VIN Technical Glossary

This glossary explains the terms used across the site when we talk about Ford Vehicle Identification Numbers. It is a quick reference you can return to whenever a term is unfamiliar.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The unique code that identifies a single vehicle. Since the early 1980s it has 17 characters, and earlier Ford vehicles use shorter factory numbers.

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI). The first three characters of a VIN, which identify the maker and the country of build. Ford examples include 1FA, 1FT and 1FM in the United States and WF0 in Europe.

Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS). Characters four through eight, which describe the vehicle, including the body style, the restraint system, the series and the engine.

Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS). The last eight characters, which identify the individual vehicle through the model year, the plant and the production sequence number.

Check digit. The ninth character, calculated from all the others using a fixed formula. If a VIN is entered incorrectly the check digit will usually not match, which makes it a fast test for typos and tampering.

Model year code. The tenth character, which gives the year the vehicle was built to. It cycles through letters and numbers, skipping the letters that look like numbers.

Assembly plant code. The eleventh character, which identifies the factory that built the vehicle.

Production sequence number. The final six characters, the running build number that is unique to that one vehicle.

Engine code. The character within the descriptor section that identifies the engine the vehicle left the factory with. It is the part of the VIN that separates, for example, a V6 from a V8 or a diesel from a petrol.