Ford VIN decoder
Enter a Ford VIN to see the model, year, engine, factory and open safety recalls. Free, with official NHTSA data.
About Ford VINs
Ford VINs are among the easiest to read. US-built Ford cars start with 1FA, trucks such as the F-150 with 1FT and SUVs with 1FM; Canadian and Mexican plants use 2F and 3F. Lincoln and the former Mercury brand use 1LN and 1ME.
Ford is part of Ford Motor Company.
Good to know
- On most Ford cars and trucks the 8th character is the engine code, for example the difference between a 2.7 and a 3.5 EcoBoost.
- Positions 5 to 7 give the series and body style, such as F-150 SuperCrew 4x4.
- The 11th character is the assembly plant, so two identical trucks can come from Dearborn or Kansas City.
Ford manufacturer codes (WMI)
The first three characters of a VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier. NHTSA lists 23 codes for Ford. The first character shows the region where the vehicle was built (1, 4, 5 USA; 2 Canada; 3 Mexico; J Japan; K Korea; W Germany; Z Italy).
| Code | Manufacturer | Country | Vehicle type | Also used by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1F1 | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| 1F7 | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Passenger Car | – |
| 1FA | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Passenger Car | – |
| 1FB | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Bus | – |
| 1FC | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 1FD | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 1FM | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| 1FT | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Truck | – |
| 2FA | Ford Motor Company Of Canada, Ltd. | Canada | Passenger Car | – |
| 2FB | Ford Motor Company Of Canada, Ltd. | United States (USA) | Bus | – |
| 2FC | Ford Motor Company Of Canada, Ltd. | Canada | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 2FD | Ford Motor Company Of Canada, Ltd. | Canada | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 2FM | Ford Motor Company Of Canada, Ltd. | Canada | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| 2FT | Ford Motor Company Of Canada, Ltd. | Canada | Truck | – |
| 3FA | Ford Motor Company, Mexico | Mexico | Passenger Car | – |
| 3FB | Ford Motor Company, Mexico | Mexico | Bus | – |
| 3FC | Ford Motor Company, Mexico | Mexico | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 3FD | Ford Motor Company, Mexico | Mexico | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 3FE | Ford Motor Company, Mexico | Mexico | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 3FM | Ford Motor Company, Mexico | Mexico | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| 3FT | Ford Motor Company, Mexico | Mexico | Truck | – |
| 5LD | Ford Motor Company | United States (USA) | Incomplete Vehicle | – |
| 9BF | Ford Motor Company Brasil Ltda. | Brazil | Truck | – |
How to read a Ford VIN
| Position | Meaning | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Manufacturer code (WMI) | Maker, brand and country, as in the table above. |
| 4-8 | Vehicle descriptor | Model, body, engine and safety equipment. Each maker sets its own layout here. |
| 9 | Check digit | A calculated digit that catches typing errors and fake VINs. |
| 10 | Model year | A letter or number for the year (see the table below). |
| 11 | Assembly plant | The factory code, set by the maker. |
| 12-17 | Serial number | The production number of that vehicle. |
Model year codes
The 10th character of a Ford VIN is the model year. Letters I, O, Q, U, Z and the number 0 are never used. The codes repeat every 30 years.
Ford models in the NHTSA database
NHTSA lists 149 model names under Ford. Decode a VIN to see which one yours is, with its exact trim and engine.
- '34
- A8513
- A9513
- A9522
- Aerostar
- Aspire
- AT8513
- AT9513
- AT9522
- B-750
- B600
- B700
- B800
- B6000
- B7000
- Bronco
- Bronco II
- Bronco Sport
- C-Max
- C600
- C700
- C800
- C7000
- C8000
- CF6000
- CF7000
- CF8000
- CFT8000
- CL9000
- CLT9000
- Commercial Chassis
- Contour
- Courier
- Crown Victoria
- CT800
- CT8000
- E-100
- E-150
- E-250
- E-350
- E-450
- E-550
- Ecosport
- Edge
- Escape
- Escort
- Excursion
- Expedition
- Expedition EL
- Expedition MAX
- Explorer
- Explorer Sport
- Explorer Sport Trac
- F-100
- F-150
- F-150 Heritage
- F-250
- F-350
- F-450
- F-550
Show all 149 models
- F-590
- F-600
- F-650
- F-700
- F-750
- F-800
- F-Super Duty
- F6000
- F7000
- F8000
- Fairmont
- Festiva
- Fiesta
- Five Hundred
- Flex
- Focus
- Freestar
- Freestyle
- FT800
- FT900
- FT8000
- Fusion
- Granada
- GT
- GT MKII
- L800
- L8000
- L8501
- L8511
- L8513
- L9000
- L9501
- L9511
- L9513
- L9522
- LA8000
- LA9000
- Laser
- LL9000
- LLA9000
- LLS9000
- LN600
- LN700
- LN800
- LN7000
- LN8000
- LN9000
- LNT800
- LNT8000
- LNT9000
- Low Cab Forward
- LS8000
- LS9000
- LT800
- LT8000
- LT8501
- LT8511
- LT8513
- LT9000
- LT9501
- LT9511
- LT9513
- LT9522
- LTA9000
- LTD
- LTL9000
- LTLA9000
- LTLS9000
- LTS8000
- LTS9000
- Maverick
- Motorhome Chassis
- Mustang
- Mustang GTD
- Mustang Mach-E
- P600
- P700
- P800
- Probe
- Ranger
- Recreational Vehicle
- Taurus
- Taurus X
- Tempo
- Thunderbird
- Transit
- Transit Connect
- Windstar
- ZX2
Vehicle types NHTSA lists for Ford
Bus, Incomplete Vehicle, Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV), Passenger Car, Truck
Where to find the VIN on a Ford
Windshield
At the bottom of the windshield on the driver side, readable from outside.
Driver door frame
On the label on the door pillar, with tire pressures and weights.
Papers
On the title, registration and insurance card.
Ford recalls by VIN
Every decoded Ford VIN on VinGear shows the safety recalls NHTSA lists for that model and year. To know whether the repair was already done on your vehicle, ask a Ford dealer or use Ford's own recall lookup with the VIN.
Ford VIN decoder questions
How do I decode a Ford VIN?
Type the 17-character VIN in the box at the top of this page and press Decode VIN. You get the model, year, engine, factory and safety recalls from NHTSA, free.
Is this Ford VIN decoder free?
Yes. Decoding and recall checks are free with no sign-up. The data comes from NHTSA, the US vehicle safety agency.
What do the first three characters of a Ford VIN mean?
They are the manufacturer code (WMI): maker, brand and country of manufacture. NHTSA lists 23 codes for Ford; the table on this page shows them.
Does a Ford VIN show options or the owner?
No. The VIN codes the model, body, engine and factory, not options or colour. It never shows the owner, and VinGear does not look up owners.