VIN Decoding

As time goes on, more people want to know exactly what options came with their specific vehicle. This seems to especially be so for classic, sports car and even truck fanatics.
The first one I am going to put together is my own vehicle, a 2nd generation Dodge Durango (2004-2009).

I started with the base VIN of mine, compared to other Chrysler decoders and extrapolated more as I went along.

1D4HD38NX4FXXXXXX - starting VIN, last 6 X'd out for security

Dodge Durango VIN Decoding:

Digit:

1st Country of Origin

• 1 - USA
• 2 - Canada
• 3 - Mexico
• 4 - US Diamond star motors (typically motor homes)
• J - Japan (shouldn't see this)

2nd Brand

• D - Dodge
• C - Chrysler

3rd Vehicle type

• 4 - Passenger (private) vehicle
• Other digits may show here if it was a fleet, corporate or non-standard Durango

4th Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

• H - signifies GVWR of 6,001 to 7,000 lbs. which all Durangos should fall under.
• Only a V6 ST model may have "G" which is 5,001 to 6,000 lbs.
• Another possibility is that this was used for axle ratios and not GVWR, in which case H = 3.92

5th Body style

• D - 4 door
• there may be other letters here, please let me know if yours is different and the extra info to go along with it such as 2 or 3 rows of seats, ST, SLT, Limited, etc... there may be more that is not shared here.

6th Series

• 3 - ST
• 4 - SLT
• 5 - Limited
• This may also signify the engine and not the series or have more options such as "4.7L ST", "4.7L SLT", I am waiting for more information before finalizing this section.

7th Unknown, possibly drive train

• 8 - 4x2?

8th Engine

• N - 4.7L V8, 289 cid
• M - 3.7L V6
• P - 5.7L Hemi V8 318 cid

9th Check digit, see bottom of this post for more information

10th Model year
This covers all Chrysler products at least since 1990 or earlier.

• R - 1994
• S - 1995
• and so on to Y - 2000 (as in Y2K)
• 1 - 2001
• 2- 2002
• and so on, (4 - 2004, 9 - 2009)
• A - 2010

11th Assembly Plant

• A	Auburn Hills
  F	Newark
  G	Saltillo
  J	St. Louis North
  K	Pillette
  M	Lago Alberto Assembly
  S	Dodge City (Warren Plant)

12 to 17th digit is the specific serial number. Anytime your model differs from the above list, it is best to contact Chrysler corporate with your VIN to get an exact build sheet.

Every now and then a VIN does not follow the normal convention mentioned above, such as the 8th digit has been found to contain the digit for the V6 yet the vehicle has the 4.7L V8. As vehicles are rolled off the line, if the V6 was not up to specs, they may have made a last minute decision to replace it with the 4.7L. Another possibility is the V6 engine blew with low miles and the dealership or mechanic shop replaced it with the 4.7L at that time.




Position 9 is from a Check Digit calculation:

The United States of America and Canada require that the 9th position of the
Vehicle Identification Number is to be used as a check digit to provide a means
for verifying the accuracy of the VIN transcription. It is calculated by using
the other 16 characters of the VIN to generate a single digit number.

1. A numerical value is assigned to letters in the VIN. I, O and Q are not
   allowed so their positions are skipped. A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5, F=6, G=7,
   H=8, J=1, K=2, L=3, M=4, N=5, P=7, R=9, S=2, T=3, U=4, V=5, W=6, X=7, Y=8,
   Z=9


2. A weight factor is assigned to all positions of the VIN, except of course
   to the 9th position (the check digit itself), as follows: 1=8, 2=7, 3=6, 4=5,
   5=4, 6=3, 7=2, 8=10, 10=9, 11=8, 12=7, 13=6, 14=5, 15=4, 16=3, 17=2



3. The numerical values of the letters in the VIN are multiplied by their assigned
   weight factor.


4. The resulting products from step 3 are added up.


5. The sum of the products is divided by 11.
   
   
   
   • The numerical remainder (0 through 9) is the check digit.
   
   
   • If the remainder is 10, the check digit is the letter X.
   
   
   • So the 9th position of the VIN will be a number 0-9 or the letter X.