VIN model year code

Client

Position ten encodes the model year symbol per manufacturer assignment—letters and digits repeat across decades. This page shows the raw symbol and validates the full frame checksum.

Year code limits

Toolcore displays the character at position ten. Mapping that symbol to a calendar year requires manufacturer-specific tables not computed on this page.

Privacy: parsing runs only in your browser. This page does not query DMV, insurance, or manufacturer databases—only the published mod-11 rule for the ninth character.
?

After removing spaces and hyphens, the frame must be exactly 17 characters. Letters I, O, and Q are forbidden everywhere. Position 9 (index 8) is the check symbol: decimal 0–9 or X for remainder ten. Each symbol maps to a numeric value, is multiplied by a fixed weight for its position, products are summed, and sum mod 11 must equal the check symbol’s value (X → 10).

Result

Passes check digit — weighted sum mod 11 is 10; expected X.

  • WMI (positions 1–3): 1HG
  • Attributes (4–8): BH41J
  • Check (9): X
  • Model year code (10): M
  • Plant (11): N
  • Sequential (12–17): 109186

Common use cases

  • Flag suspicious year symbols before deeper OEM decode.
  • Pair checksum pass with manual year-code charts.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming one letter always means one calendar year globally

    Manufacturer year-code tables disambiguate repeating symbols.

FAQ

Which VIN digit is the model year?

Position ten (index nine)—shown as raw symbol here without OEM decode.

Common search terms

Phrases people search for that match this tool. See the full long-tail keyword index.

  • vin check digit verifier online
  • validate vin number mod 11 free
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  • vehicle identification number check digit locally

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