of the car in the VIN decoder search bar. You will get the history of the car you are looking for such as the general info about the car, if it was involved in an accident, crash and manufacturer recalls among other information. You will also know the appropriate equipment of the car which may include the kind of air conditioning, windows, and reupholster. Check VIN to see the odometer readings, and also see archival photos, if they exist for your car.

How can I Decode a VIN?

Now you understand the primary information concerning VIN; you are prepared to continue to the next step which is the epitome of the whole process. What should you do next? To decode your vehicle, you should follow these four steps, and you will get the information you need about your vehicle for free.

1. Enter your VIN into VIN decoder search bar.
2. Click on the “Decode” button.
3. Receive free information about your vehicle in a matter of seconds.
4. You can access the report using your laptop or your phone.

From what you have read here from the start up to here, the process is very straightforward and thanks to our free VIN decoder, you don't need to pay anything. So, don't risk the next time you want to buy a second-hand car.

Consider using our decoder today. It is absolutely free, reliable, fast and it will come in handy next time you are purchasing a car. Give it a try, and you will never regret your decision!

It is the tenth digit that gives you the model year for GM. Ive been working at a Chevy dealer for years running codes/vins.For example ( my examples only apply to 2001-2015 gm vehicles)Remember 10th digit from the beginning, (left to right).2001.. 12002..22003..3.etc.2009..9After 09 the tenth digit was given a letter2010.. A2011..B2012..C2013..D2014..E2015..FEtc..We have another 20 years worth of lettersThanks for reading.You can always check your model year by looking in your drivers side door jamb and it will give you model year. If it was assembled in July or later it's probably a model year later than listed.

American GM[edit]

American VIN format[edit]

GM has traditionally encoded the platform as the fourth character of the VIN. Other content includes an engine code and manufacturing plant. GM's VIN format is as follows:

Platform codes[edit]

GM used a lettered system of automobile platform codes for three decades. These letters were used as the fourth position of the VIN. Though today's GM platforms use Greek characters, they are still encoded with Latin characters in the fourth position. Position five encodes the specific model and trim level of the vehicle.

Body style codes[edit]

The Body type is specified as character six of the American GM VIN for passenger cars.

American restraint types[edit]

The restraint type is specified as character seven of the American GM VIN for passenger cars.

Missing Entry: Corvette Z06, vin code S 5.7L LS6 2001-2204 and vin code E 7.0L LS7 2005-2010 and later. 2010 Impala vin code K is a 3.5L MFI

American engine codes[edit]

GM encodes the engine type in character 8 of the VIN. The following table outlines the various engines encoded there:

Engine codes for passenger cars[edit]

2010 Chevy Malibu engine code B, 2.4LMistake on the engine code M, this M code comes out on the 1995 - 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and the engine is an RPO L82 3.1 SFI engine. This engine made it's first appearance on the A-Body sisters Buick Century and Oldsmobile's Cutlass Ciera 'S', the 1994 L-Body Chevrolet Beretta/Corsica, and it's N-Body siblings, which include the Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Achieva, and Pontiac Grand Am, but Oldsmobile also had offerings of this engine offering in the 'Late' 1993 W-Body Cutlass for the engine to also incorporate into the 1994 model year W-Bodies, which included the Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, with the aforementioned Monte Carlo and it's sedan equivalent, the revised Lumina to follow suit the next model year, 1995. It continued it's second iteration, the LG8 3.1 in 2000 (VIN code 'J'), which finally ceased production in the 2005 model year W-Body version of the Century.

VIN code T also designates a 3.1 V6, the base engine in the 1990-92 Camaro/Firebird platform, and VIN code 8 is much better known as the L98 5.7 V8 TPI, standard in the 1985-91 Corvette and optional in the 1987-92 Camaro/Firebird platform .

Missing Entry: 1985-1988 Pontiac Fieros have a 9 engine code for the 2.8L L44 V6.

Missing Entry: The 2009 Corvette and 2011 Camaro SS use a W engine code for the 6.2L LS3 V8.

Missing Entry: Vin Code V for 2.4 L LE9 2.4L MFI I4

Warning: Issues with the decoding are related to year/model combinations. Such as the 4.1 V6 is not included in the list, however it was used on El Dorada and some Cadillac models. Each Year has different break down for each code, a complete list would be a subject of its own. Along with Plants and some model break downs over years.

Missing Entry: 1991 Limo with engine code 7, is not listed. According to one source the limo engine is a 5.7L.

Missing Entry: Corvette Z06, vin code S 5.7L LS6 2001-2204 and vin code E 7.0L LS7 2005-2010 and later

LY7; 3.6; v6

Engine codes for light trucks[edit]

There is a mistake for 2012. The engine code for 4.8 L Flexfuel engine is an A and is not listed.

American GM factories[edit]

List of GM Factories2gcec13y881332689

GM WMIs[edit]

Also mistake on Country codes..GMC light trucks are not listed. The code is 1GT which indicates Ft Wayne, IN.Missing 2G6 on Country Codes.