Where is my VIN

Hey Dude, Where’s My VIN?

As most folks already know, a vehicle identification number – or VIN – is vital piece of information for car owners: For example, that string of 17 alphanumeric characters can tell you where and when a vehicle was made, if it’s been recalled, or if it’s been in an accident, and it’s necessary for all kinds of paperwork, from insurance to titling and registration. So here are a few other important things to know about your VIN.

What Is a VIN For?

Modern VINs were first mandated by the United States to help reduce theft and make it easier to look up recall information. Nowadays, because each VIN is unique to a specific vehicle, they’ve become a safe, convenient way to identify cars in all kinds of situations.

Where Is the VIN Located on a Car?

By law, the VIN has to be permanently affixed to the car so that it can be seen through the windshield from the outside of the vehicle by someone standing near the left-hand front roof pillar. Some automakers also go further, putting the VIN on the driver's-side door or door jamb, right on the engine block, or on a sticker on the glovebox door.

What Do the Numbers in a VIN Mean?

All those numbers and letters can seem pretty intimidating, and the actual details of decoding a modern VIN aren’t all that obvious. Let’s take a look at a sample VIN to see what we mean.

Starting with a full VIN – 3XXMC36611M297711:

• The very first number is the country code

• The next two letters refer to the vehicle manufacturer

• Info about the vehicle’s brand, engine, body style, etc., is embedded in the next five characters

• Characters 9, 10, and 11 include a security code, a number representing the model year, and an assembly-plant code

• The final six characters are the vehicle’s unique serial number

• Note that this sample VIN is in the correct format but is not attached to a real vehicle

The good news? NHTSA offers a free online VIN decoder where you can enter the numbers/letters and get that information automatically.

Do All Cars Have a VIN?

Actually, no. Most modern vehicles certainly have VINs, but automakers didn’t start using them until the mid-1950s, and they weren’t standardized at that point. It was in 1969 that a nationwide standard for VINs was introduced. As for the current 17-character VIN, it became law in 1978 to cover vehicles beginning with the 1981 model year.

Now that you know, you can start shopping here, start selling here, and enjoy the whole HMSMC site from wherever you have an Internet connection.