How to Read a Dodge VIN Number, Character by Character
To read a Dodge VIN, split its 17 characters into three groups. Characters 1 to 3 are the world manufacturer identifier: country of manufacture, manufacturer and vehicle type. Characters 4 to 9 describe the vehicle, with the line, series, body or drive configuration, restraint details and engine in positions 4 through 8 and a check digit in position 9. Characters 10 to 17 identify the individual vehicle: model year in position 10, assembly plant in position 11 and a six-digit production sequence. Read by hand, a VIN tells you where a Dodge was built, by which manufacturer, in what model year and with which engine family. It does not record options, paint or packages; those come from the factory record tied to that VIN. This layout applies to Dodges from the 1981 model year on.
Where to find the VIN
- A plate on the dashboard, read through the lower driver's-side corner of the windshield
- The certification label on the driver's door or door-jamb pillar
- The title, registration and insurance documents
Read it from the vehicle whenever you can. All of these sources should match character for character, and a plate that looks disturbed or a missing door label deserves a closer look before you buy.
The 17 positions
| Position | What it identifies | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country of manufacture | 1, 4 or 5 for the United States; 2 for Canada; 3 for Mexico; Z for Italy, as on the Italian-built Hornet |
| 2–3 | Manufacturer and vehicle type | Older Dodges use identifiers such as 1B3 or 2B3 for cars and 1D4, 2D4 or 1D7 for SUVs, vans and trucks. Later Dodges often have a C in position 2, as in 2C3 on Canadian-built Chargers and Challengers. |
| 4–7 | Vehicle line, series, body or drive configuration, restraint and weight details | Chrysler's layout differs between cars, SUVs and trucks and has changed over time. On many later Dodges, position 5 is D for the Dodge brand. |
| 8 | Engine | The meaning depends on the vehicle line and model year |
| 9 | Check digit | Calculated from the other 16 characters |
| 10 | Model year | Repeats on a 30-year cycle |
| 11 | Assembly plant | One character per plant |
| 12–17 | Production sequence | Identifies the individual vehicle |
The letters I, O and Q never appear anywhere in a VIN, so they cannot be confused with 1 and 0. The engine character is the one most buyers check first; Dodge engine code by VIN explains what it can and cannot confirm.
Model year codes (position 10)
The year character runs through the alphabet, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z, then uses the digits 1 through 9; the digit 0 is not used. The whole sequence repeats on a 30-year cycle.
| Code | Model years | Code | Model years |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 1981 / 2011 | N | 1992 / 2022 |
| C | 1982 / 2012 | P | 1993 / 2023 |
| D | 1983 / 2013 | R | 1994 / 2024 |
| E | 1984 / 2014 | S | 1995 / 2025 |
| F | 1985 / 2015 | T | 1996 / 2026 |
| G | 1986 / 2016 | V | 1997 / 2027 |
| H | 1987 / 2017 | W | 1998 / 2028 |
| J | 1988 / 2018 | X | 1999 / 2029 |
| K | 1989 / 2019 | Y | 2000 / 2030 |
| L | 1990 / 2020 | 1–9 | 2001–2009 |
| M | 1991 / 2021 | A | 2010 |
The vehicle settles which cycle applies. A B could mean a 1981 Aries or a 2011 Durango, and the vehicle line in positions 4 through 7 makes the answer obvious.
The check digit (position 9)
Position 9 is calculated from the other 16 characters, which lets anyone test whether a VIN is internally consistent:
- Convert letters to numbers: 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. Digits keep their own value.
- Multiply each position by its weight. For positions 1 through 17 the weights are 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 10, 0, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
- Add the products and divide by 11. The remainder is the check digit, and a remainder of 10 is written as X.
A failed check almost always means a typo or an invented number. A passing check only means the characters are consistent with each other; it does not prove the VIN belongs to the vehicle in front of you.
Plant code and production sequence
Position 11 identifies the assembly plant. On recent Dodges you will commonly see H for Brampton, Ontario, on Chargers and Challengers; C for Jefferson North in Detroit on Durangos; R for Windsor, Ontario, on Grand Caravans; and T for Toluca, Mexico, on Journeys. The plant normally agrees with position 1: a Canadian plant pairs with a 2 and a Mexican plant with a 3.
Positions 12 through 17 are the production sequence. They identify one vehicle, but they are not a production count for a model or trim, so do not use them to estimate how many cars like yours were built.
What reading the VIN will not tell you
Options, packages, paint, interior trim, axle ratio and towing equipment are not encoded in a Dodge VIN. Two vehicles that share the same characters in positions 1 through 11 can be equipped very differently. Those details come from the VIN-specific factory equipment listing, when one is available: decode your Dodge VIN to see the basic summary and the recorded equipment. For where a color is recorded, see Dodge paint code by VIN. A Dodge built before 1981 uses a shorter format, covered in the classic Dodge VIN decoder.