Articles & How-To's *NOW WITH VIDEO SECTION!*

How To: Decode VIN Number and Vehicle Sticker

  #1  
Old 05-07-2009, 09:15 PM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Post How To: Decode VIN Number and Vehicle Sticker

This will help anyone having problems figuring out what the REAL color of their truck is, which axle they, really have, or anything else about the truck that might interest you!

First up, decoding your VIN number:
Typical VIN
Position numbers

Position 1-3 World Manufacturer Identifier (AKA: make, country, type of vehicle)
Position 4 Restraint System Type
Brake Type and GVWR Class (Trucks and Vans Only)
Position 5-7 Line, Series, Body Type
Position 8 Engine Type
Position 9 Check Digit
Position 10 Model Year
Position 11 Assembly Plant
Position 12-17 Production Sequence Number


Position 1-3
1FM — Ford Motor Company, USA, multi-purpose vehicle
1FT — Ford Motor Company, USA, truck, completed vehicle
1FD — Ford Motor Company, USA, incomplete vehicle
1FC — Ford Motor Company, USA, basic (stripped) chassis
1FB — Ford Motor Company, USA, bus
1FF — Ford Motor Company, USA, motor vehicle equipment without engine/powertrain (Glider)
1MH — Mercury, USA, incomplete vehicle
2FM — Ford Motor Company, Canada, multi-purpose vehicle
2FT — Ford Motor Company, Canada, truck, completed vehicle
2FD — Ford Motor Company, Canada, incomplete vehicle
2FC — Ford Motor Company, Canada, basic (stripped) chassis
2FB — Ford Motor Company, Canada, bus
2FF — Ford Motor Company, Canada, motor vehicle equipment without engine/powertrain (Glider)
2MH — Mercury, Canada, incomplete vehicle
3FB — Ford Motor Company, Mexico, bus
3FC — Ford Motor Company, Mexico, basic (stripped) chassis
3FE — Ford Motor Company, Mexico, incomplete vehicle
3FM — Ford Motor Company, Mexico, multi-purpose vehicle
3FT — Ford Motor Company, Mexico, truck, completed vehicle
4M2 — Mercury, USA, multi-purpose vehicle
4M3 — Mercury, USA, incomplete vehicle
4M4 — Mercury, USA, truck, completed vehicle

Position 4
A — 0-3000 Pounds
B — 3,001-4,000 Pounds
C — 4,001-5,000 Pounds
D — 5,001-6,000 Pounds
E — 6,001-7,000 Pounds (may also be "R")
F — 7,001-8,000 Pounds
G — 8,001-8,500 Pounds
H — 8,501-9,000 Pounds
J — 9,001-10,000 Pounds
K — 10,001-14,000 Pounds
L — 14,001-16,000 Pounds
M — 16,001-19,500 Pounds

Position 5-7 NOTE: depending on the year of your vehicle, codes tend to change, also; drw= dually; srw= standard rear wheel
F02 F-Series F150 4X2 (Regular Cab) Flareside Truck
F04 F-Series F150 4X4 (Regular Cab) Flareside Truck
F12 F-Series F150 4X2 (Regular Cab) Styleside Truck
F14 F-Series F150 4X4 (Regular Cab) Styleside Truck
F07 F-Series F150 Heritage 4X2 (Regular Cab) Flareside Truck
F08 F-Series F150 Heritage 4X4 (Regular Cab) Flareside Truck
F17 F-Series F150 Heritage 4X2 (Regular Cab) Styleside Truck
F18 F-Series F150 Heritage 4X4 (Regular Cab) Styleside Truck
F20 F-Series F250 4X2 (Regular Cab) SRW Truck
F21 F-Series F250 4X4 (Regular Cab) SRW Truck
W12 F-Series F150 4X2 (SuperCrew) Styleside Truck
W14 F-Series F150 4X4 (SuperCrew) Styleside Truck
W20 F-Series F250 4X2 (Crew Cab) SRW Truck
W21 F-Series F250 4X4 (Crew Cab) SRW Truck
X02 F-Series F150 4X2 (SuperCab) Flareside Truck
X04 F-Series F150 4X4 (SuperCab) Flareside Truck
X12 F-Series F150 4X2 (SuperCab) Styleside Truck
X14 F-Series F150 4X4 (SuperCab) Styleside Truck
X17 F-Series F150 Heritage 4X2 (SuperCab) Styleside Truck
X18 F-Series F150 Heritage 4X4 (SuperCab) Styleside Truck
X20 F-Series F250 4X2 (SuperCab) SRW Truck
X21 F-Series F250 4X4 (SuperCab) SRW Truck
R10 -- Ranger 4x2
R11 -- Ranger 4x4
R14 -- Ranger 4x2 (SuperCab)
R15 -- Ranger 4x4 (SuperCab)
R18 -- Ranger 4x2 (SuperCab)
R19 -- Ranger 4x4 (SuperCab)

