U.S. VIN decoding
1981-present

This information is condensed from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Identification Number Requirements.

Starting with the 1981 model year, vehicles in the U.S. must have a 17-digit VIN. Valid characters are 0-9 and A-Z, but not I, O, or Q.

• The first three characters identify the country of origin and the manufacturer.
• Characters 4-8 identify vehicle information – for passenger cars, these show the carline, series, body type, engine type, and safety restraint system type.
• Character 9 is the check digit.
• Character 10 is the model year.
• Character 11 is the manufacturing plant.
• Characters 12-17 are for the manufacturer's sequence number.

My Links:
Pontiac Fiero VIN decoding
GM and Fiero VIN decoder - decode your VIN automatically

Other Links:
The WMI Pages - International VIN info

email Nytmare

This page updated 2000 Oct 6.