Free Toyota VIN Decoder & Lookup

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Toyota VIN Check: What is a Toyota VIN?

Global automotive leadership extends beyond manufacturing scale toward unprecedented industry influence through revolutionary engineering innovations that have fundamentally transformed transportation paradigms worldwide. Corolla models achieved unprecedented historical sales records while establishing compact vehicle benchmarks across international markets. Hi-Lux and Land Cruiser vehicles earned legendary reliability reputations through extreme durability testing in challenging environments. Prius hybrid technology pioneered entire market segments through groundbreaking electric-gasoline powertrain integration. Performance heritage flourished through the Celica, MR-2, and Supra motorsports dominance across competitive racing circuits. LF-A supercar engineering represents automotive excellence pinnacles, earning universal critical acclaim among international automotive journalists and performance enthusiasts.

Diverse consumer transportation requirements find satisfaction through comprehensive Toyota product portfolios spanning multiple vehicle categories and market segments. Vehicle authenticity verification becomes essential for protecting investment value through comprehensive factory specification matching and detailed configuration analysis. Professional identification research through reliable Toyota VIN decoder technology translates complex seventeen-character codes into accessible manufacturing information, including production dates, facility locations, and original equipment specifications. Enhanced vehicle research capabilities provide comprehensive ownership histories compiled from official government and private databases, revealing previous ownership details, accident documentation, and additional critical information protecting against problematic acquisitions.

List of Toyota Models

Toyota VIN Number Lookup

The VIN is issued by the manufacturer when the vehicle is built. It’s written on stickers, plates and engravings that will last the life of the vehicle. This makes a VIN check invaluable when you need to verify the authenticity of a rare, valuable car. For example, a 90s Supra with a factory-installed 6 speed manual and turbocharged engine is easily worth twice as much as a car with an automatic or a naturally aspirated engine. While it’s possible to do an engine and transmission swap, it will never be as valuable as a genuine car.

Where to Search for the VIN?

There are several places you can find the VIN number on your Toyota. Keep in mind that some tags refer to the VIN as the “frame number”.

  • Look through the windshield at the dashboard. You should see a small metal plate on the driver’s side, close to the front corner of the glass.
  • Open the driver’s door. On the body pillar, you will see a black sticker. This is the service tag. The VIN number is printed on the tag directly above a bar code. If you don’t see this sticker, look at the door below the latch. Here, you’ll find a black or white service tag.
  • On most 1988 and earlier models, there is a metal I.D. plate in the engine compartment. This plate is either on or near the firewall. This plate lists internal model and equipment codes, as well as the VIN. The VIN is the code near the top of the plate, below the country where the vehicle was manufactured. On vans, this plate is riveted to the floor below the front passenger’s seat. It’s covered by a small carpet flap.
  • On 1989 and newer models, the VIN is on a plate or sticker attached to the top center of the firewall.
  • Trucks and vans usually have the VIN etched into the right side frame rail below the engine.

It’s also common to find VIN stickers on hoods, doors and tailgates. This makes it easier to trace stolen parts. However, these stickers may not match. if the vehicle was in an accident, it may have salvage parts from a different vehicle.

Since VINs are unique to each vehicle, this number is used as an I.D. on official documents. You can find the VIN on the title, registration, and insurance policy. Some auto repair shops also put the VIN on service receipts.

Comprehensive VIN Decoder Guide

The VIN Number is 17 digits long. 10 of these digits identify aspects of the vehicle, including the chassis and engine. One digit is used for error correction, while the rest are a serial number. Here’s the information you can get from each of these digits when you decode them.

VIN Decode Guide

First digit: Country of Manufacture

This is where the vehicle underwent final assembly. Here are the most common country codes for Toyota vehicles.

Code Country
1, 4 and 5 United States
2 Canada
3 Mexico
J Japan
V France

Second digit: Manufacturer

While most manufacturers use just one code, there are two letters you may find in this position for Toyota products.

T: Toyota
Scion and Lexus vehicles also use “T” as their manufacturer designation.

N: NUMMI
NUMMI was a California-based joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. Corollas were built here from 1987 to 2010, while compact pickups were built at the plant from 1991 to 2010.

Third digit: Vehicle Type

This digit identifies the vehicle category.

Code Vehicle Type
D, G, K, X, 1, 2, 7, N Car
A, B, F, M, 4 Truck
E, L, 3 Multipurpose passenger vehicles, including SUVs and crossovers
5 Convertible

Fourth digit: Body Type and Drivetrain

This digit identifies the body style, as well as whether the vehicle is two wheel or four wheel drive.

