The Honda VIN decoder reads a 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) to identify model year, engine, body style, and assembly plant. Enter the code below for a free Honda VIN check and free access to decoded specifications and open recalls before you compare vehicles or check a seller's description.
Looking for the VIN?
Here is where you'll find it:
Approved NMVTIS data provider
Title records from the U.S. Department of Justice system
23,953,630 Honda VINs
in the EpicVIN database · data as of August 30, 2026
70 databases behind every report
More than 350 million VIN records checked
Decode without an account
Open recalls from NHTSA in the same result
Locate the 17-character VIN, enter it in the field above, and read the decoded result by position. The opening characters identify the manufacturer; the character in position 10 identifies the model year.
Begin with the vehicle itself rather than copying a number from an advertisement. Honda identifies these common locations for the VIN:
On older Hondas, an identifying number may also be stamped on the engine block or frame. Check whether that marking is a VIN or a separate engine serial number before comparing it with the dashboard plate. Honda's What is the VIN? guide describes the usual passenger-vehicle locations.
Type the full VIN into the VIN lookup tool above, keeping the characters in their original order. An account is not required. Check the sequence against the metal VIN plate before submitting it, especially when copying it from a listing.
The result brings the vehicle description and production details together: model year, engine type, body style, assembly plant, and, where encoded, transmission, trim level, and drivetrain. Open recalls appear alongside the available specifications. If a field differs from the seller's description, use the VIN structure breakdown below to locate the relevant code before requesting clarification.
A Honda VIN is a standardized 17-character alphanumeric code divided into the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI, positions 1–3), Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS, positions 4–9), and Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS, positions 10–17).
Read the complete VIN manually as a string of 17 letters and numbers, not as a collection of unrelated badges. The letters I, O and Q are not used because they resemble 1 and 0. Each valid VIN identifies a particular vehicle, and the engine number stamped on an engine block is a separate identifier.
The layout follows 49 CFR Part 565 and ISO 3779, published by the International Organization for Standardization. Since 1981, vehicles covered by the standardized format have used 17-character VINs; earlier Hondas may have shorter identifiers. For those vehicles, see the classic car VIN lookup.
Honda's distinguishing detail lies in positions 4–8. Instead of treating each character as an isolated specification, read positions 4–6 as the vehicle model line and engine code, position 7 as body and transmission type, and position 8 as trim.
Honda of America Mfg. operates the Marysville and East Liberty plants in Ohio. In NHTSA vPIC manufacturer records, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is associated with Honda VIN prefixes such as 1HG, 5FN, 5J6 or 19X. The VIN therefore identifies both the vehicle's coded attributes and the manufacturer information behind its assembly history.
| WMI | Country of manufacture |
|---|---|
| JHM | Japan |
| 1HG | United States |
| 5FN | United States |
| 2HG | Canada |
| 19X | United States |
| 2HJ | Canada |
| 2HK | Canada |
| 3CZ | Mexico |
| SHH | United Kingdom |
| 5J6 | United States |
| Plant code | Assembly plant |
|---|---|
| A | Marysville, Ohio |
| L | East Liberty, Ohio |
| B | Lincoln, Alabama |
| E | Greensburg, Indiana |
| H | Alliston, Ontario, Canada |
| G | El Salto, Mexico |
| M | Celaya, Mexico |
| C | Sayama, Japan |
| Model-year codes | Year |
|---|---|
| A–Y | Letter series; A = 2010, R = 2024, S = 2025, T = 2026 |
| 1–9 | 2001–2009 |
Consider the example VIN 1HGCP2F80BA045245, an actual Honda vehicle identifier appearing in the records used for this page. The NHTSA vPIC decoder identifies it as a 2011 Honda Accord EX-L sedan, equipped with a 2.4 L four-cylinder K24Z3 gasoline engine and assembled in Marysville, Ohio, United States. The table separates manufacturer information, vehicle attributes, the validation character, and the production sequence so the complete code is easier to follow.
| Positions | Characters | Decoded information |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1HG | Manufacturer (WMI): Honda, passenger car, United States |
| 4–8 | CP2F8 | Vehicle attributes (VDS): Accord, EX-L, 2.4 L 4-cyl K24Z3 gasoline |
| 9 | 0 | Check digit valid (vPIC) |
| 10 | B | Model year 2011 |
| 11 | A | Assembly plant Marysville, Ohio, United States |
| 12–17 | 045245 | Serial number production sequence |
Decoded with NHTSA vPIC on September 28, 2026. This is one real Honda VIN, not a fleet average.
Only in part. A VIN identifies the model year, engine, and body style but is not a full build list of factory-installed features and options or standard equipment. Honda has no documented public online route for retrieving a complete build sheet. To check original equipment, use the window sticker or dealer records associated with the VIN. NHTSA vPIC also provides available restraint system details.
Yes. EpicVIN offers a basic Honda VIN check without an account. The free VIN lookup provides decoded vehicle details, open recalls, and available accident, odometer or theft flags. Those indicators are useful when checking a new or used vehicle; a full vehicle history report supplies the supporting records behind them.
Year 2011
Make HONDA
Model Accord
Fuel Type Gasoline
Engine 2.4L In-Line K24Z3
Made in USA
The NHTSA recall lookup and NICB VINCheck are also free. A complete EpicVIN report costs $24.99 for one VIN. Whether buying or selling, confirm the model and engine against the advertisement before relying on its other claims.
