The model-year code in a VIN: position 10 and the 30-year cycle

One character, thirty years

Position 10 of a US VIN is the model-year code (49 CFR § 565.15(d)(1)). It is a single character, so it can name only thirty different years before it repeats. The sequence uses the letters A to Y, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z, followed by the digits 1 to 9. The zero is never a year code, which is one of the quick ways to spot a mistyped VIN.

The regulation’s Table VII lists the codes for 2005 to 2039. Because the same thirty characters were used in the previous cycle, the code for 2010 is A and so was the code for 1980, and L is 2020 and also 1990. The digit 5 is 2005 in the old cycle and 2035 in the new one.

The full table

Year codes from Table VII for 2010 to 2039: A is 2010, B 2011, C 2012, D 2013, E 2014, F 2015, G 2016, H 2017, J 2018, K 2019, L 2020, M 2021, N 2022, P 2023, R 2024, S 2025, T 2026, V 2027, W 2028, X 2029, Y 2030. Then the digits: 1 is 2031, 2 is 2032, 3 is 2033, 4 is 2034, 5 is 2035, 6 is 2036, 7 is 2037, 8 is 2038 and 9 is 2039.

For 1980 to 2009 the same sequence applies one cycle earlier: A is 1980 and Y is 2000, then 1 is 2001 through 9 is 2009. Table VII itself prints only 2005 to 2039, because the earlier years follow the same sequence.

How position 7 decides between two cycles

The note to Table VII settles the ambiguity for passenger cars and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating or less. If position 7 is a digit, the year in position 10 is in the range 1980 to 2009. If position 7 is a letter, it is in the range 2010 to 2039. That is why the rule makes the seventh character a letter for these vehicles from 2010 on.

The rule does not bind heavier vehicles, motorcycles or trailers, so for those a letter such as L can mean either year and the decode, or the vehicle itself, has to tell you. PlateVIN lists both readings when position 7 cannot decide.

Model year is a label, not a date of manufacture

The model year is the year the manufacturer assigns to the vehicle’s design and equipment, not the calendar year it was built. A vehicle labelled as a later model year is often built in the autumn before. The certification label on the door shows the month and year of manufacture, and it can differ from the model-year code by up to a year.

When a listing and the VIN disagree about the year, look at both: the code, the label and the manufacturer’s own production calendar. A model year code that does not exist, such as U, Z or 0 in position 10, means the VIN was mistyped or is not a conforming one; NHTSA’s decoder reports it as an incorrect model year.

Quellen

• 49 CFR § 565.15 Content requirements (eCFR)
• 49 CFR § 565.13 General requirements (eCFR)
• NHTSA vPIC API documentation