How to Decode a Toyota VIN

Each car manufactured, regardless of the manufacturer or location, has a vehicle identification number that serves as a unique identifier for the vehicle. A VIN contains 17 characters, both alpha and numeric, that are assigned based upon the attributes of the specific Toyota vehicle and comply with standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. • 1

     Find the plate containing the VIN, which is located on the left side of the dashboard and is best viewed from the outside of the vehicle by looking through the windshield. If you are unable to see the number from this location, you can also read the VIN from the Certification Label attached to the left door pillar of all Toyota vehicles.

   • 2

     Read the first three digits, which represent the World Manufacturer Identification number. If the Toyota vehicle was manufactured by New United Motor Manufacturing in California, the first three characters will be 1NX. If the vehicle was manufactured by Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Canada, the first three characters will be 2T1.

   • 3

     Locate the next five digits which provide information that describes the vehicle. The fourth digit designates the engine type and the fifth digit designates the product line (e.g., Corolla, Camry). Digit six provides a model designation and digit seven represents the series or grade (such as LE, STD or DX). The eighth digit signifies both the body type and restraint system. For example, B signifies a four-door sedan with manual seat belts.

   • 4

     Locate the next three digits. They are the production numbers. On Toyota cars, the ninth digit is known as the check digit, which is used for VIN validation. The 10th digit is a letter that represents a vehicle model year (for example, 1997 Toyota cars use the letter U as the code). The 11th digit represents the plant where the car was manufactured.

   • 5

     Find the remaining six digits, which represent the vehicle's serial number. The serial number provides a unique identifier for each vehicle manufactured and is assigned in order of production for Toyota vehicles of the same type.

Tips & Warnings

• A database of VIN numbers is not maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is why commercial sources such as AutoCheck and CarDetective are the best options for decoding VINs.