VIN Lookup
Free VIN Decoder
Know your vehicle.
Enter any 17-character VIN to decode the year, make, model, engine, and model-level recall campaigns. Powered by the NHTSA — completely free, no signup required.
Know your vehicle.
Enter any 17-character VIN to decode the year, make, model, engine, and model-level recall campaigns. Powered by the NHTSA — completely free, no signup required.
Every vehicle built since 1981 carries a unique 17-character Vehicle Identification Number — the car's fingerprint, no two alike. Decoding it gives you the year, make, model, engine, country of manufacture, plant, and the safety recall campaigns NHTSA has published for that model line.
This tool reads NHTSA's own vPIC database and their recall service. Everything it reports comes from them, and it says plainly when they have nothing on file rather than filling the gap.
NHTSA may report the model year, make, model, trim, engine, body style, and manufacturing plant. Available fields vary by vehicle. This tool also lists recall campaigns for the decoded year, make, and model; these do not establish open recalls for the individual VIN.
Check the driver-side dashboard through the windshield at the base, the driver door jamb sticker, your insurance card, or the vehicle title. On many engines it is also stamped into the firewall or strut tower. All five locations will show the same 17 characters.
Mileage is not encoded in the VIN — it lives with the title and odometer. Ownership history is privacy-protected under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act. For mileage and owner-count you need a paid service like Carfax or AutoCheck that aggregates DMV and insurance data.
The letters I, O, and Q look too similar to the numbers 1 and 0. FMVSS 115 and ISO 3779 ban them so VINs can be read reliably when they are hand-written on titles, copied from dusty engine bays, or scanned by OCR software at ports and auctions.
Yes. It looks up NHTSA campaigns by the decoded year, make, and model. Campaigns may cover only certain build dates, trims, or replacement parts. Check the exact VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with the manufacturer to confirm applicability, repair status, and remedy availability.
No signup is needed to decode a VIN. The VIN is sent through our service to NHTSA, and results may be cached for up to 24 hours. Shareable lookup links contain the VIN, so avoid posting them if you do not want to share it. If you request recall alerts, the VIN is stored with your email address.
This tool uses a year, make, and model search. A campaign may apply only to another engine, build date, trim, or replacement part. Read the affected-vehicle description, then confirm the exact VIN with NHTSA or the manufacturer. A model-level result does not establish that your vehicle is affected.
Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or contact a franchised dealer for your make. They can check applicability and repair status. The model-level campaign data shown here does not include repair history for your individual vehicle. Ask the manufacturer about older recalls and remedy availability.
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