Vehicle
      Identification
Number

Beginning with the 1981 model year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation, required manufacturers selling over-the-road vehicles in the United States to produce the vehicles with a 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN).

This standard establishes a fixed VIN format including a check digit and applies to all passenger cars, multi-purpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, incomplete vehicles and motorcycles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less.

The first three characters of the VIN are designated the WMI (World Manufacturers Identification).  The WMI uniquely identifies the Nation of Origin, Manufacturer, Make and Type of Vehicle.

The second section has five characters and has been designated the VDS (Vehicle Description Section).  The VDS uniquely identifies the attributes of the vehicle such as Model, Body Style, Engine, etc.

The third section of the VIN is located after the check digit.  It is eight characters in length and is called the VIS (Vehicle Identification Section).  The first character represents the vehicle model year; the second character represents the plant of manufacturer; and the last six characters represent the sequential production number.
 

Ferrari Enzo Sample VIN:

SUPPLEMENTAL IDENTIFICATION

Since 1970 the U.S. Government has required motor vehicle manufacturers to display a SAFETY CERTIFICATION LABEL on all motor vehicles distributed in the United States.  Among the data required on the certifying label is the date of assembly and the VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.  Shape and size of the labels, as well as the materials from which they are constructed, will vary among manufacturers.  More common among domestic manufacturers is a paper label covered with a mastic compound.  Construction is such that the label should destruct if removal is attempted.  Some foreign manufacturers (Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, etc.) construct the certifying label out of thin metal and attach it with rivets.  In either case, security against removal and replacement is not absolute.  THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER DISPLAYED ON THE CERTIFICATION LABEL SHOULD SERVE AS SUPPORTING IDENTIFICATION EVIDENCE ONLY AND SHOULD NOT STAND ALONE AS POSITIVE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION.

 VEHICLE MODEL YEAR (Always 10th digit of the 17 digit VIN)