Cars

Code BODY STYLE
A Two door, two wheel drive sedan
B Four door, two wheel drive sedan
C Two door, two wheel drive coupe
G, K Four door wagon, two wheel drive
H, L Four door wagon, four wheel drive
Z Five door wagon, two wheel drive
S Three door liftback four wheel drive

Trucks

Code BODY STYLE
N Two door, two wheel drive
P Two door, four wheel drive
T Extended cab, two wheel drive
W Extended cab, four wheel drive
E Four door, two wheel drive
B, D, L Four door, four wheel drive

Other Vehicles

Code BODY STYLE
X SUV
M Five door, two wheel drive van
Y Sport van

Fifth Digit: Engine

With so many engines in Toyota’s history, the letters and numbers for this digit are frequently reused. If you want to know which engine the car was built with, use our VIN decoder.

Sixth digit: Vehicle Series

This is based on the vehicle’s chassis code. This code is used internally by Toyota, and is included on the I.D. plate.

Seventh digit: Safety features

This position in the VIN covers the different types of seat belts and air bags installed at the factory.

Eighth digit: Model or Platform

Here are the codes for Toyota’s most popular models.

Code MODEL
1 Tundra
A Highlander, Sequoia, Celica and Supra
B Avalon
E Corolla and Matrix
K Camry
N Tacoma and compact trucks
P Camry and Solara
R 4Runner and Corolla
U Prius
V RAV4

Ninth digit: Check digit

This digit is calculated using a mathematical formula based on other digits in the VIN. It verifies the authenticity of the vehicle identification number.

Tenth digit: Model Year

This alternates between numbers and letters. 1-9 was used from 2001-2009. I, O and Q aren’t used, so they won’t be confused with 1 and 0. 2022 models use the code “N”, while the following year uses “P”.

Code Year Code Year Code Year Code Year
E 1984 R 1994 4 2004 E 2014
F 1985 S 1995 5 2005 F 2015
G 1986 T 1996 6 2006 G 2016
H 1987 V 1997 7 2007 H 2017
J 1988 W 1998 8 2008 J 2018
K 1989 X 1999 9 2009 K 2019
L 1990 Y 2000 A 2010 L 2020
M 1991 1 2001 B 2011 M 2021
N 1992 2 2002 C 2012 N 2022
P 1993 3 2003 D 2013 P 2023

Eleventh digit: Manufacturing Plant

This is where the vehicle was manufactured. Toyota operates plants all over the world. Here are the most common factory codes.

Code PLANT
0-9, K Japan
C Cambridge, ON
R Lafayette, IN
S Princeton, IN
U Georgetown, KY
W Woodstock, ON
Y San Antonio, TX
Z Fremont, CA

Twelfth through Seventeenth Digit: Serial Number

This number is usually issued sequentially. Occasionally, the company occasionally jumps to higher numbers during the model year.

Toyota VIN Samples

Here are some examples of the information you’ll get when you look up your VIN on our site:

  • JTEZU5JR8H5150230: 2017 4Runner with a 4.0l 1GRE-FE engine built in Japan
  • JTDFPRAEXLJ018251: 2020 Corolla with a 1.8l 2ZR-FAE engine built in Japan
  • JT4RN56S2F0139246: 21985 Pick-up with a 2.4l 22R engine built in Japan

Frequently Asked Questions

Reputable decoders use public or NMVTIS-approved facts, as well as insurance records, auction photos, and other legal details. Always avoid suspicious sites that require early payment without explaining all further operations.

Free VIN checks cross-reference national stolen vehicle databases to indicate if the sequence is associated with theft or cloning. Drivers are aware of whether sequences are cloned or vehicles are stolen.

Cars built before 1981 feature abbreviated identification numbers of 11-13 characters that need expert interpretation. Certain state DMVs mandate police officer verification for these vintage vehicle registrations.

Vehicle identification numbers enable warranty verification through manufacturer and independent service platforms. These systems reveal original service dates, mileage restrictions, and current powertrain protection status.

Yes. Some tools let drivers enter sequences to pull the factory Monroney label. This includes MSRP and option codes.

Generally, yes. The sequence is visible through the windshield anyway. However, never post documents that link to personal or sensitive data, as this could expose you to identity theft or fraud.

Yes. Look for “commercial, fleet, taxi, or rental use” markers. Check the ownership history section of the comprehensive reports.

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