EpicVIN's database contains 23,953,630 Honda VINs. Within that set, 26.2%, or roughly one in four, have at least one serious history event, such as a salvage-auction appearance, branded title, flood, fire, theft, or odometer issue. The comparable-fleet-age peer median is 21.3%.
| Indicator | Value | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| VINs in the database | 23,953,630 | 4th largest of 46 passenger makes |
| Average age | 11.4 years | Median model year 2016 |
| Typical mileage | 54,188 mi | Median last odometer reading |
| Miles per year | 11,670 | VINs with two dated readings |
| Serious history event | 26.2% | Peer median 21.3% |
| Salvage or junk title | 17.3% | On an auction lot or listing |
| Moved between states | 9.1% | Peer median 13.9% |
Sedans account for 39.6% of the Honda VINs in these records, while sport utility vehicles (SUVs) account for 38.1%.
Only 9.1% of the Honda VINs appear in records from more than one state, compared with a 13.9% peer median. That distinction is useful when examining a reported registration trail, although the absence of a second state in the database does not establish where a vehicle has always been.
Peers: 20 passenger makes with average fleet age within ±1.5 years. Shares are calculated from Honda VINs in the database. Source: EpicVIN Vehicle Data Research · Data as of August 2026.
Recall checks are free. Enter your VIN above or use the NHTSA recall lookup to check open safety recalls affecting that particular Honda. For other service campaigns, consult Honda directly. EpicVIN's database reports an average of 5.23 NHTSA recall campaigns per model year, compared with a 2.81 median among makes with a similar fleet age. These model-year figures do not represent outstanding repairs on one vehicle.
NHTSA recall campaigns: 5.23 per model year · Peer median: 2.81
A campaign associated with a model year does not automatically mean your car still needs work. Check the full VIN rather than assuming every Honda of that year is affected. Honda provides its own search at mygarage.honda.com, where the owner can identify applicable recalls and service campaigns. The separate Honda warranty lookup lets you review warranty information for the vehicle.
The first VIN character helps identify the country of manufacture: J for Japan, 1, 5, or 7 for the United States, 2 for Canada, and S for the United Kingdom. Position 11 identifies the build plant. Among EpicVIN Honda records, 62.8% were assembled in the United States, 21.1% in Canada, 7.6% in Japan, and 6.6% in Mexico.
Common Honda assembly plant codes include:
The country code and assembly plant code answer related but different questions. Read both before comparing the Honda's reported country of manufacture with the location shown on its certification label. The expanded plant chart above includes Honda production sites outside the United States.
Collision appears against 19.9% of Honda VINs in EpicVIN's records; all-over damage follows at 1.3%. In auction and listing records, California leads at 11.5%, followed by Florida and Texas at 6.6% each.
| Damage type | Share |
|---|---|
| Collision | 19.9% |
| All over | 1.3% |
| Mechanical | 0.6% |
| State | Share |
|---|---|
| California | 11.5% |
| Florida | 6.6% |
| Texas | 6.6% |
| New York | 5.1% |
| Ohio | 4.4% |
A VIN may be associated with multiple damage types and multiple states. Source: EpicVIN Vehicle Data Research · Data as of August 2026.
Each model-specific decoder adds Honda VIN code guidance and vehicle-history statistics for that particular model.
Honda motorcycles, scooters and ATVs have their own VIN decoder pages:
Related decoder: Acura VIN decoder.
They form the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), indicating the manufacturer, vehicle category, and manufacturing origin. Honda prefixes include JHM, 1HG, 5FN, 5J6, 2HG, and SHH; JHM identifies Honda passenger cars built in Japan.
Yes. You can check the model year, engine, assembly plant, and open recalls without creating an account. The more detailed EpicVIN vehicle history report costs $24.99.
Yes. The 10th character gives the model year: R means 2024 and S means 2025. Year codes repeat on a 30-year cycle; I, O, Q, U, and Z are excluded from that position.
Start with the free check above for recall information and accident or theft flags. Then examine a full report for title brands, damage photographs, and dated odometer readings.
Read position 8 together with positions 4–7. For the 2011 Accord, CP2F3 identifies an LX, while CP2F8 identifies an EX-L; the surrounding characters establish the model line and configuration.
The prefix 7FA is a World Manufacturer Identifier used by American Honda Motor Company for SUVs assembled in the United States. NHTSA vPIC includes decoding for these vehicles beginning with model year 2016.
Yes. Honda automobiles use the 17-character format standardized in 1981, and so do its motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), from Gold Wing to Africa Twin. Motorcycle prefixes include 1HF (United States) and JH2 (Japan). See the Honda ATV VIN decoder.
Yes. The VIN identifies the model year, body style, and engine; available NHTSA specifications may also show front-wheel drive (FWD), all-wheel drive (AWD), or four-wheel drive (4WD).
Check the certification label inside the driver's door jamb for the production month and year, or ask a Honda dealer. The VIN itself identifies the model year, not the exact build date.
A decoded VIN describes how a Honda was manufactured, not everything that happened after delivery. Detailed title events, damage records, and dated odometer history belong to the full vehicle history report. The statistics on this page come from auction and listing records, which act as proxies rather than complete state registries. Owner names are protected under the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).
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