Position 8
A — 2.3L EFI, four cylinder (Ranger 1997 and older)
3 -- 5.4L SOHC EFI S/C ENGINE CALIBRATION (Lightning, S/C Harley Edition)
6 — 4.6L EFI-SOHC (Windsor), eight cylinder (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
W — 4.6L EFI-SOHC, eight cylinder (F-150, F-250)
L — 5.4L EFI-SOHC, eight cylinder (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
S — 6.8L EFI-SOHC, ten cylinder (Econoline)
F — 7.3L Turbo-Diesel, eight cylinder (Econoline)
2 — 4.2L EFI-OHV, six cylinder (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
Z — 5.4L SOHC, gaseous fuel prep, eight cylinder (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
M — 5.4L SOHC natural gas, eight cylinder (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
X — 4.0L EFI-OHV, six cylinder (Explorer, Ranger)
E — 4.0L EFI-SOHC, six cylinder (Explorer, Mountaineer)
P — 5.0L EFI, eight cylinder (Explorer/Mountaineer)
B — 2.5L OHV-DI diesel, four cylinder (Ranger)
C — 2.5L EFI-SOHC, four cylinder (Ranger)
U — 3.0L, six cylinder (Ranger)

Position 9
This is a randomly generated number.

Position 10
V -- 1997
W -- 1998
X -- 1999
Y -- 2000
1 -- 2001
2 -- 2002
3 -- 2003
4 -- 2004
5 -- 2005
6 -- 2006
7 -- 2007
8 -- 2008
9 -- 2009
 

Last edited by ltz400racer; 05-08-2009 at 01:19 AM.
  #2  
Old 05-07-2009, 09:16 PM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Post Decode VIN Continued

Position 11 NOTE: Trucks only!
L — Michigan Truck (Wayne, Michigan)
S — Allen Park (Allen Park, Michigan)
H — Lorain (Lorain, Ohio)
C — Ontario Truck (Oakville, Ontario)
E — Kentucky Truck (Jefferson County, Kentucky)
K — Kansas City (Claycomo, Missouri)
N — Norfolk (Norfolk, Virginia)
U — Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky)
Z — St. Louis (Hazlewood, Missouri)
P — Twin Cities (St. Paul, Minnesota)
T — Edison (Edison, New Jersey)

Position 12-17
A00001-E99999 — Ford Division
J00001-L99999 — Lincoln-Mercury Division
 
  #3  
Old 05-07-2009, 09:49 PM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Post Vehicle Sticker-- Found in your driver side door jamb

Now For the Vehicle Sticker (this sticker is found in your driver side door jamb):

Here is what each of the items are (position numbers):
  1. Exterior Paint Code
  2. Region Code (not listed)
  3. Domestic SpeciaOrder Code (not listed)
  4. Wheelbase Code
  5. Brake Code
  6. Interior Trim Code
  7. Tape/Paint Pinstripe Code
  8. Radio Code
  9. Axle Code
  10. Transmission Code
  11. Spring Code


Now for the decoding:

Exterior Paint Codes:
Exterior paint codes may be listed as a 2-part code. The first set of characters identify the primary body color. The second set of characters (if applicable) identify the vehicle accent or 2-tone body color.
Primary Exterior Color Codes:
AQ — Arizona Beige
CX — Dark Shadow Gray (clear coat)
E4 — Vermilion (clear coat)
JL — Dark Toreador Red
L2 — True Blue Pearl (clear coat)
LD — Medium Wedgewood Blue (clear coat)
P5 — Aspen Green Metallic (clear coat)
T5 — Dark Copper (clear coat)
T7 — Charcoal Beige (clear coat)
UA — Ebony (clear coat)
YN — Silver Metallic (clear coat)
YZ — Oxford White (clear coat)

Exterior Accent Color Codes:
AQ — Arizona Beige (body side moulding)
CX — Dark Shadow Gray (body side moulding)
YN — Silver Metallic (wheel opening moulding)
Interior Trim Codes:
The following lists the interior trim and interior color codes:

