What a VIN tells you
Every car built for the US since 1981 has a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number. It's on the dashboard at the base of the windshield, on the driver's door jamb, and on the title.
- Characters 1–3 (WMI): who made it and where.
JM1is Mazda, Japan. - Characters 4–8 (VDS): model, body, engine and restraint system.
- Character 9: a check digit computed from the others. It catches typos and some faked VINs.
- Character 10: model year (
N= 1992,P= 1993 …Y= 2000,1= 2001). - Character 11: the factory.
- Characters 12–17: the serial number.
Why check a VIN before buying
Make sure the VIN on the dash, door jamb and title all match, and that the decoded year, engine and body match the listing. A "1.8" that decodes as a 1.6, or a VIN plate with tampered rivets, is a reason to walk away or dig deeper. For enthusiast cars, the VIN can also tell you which production batch a car came from, which is handy when a part changed mid-year.
Recalls vs. open recalls
This tool lists every recall NHTSA has for the model year. Whether a specific car's recall work was done is tracked by VIN on nhtsa.gov/recalls and by the maker's dealer network. Recall repairs are free at a dealer, even on old cars, as long as the manufacturer still supports the campaign.