The identification number contains a combination of numbers and letters and is seven or eight characters. The prefix explains the location as well as the date of the Chevy engine's manufacture. For example, a Chevy engine with the identification number S1029CTY was manufactured in Saginaw (S) on September (10) the 29th (29). View your Chevy vehicle's service history on the Chevrolet Owner Center. Enter service records to keep track of your vehicle's full service history.
A vehicle identification number (VIN) is the 17-digit 'name,' made up of numbers and characters, that an automobile manufacturer assigns to an individual vehicle. Vehicle identification numbers can reveal many things about automobiles, including their airbag type, country of origin, engine size, model year, vehicle type, trim level and plant name. The VIN (sometimes known, redundantly, as the VIN number) is the key to safety. Just enter a VIN in the free search tool from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to see whether a vehicle is subject to a recall.
Typically, the vehicle identification number is stamped into a plate that's mounted on the dashboard near the windshield or the driver-side door jamb. It's also stamped on the engine's firewall.
What Goes Into a VIN?
VIN information is organized in groups, and a search of your vehicle identification number can tell you a lot about your car. There's even a bit of fraud detection in the VIN, in the form of the 'check digit,' described below.
The first group of three numbers and letters in a VIN make up the world manufacturer identifier (WMI).
In this group, the first digit or letter identifies the country of origin. For example, cars made in the U.S. start with 1, 4 or 5. Canada is 2, and Mexico is 3. Japan is J, South Korea is K, England is S, Germany is W, and Sweden or Finland is Y.
The second element in this group tells you about the manufacturer. In some cases, it's the letter that begins the manufacturer's name. For example, A is for Audi, B is for BMW, G is for General Motors, L is for Lincoln, and N is for Nissan. But that 'A' can also stand for Jaguar or Mitsubishi, and an 'R' can also mean Audi. It may sound confusing, but the next digit ties it all together.
The third digit, when combined with the first two letters or numbers, indicates the vehicle's type or manufacturing division. This Wikipedia page has a list of WMI codes.
The next six digits to check (positions 4-9) are the vehicle descriptor section.
Numbers 4 through 8 describe the car with such information as the model, body type, restraint system, transmission type and engine code.
Number 9 is the check digit, which is used to detect invalid VINs. The number that appears varies and is based on a mathematical formula that the U.S. Department of Transportation developed.
The following group of eight elements (10-17) is the vehicle identifier section.
In the 10th position, you'll see a letter indicating the model year. The letters from B to Y correspond to the model years 1981 to 2000. The VIN does not use I, O, Q, U or Z. From 2001 to 2009, the numbers 1 through 9 were used in place of letters. The alphabet started over from A in 2010 and will continue until 2030.
Yes, it's confusing. Here are the model years since 2000: Y=2000, 1='01, 2='02, 3='03, 4='04, 5='05, 6='06, 7='07, 8='08, 9='09, A='10, B='11, C='12, D='13, E='14, F='15, G='16, H='17, J='18, K='19, L='20.
The letter or number in position 11 indicates the manufacturing plant where the vehicle was assembled. Each automaker has its own set of plant codes.
The last six digits (positions 12 through 17) are the production sequence numbers, which each car receives on the assembly line.
How Do You Decode a VIN?
If you want to get a free, quick, personalized lookup, enter your VIN at the VinDecoder.net website. It is a free VIN decoder that does a lookup of your car's data in a matter of seconds. You may have to deal with a few ads that surround the information you get from the VIN decoder, but what you get is accurate and worth a look.
We did a VIN check for vehicles that were once in the Edmunds long-term test fleet, and the search came up with some interesting information.
The first car VIN was the 2013 Scion FR-S. There was one item that stood out: The VIN decoder shows the manufacturer is Subaru, not Scion (now reabsorbed back into Toyota). This is not an error. The Scion FR-S and its twin, the Subaru BRZ, are the products of a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota. Both are manufactured at Subaru's plant in Japan.
When we did a search for the VIN of another former test vehicle, a 2011 Chevrolet Volt, there was a hidden bit of trivia in the fuel type. It erroneously says that the Volt can run on E85 ethanol in addition to gasoline. It can't and it won't anytime soon.
General Motors originally intended to launch the Volt with a flex-fuel variant, but the emissions package was not ready for the car's introduction, according to the automaker. The E85 compatibility apparently was incorporated into the VIN data before GM decided a flex-fuel version wouldn't be ready in time for 2011. Since then, no flex-fuel version of the Volt has surfaced.
We were curious what the VIN looked like on an electric vehicle, so we did a lookup to decode the information for our former 2013 Tesla Model S. The search information we got was pretty thin. It goes to show that your results may vary, depending on what the carmaker supplies. We actually might have stumped the VIN decoder tool: It wasn't able to identify Tesla Motors as the manufacturer. It also doesn't show anything about it being an electric car.
The 2012 Fiat 500 is a reminder of just how globalized automakers have become. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is an Italian-American multinational that manufactured the 500 at Chrysler's plant in Toluca, Mexico.
Chevrolet Engine Serial Number Search
Notice that the 10th element in the VIN is 'C.' The letter represents the 2012 model year, but it could also mean 1982. Because the year is represented by one character (letter or number) and the VIN can only contain 17 characters, the code for a car's year has to be recycled every 30 years. So while one letter can represent more than one year, it should be pretty obvious whether you've got a 1982 or a 2012 — or 2042, for that matter.
