Check vehicle information with GMC VIN
Looking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
The name “GMC” comes from Grabowsky Motor Company, one of several truck manufacturers GM bought and merged to form this division. Over the years, more companies and divisions were folded into the brand, resulting in a wide-ranging lineup that included light pickups, RVs, buses, semis and tractor engines. In the late 1990s, the brand started moving away from commercial vehicles, ending medium-duty truck production in 2009. Today, they offer mid-level luxury trucks and SUVs positioned between Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as the high performance Hummer electric SUV.
EpicVIN's GMC VIN lookup can help you find the right vehicle by letting you decode the VIN. This tells you exactly how the vehicle was configured at the factory. Want to know more? Our VIN reports comb through corporate and government databases to find information on the vehicle's history, helping you avoid damaged vehicles and vehicles with legal issues.
All vehicles built since 1981 have a unique identifier called a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN.) The VIN number uses 17 digits that include the serial number, as well as production information. EpicVIN's GMC VIN decoder translates this information into something you can read. Using our GMC VIN number lookup, you can find out about the vehicle's year, model, engine and more. Using this tool helps you verify information on trucks and SUVs. Want to know more about a heavy duty GMC truck or RV? Our tools also allow you to look up these vehicles, and you can run an ATV or motorcycle VIN lookup, no matter the brand.
Why is our VIN decoder GMC fans’ choice? When you're shopping for a vehicle, knowing the factory information encoded in this number tells you exactly how a vehicle was equipped at the factory. This helps you find the exact truck or SUV you want. Don't have the number to type into our GMV VIN decoder? We also offer license plate lookup, which finds the VIN in government records, so we can give you the same information.
Once you're ready to buy, order a VIN report. As an official NMVTIS source, we're able to provide accurate data about the vehicle's history. This includes vehicle owner lookup, court records, police reports and insurance claims. That way, you'll know if the vehicle was in an accident, or has a questionable legal history that could make it hard to license.
Where do you find this number to do a GMC VIN check? The VIN is in several locations on the vehicle that are unlikely to be removed for repairs. Here's where you can find the VIN on a GMC:
Look for a VIN plate on the dashboard. This plate can be seen by looking through the windshield on the driver's side of the vehicle.
Open the driver's door. You should see a sticker below the door latch on the B pillar, or on the side of the B pillar next to the door sill. The VIN is printed near the bottom of this sticker.
Look in the engine compartment around the air filter box. There is usually a plate with the VIN on the inner fender or the radiator support.
Look at the driver's side frame rail. GMC stamps or engraves the VIN in three places: under the driver's door, where the frame bends up just in front of the rear axle, and next to the spare tire. Undercoating can cover these codes, making them hard to read.
The VIN can also be found on titles, registrations, insurance cards and other important paperwork to identify the vehicle.
What information is encoded in the VIN? Each manufacturer has some leeway when they format this number. Here's what GMC uses each position for in their VINs.
Position 1: Manufacturing Country
| 1: | United States |
| 2: | Canada |
| 3: | Mexico |
Position 2: Manufacturer
G: General Motors
Position 3: Division
While most companies use one character per brand, GM uses several characters here to indicate both the brand and type of vehicle. For example, a “K” is used for GMC SUVs.
Position 4 and 5: Platform and Series
Platform codes are the same across all GM models, while series codes are unique to the brand and version of the vehicle. These codes change from year to year, so it's easier to use our DMV VIN check instead of trying to decode these yourself. Here are three examples of codes used for these positions:
| EC | Sierra |
| FK | Yukon/Suburban |
| HG | Savana passenger van |
Position 6: Body
While body codes have changed over the years, most GMC vehicles will have one of these characters in this position:
| 1 | SUV |
| 3 | Truck |
| G | Van |
Position 7: Safety Restraint System
This is the safety equipment installed at the factory.
| 1 | Seat belts only |
| 2 | Dual front airbags |
| 3 | Driver's airbag |
| 4 | Front and side airbags |
| 5 | Dual front airbags and side driver's airbag |
| 6 | Front and side airbags with passenger occupancy sensor |
| 7 | Front and side airbags, including side airbags for rear seats |
Position 8: Engine
Here are a few popular engines and their codes.
| C | 5.3l Flex-Fuel with Active Fuel Management |
| G | 8.1l Vortec 8100 |
| P | 5.3l Vortec 5300, aluminum block and heads |
| T | 5.3l Vortec 5300 |
| X | 4.3l Vortec V6, iron block and heads |
| Z | 4.3l Vortec V6, throttle body injection (TBI) |
Position 9: Check Digit
This digit uses a mathematical formula that uses other characters from the VIN as inputs to generate this character. This adds error checking, making it easy to flag errors in databases.
Position 10: Model Year
All vehicles, including GMCs, use a standard character for the model year. It alternates between numbers 1-9 and 20 letters, excluding those that can be confused with numbers. Numbers were used between 1971-1979 and 2001-2009. 2024 models use the character “R”.
Position 11: Assembly Plant
Here are codes for common manufacturing plants used to build GMCs:
| R | Arlington Assembly Arlington, Texas |
| U | Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Hamtramck, Michigan |
| F | Fairfax II Kansas City, Kansas or Flint Truck Assembly Flint, Michigan |
| Z | Fort Wayne Assembly Roanoke, Indiana |
| J | Lansing Delta Township Assembly Delta Township, Michigan |
| 0 | Lansing Grand River Assembly Lansing, Michigan |
| 7 | Lordstown Assembly Lordstown, Ohio |
| 4 | Orion Assembly Orion Township, Michigan |
| 1 | Oshawa Car Assembly Oshawa, Ontario Canada |
| S | Ramos Arizpe Assembly Ramos Arizpe, Mexico |
| G | Silao Assembly Silao, Mexico |
| 1 | Wentzville Assembly Wentzville, Missouri |
Position 12-17: Serial Number
Since there are only 6 characters used for this section, serial numbers are frequently reused. However, no two vehicles will have a completely identical VIN.
Want to know more about EpicVIN's vehicle tools? Here are some sample VINs you can try with our VIN search.
Locations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, there are three places you can find the code on most vehicles:
- Look through the windshield at the dashboard. On the driver’s side, you should see a small metal plate with the number stamped into it.
- Open the driver’s door. Look at the front and side of the door pillar for an I.D. sticker. It usually has the manufacturer’s logo on it. The code should be on this sticker.
- Open the hood. You may see a sticker on the firewall or near the passenger’s side strut tower. Some cars have the number engraved in one of these areas.
Since this number is used to identify the vehicle on official documents, you can also find it on the title, the window sticker, and on insurance policies.
We also decode numbers for RVs, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. If you need to decode an RV number, make sure it’s the one issued by the chassis manufacturer, not the RV outfitter.
No. Canadian and Mexican cars usually use the same format. Other countries use their own formats.
It’s up to the manufacturer to determine what they want to include for some parts of the number. For example, some companies don’t include information about transmissions or trim levels.
Usually, no. A few manufacturers stamp the code into the engine. If the VINs on the engine and car match, then it’s the original engine. On most vehicles, there isn’t anything that ties an engine to a specific vehicle. At most, looking up the vehicle on our website will tell you if a different type of engine was installed. For example, if someone swaps a V8 into a Ford Mustang, our site will tell you it originally came with a V6.
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Read moreLooking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