Interior Trim:
Interior Trim Type
K — Knitted vinyl bench seat, F-Series
C — Cloth bench seat, F-Series
F — Cloth captains chairs, Excursion
F — Flight bench seat, Mexico sold F-Series XLT only
G — High back cloth individual seats, F-Series
H — High back knitted vinyl individual seats (captains chairs) with console, F-Series
J — High back vinyl individual seats, F-Series
3 — Cloth 40/20/40 seats, F-Series/Excursion
D — Cloth 40/20/40 seats with integrated restraints, F-Series
8 — Leather 40/20/40 seats, F-Series
9 — Leather 40/20/40 seats with integrated restraints, F-Series
2 — Cloth captains chairs, F-Series
6 — Cloth captains chairs with integrated restraints, F-Series
4 — Leather captains chairs, F-Series/Excursion
7 — Leather captains chairs with integrated restraints, F-Series
5 — Leather quad captains chairs, F-Series
L — Leather captains chairs, Excursion Limited
B —Leather captains chairs with vinyl rear bench, F-Series
M—Cloth 40/20/40 seats with rear bench mono. F-Series
P—Leather captains chairs with vinyl rear bench, F-Series
A — Hampton vinybucket seats — Econoline
E — Camden cloth captain chairs — Econoline
C — Stockton vinybucket seats — Econoline
F — Kirk cloth captain chairs — Econoline
A — vinyfulbench seat (split back), vinyfulbench (Mexico) — F-150, F-250
C — polyknit fulbench seat (split back), polyknit fulbench (Mexico) — F-150, F-250
M — cloth 40/60 bench seat — F-150, F-250
E — leather 40/60 bench seat — F-150, F-250
H — simulated split vinyl bench seat (Ranger)
E — Cirrus cloth 60/40 split bench seat (Ranger)
G — Triad luxury sport bucket seats (Ranger)

Interior Color Codes:
H — Medium Parchment, F-Series
E — Medium Flint, F-Series/Excursion
B—Ebony, F-Series
D—Dark Flint, F-Series
X — Medium Prairie Tan (F-150, F-250, Ranger)
2 — Medium Graphite (Econoline, F-150, F-250, Ranger)
S — Willow Green (F-150, F-250, Ranger)
D — Denim Blue (Econoline)
P — Mocha (Econoline)
N — Cordovan (F-150, F-250)
E — Dark Denim Blue (Ranger)

Tape Stripe Codes:
B — Silver/Red — Econoline (Chateau)
C — Light Teal/Red — Econoline (Chateau)
D — Medium Silver/Red — Econoline (Chateau)
H — Silver Metallic/Heliotrope (F-150, F-250) 4x2
2 — Ebony/Amethyst (F-150, F-250) 4x2
T — Silver Metallic/Medium Titanium (F-150, F-250) 4x4
5 — Ebony/Graphite Sparkle (F-150, F-250) 4x4
R — Silver/Dark Toreador — upper, Dark Toreador/Silver — lower (F-150, F-250 Lariat)
8 — Dark Blue/CoraPeach — upper and lower (F-150, F-250 Lariat)
9 — Bright Green/Pacific Green — upper, Pacific Green/Bright Green — lower (F-150, F-250 Lariat)
S — Silver/Ebony/Silver — upper, Ebony/Silver/Ebony — lower (F-150, F-250 Lariat)
C — Light Prairie Tan/Heliotrope (F-150, F-250) 4x2
F — Light Prairie Tan/Medium Titanium (F-150, F-250) 4x4
P — Platinum (Ranger XLT "Off Road")
S — Silver (Ranger XLT "Off Road")
B — Blue/Dark Blue (Ranger XLT)
C — Copper/Gold (Ranger XLT)
G — Green/Gold (Ranger XLT)
T — Tea(Ranger Splash)
V — Violet (Ranger Splash)
4 — Silver/Medium Graphite (Ranger SE/LE)
5 — Beige/Brown (Ranger SE/LE)
8 — Santa Fe/Woodrose (Ranger SE/LE)
 

Last edited by ltz400racer; 05-08-2009 at 04:22 PM.
  #4  
Old 05-07-2009, 09:51 PM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Post Vehicle Sticker continued

Axle Codes (LS=Limited Slip / Traction Lok):
F-150:
19 – 3.55 Non-LS
18 – 3.08 Non-LS
H9 – 3.55 LS
B6 – 3.73 LS

F-250:
27 – 3.31 Non-LS
26 – 3.73 Non-LS

Ranger:
84 – 3.45 Non-LS
86 – 3.73 Non-LS
87 – 4.10 Non-LS
89 – 4.56 Non-LS
F6 – 3.73 LS
F7 – 4.10 LS
92 – 3.08 Non-LS
R5 – 3.55 LS
91 – 3.27 Non-LS
96 – 3.73 Non-LS
R6 – 3.73 LS
Transmission Codes:
U – Automatic 4R70W (F-150, F-250)
E – Automatic E4OD (F-150, F-250)
M – 5 speed manuaoverdrive (F-150, F-250, Ranger)
D – Automatic 5 speed (Ranger)
T – Automatic 4 speed (Ranger)
Spring Codes:
The following lists available spring codes.
Front Springs:
1 — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250, Explorer/Mountaineer)
2 — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250, Explorer/Mountaineer)
3 — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
4 — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
G — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
8 — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
9 — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
Z — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
T — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
U — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
6 — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
C — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
E — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
F — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (F-150, F-250)
B — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
D — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
E — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
F — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
G — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
H — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
J — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
L — 5B326 (RH), 5B327 (LH) torsion bar (Explorer/Mountaineer)
P — automatic ride contro(Explorer/Mountaineer)
A — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250, Ranger)
B — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
C — 5310 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
D — 5310 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
E — 5310 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
F — 5310 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
G — 5310 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
H — 5310 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
J — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
K — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250, Ranger)
L — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
M — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250, Ranger)
N — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250, Ranger)
P — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
R — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
S — 5310 spring (Econoline, F-150, F-250)
T — 5310 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
U — 5310 spring (Econoline)
V — 5310 spring (Econoline)
W — 5310 spring (Ranger)
Z — 5310 spring (Econoline)