Finally, here's a bit of vehicle history on a 2011 Ford Mustang GT. Notice that the manufacturer isn't listed as Ford Motor Co. Ford didn't get bought out like Chrysler. The AutoAlliance International Inc. was a joint venture between Ford and Mazda that produced the Mustang and the Mazda 6 for a while at a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. Newer Mustangs list Ford as the automaker.
Other than VIN decoding to learn an automotive pedigree and some key specifications, you can use those digits for less entertaining but more important reasons involving its title, registration and insurance. Another critical use of a VIN is to obtain a vehicle history report for cars you're considering for purchase. Before you buy a used vehicle — even if it's from a dealer — it's important to get the VIN and use it to run a history report on sites such as AutoCheck or Carfax. The reports can reveal if the motor vehicles you're considering have been reported stolen or if they have salvage titles. There are several types of reports to choose from. Read 'Which Vehicle History Report Is Right for You?' to decide.
Chevrolet Truck Serial Number Decoder
A VIN is also important for purchasing replacement parts for your vehicle. Bring it along when you buy. Vehicle parts are often specific to certain VINs and may not fit your car if you only go by its year, make and model.
Your truck's vehicle identification number contains clues to a variety of information, ranging from the country where it was manufactured to its engine size. The specifications for your Chevy truck are detailed in the VIN number, and you can also learn the vehicle's weight rating, its chassis type, the kind of engine and even the city and the plant where it was produced.
Step 1
Vintage Chevrolet Serial Number Lookup
The Chevrolet truck's VIN number is on a tag on the driver's side under the windshield molding attached to the dash panel. Older models have a tag attached to the firewall or door jam. It can also be found on the vehicle's certificate of title.
Step 2
The first character will indicate where the truck was manufactured. The number 1 is for the USA, 2 for Canada, 3 for Mexico, J for Japan, K for Korea, S for England, and W for Germany.
Step 3
Chevrolet Motor Serial Number Lookup
The second character cites the manufacturer. The letter G is assigned to a General Motors vehicle.
Step 4
Learn the division from the third character. Number 1 is for Chevrolet. Other GM codes are 2 for Pontiac, 3 for Oldsmobile, 4 for Buick, 6 for Cadillac, and 8 for Saturn.
Step 5
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, or GVWR, is revealed by the fourth character. A is for 0-3000 pounds, B for 3001-4000, C for 4001-5000, D for 5001-6000, E for 6001-7000, F for 7001-8000, G for 8001-9000, H for 9001-10000, J for 10001-14000, K for 140001-16000, L for 16001-19500, and M for 19501-26000.
Step 6
The type of chassis comes from fifth character. B is for an incomplete vehicle, C for a 4x2 full-size pickup, E for a 4x2 compact pickup, H for a cutaway chassis, J for a 4x4 compact pickup, K for a 4x4 full-size pickup, P for a forward control chassis, R for a 4x2 full-size pickup, S for a 4x2 sport-utility, T for a 4x4 sport-utility, U for a 4x2 all-purpose vehicle, V for a 4x4 full-size pickup, W for a Chevrolet El Camino, and X for a 4x4 all-purpose vehicle.
Step 7
Character No. 6 informs of the body style. The number 1 is used for a 1500, 2 for a 2500, 3 for a 3500, 4 for a ½ ton heavy duty, 5 for a 3 ton GMC, 6 for a ½ ton Luxury 1500, 7 for a ¾ ton Luxury 2500, and 8 for a 1 ton Luxury 3500.
Step 8
Identify the body type through the seventh character. The number 3 is for a four-door cab, 4 for a two-door cab, 6 for a Suburban, 7 for a Motor Home chassis, 8 for a two-door sport utility, 9 for an extended cab, and 0 for a chassis only.
Step 9
Product Serial Number Search
Find the type of engine used with the eighth character. Engine combinations vary for each model and year. Some of the more popular truck engine codes are C for a 6.2 diesel, F for 5.0 gasoline engine, R for a 5.7, and W for a 4.3. Use an Internet VIN decoder to find the engine specifications for your truck.
Step 10
The 10th character indicates the year of the vehicle. The letter A is used for 1980, B for 1981 and in alphabetical sequence up to H for 1987. Then J is for 1988 and K is for 1989. The 1990s start with the letter L for 1990, M for 1991 and N for 1992. It jumps to P for 1993 and goes to R, S and T for 1994, 1995 and 1996, respectively. Letters V through Y are used in sequence for years 1997 through 2000. The number 1 is used for 2001 and 2 for 2002, and the numbers 3 through 9 are used in order through model year 2009.
Step 11
Plant location is the 11th character. B is for Baltimore, Md., E for Pontiac East, Mich., F for Flint, Mich., J for Janesville, Wisc., K for Linden, N.J., R for Arlington, Texas, V for Pontiac, Mich., and Z for Fort Wayne, Ind. The number 1 is for Wentzville, Mo., 2 for Moraine, Ohio; 3 for St-Eustache, Québec, 5 for London, Ontario, 8 for Shreveport, La., and 9 for Oshawa, Ontario. There are also several international manufacturing plants that are not included here.
Identify the remaining six characters to find the production sequence of the Chevy truck. The last six digits also designate the serial number and appear as a portion of the original engine casting number.