Rear Springs:
6 — 5560 spring (Econoline)
7 — 5560 spring (Econoline)
C — 5560 spring (Econoline, F-150, Ranger)
E — 5560 spring (Ranger)
N — 5560 spring (Econoline, F-150)
P — 5560 spring (Econoline, F-150)
R — 5560 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
S — 5560 spring (Econoline, Ranger)
T — 5560 spring (Ranger)
X — 5560 spring (Ranger)
G — 5560 spring (Econoline, F-150)
K — 5560 spring (Econoline, F-150, Ranger)
A — 5560 spring (F-150)
B — 5560 spring (F-150)
D — 5560 spring (F-150)
F — 5560 spring (F-150, Explorer/Mountaineer)
H — 5560 spring (F-150, Explorer/Mountaineer)
J — 5560 spring (F-150)
L — 5560 spring (F-150, Explorer/Mountaineer)
1 — 5560 spring (F-250)
2 — 5560 spring (F-250)
3 — 5560 spring (F-250, Ranger)
4 — 5560 spring (F-250)
X — 5580 spring, load-leveling suspension (F-250)
Y — 5580 spring, load-leveling suspension (F-250)
If you find any typos, or incorrect information, please let me know by emailing me at amcspadden09@gmail.com

-LTZ
 
  #5  
Old 05-07-2009, 10:02 PM
Raptor05121's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Live Oak, FL
Posts: 10,610
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 4 Posts
First!

Nice post- would be very informative for other people. Anyone know theirs by heart?

1FTZX1729WNA55381 any people wonder why I'm OCD...
 
  #6  
Old 05-07-2009, 10:20 PM
Raptor05121's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Live Oak, FL
Posts: 10,610
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 4 Posts
It comes in handy. If you ever get into a fender bender where the hood is bent up covering the windshield and the fender is pushed back just a smidge where the door won't open, you'll be impressing some police officers (it happened to me last December)
 
  #7  
Old 05-07-2009, 10:48 PM
Jza's Avatar
Jza
Jza is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
  #8  
Old 05-07-2009, 10:57 PM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
or you can do that....
this was just a breakdown, and a hopefully helpful article... then reason i decided to do it was because i was having a hard time figuring out what the color of my truck was, so i decided to take 1.5 hours of my night to do some research and put this article together for everyone to share. enjoy!!

-LTZ
 
  #9  
Old 05-07-2009, 11:36 PM
SCOTTE`screw's Avatar
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: mass
Posts: 282
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
will you be updating this? i noticed no supercrews listed?
 
  #10  
Old 05-07-2009, 11:54 PM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
will you be updating this? i noticed no supercrews listed?
yes i will.. sorry, i got kind of tired after an hour and a half.lol

what do you mean by no screw's listed... which part??
 
  #11  
Old 05-08-2009, 12:00 AM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Jza
if any one tries this link, and it doesnt work... its because you have to put your vin in the url.
 
  #12  
Old 05-08-2009, 12:24 AM
ltz400racer's Avatar
Technical Article Contributor

Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Arvada, CO
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by SCOTTE`screw
will you be updating this? i noticed no supercrews listed?
supercrews are now on there

let me know of any other problems!!
 
  #13  
Old 05-08-2009, 12:30 AM
TxAg'12's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: College Station, TX/Schenectady, NY
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by ltz400racer
if any one tries this link, and it doesnt work... its because you have to put your vin in the url.
Ah, I was wondering about that :o
 
  #14  
Old 05-08-2009, 12:42 AM
NH06-5.4T's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Good information, thank you for taking your time to help others.
 
  #15  
Old 05-08-2009, 12:55 AM
Raoul's Avatar
Certified Goat Breeder
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: the moral high ground
Posts: 6,181
Likes: 0
Received 13 Likes on 13 Posts
Here is a missing code from VIN Position Eight:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/co...n-decoder.html
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Quick Reply: How To: Decode VIN Number and Vehicle Sticker



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:45 PM.