8 Reasons Why Your Vin Won't Decode

By Author: Steve
Total Articles: 5
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Introduction: Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the code for the identification of all automobiles, manufacturer and their registration details. VIN serves as the car's unique identity as two vehicles under ownership at any one time cannot have a similar VIN.

VIN is a critical part of vehicle ownership going by the standard rules in force in both the American and Canadian vehicle markets. Importantly, having a validated and accepted decodable VIN secures car ownership. But what exactly is a VIN and what does it entail among other things.

What is a VIN?

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a code given to all automobiles right off the assembly line. VIN's have 17 letters and numbers with all parts of the VINs telling precise information about the automobile. This information includes details like the yea of manufacture, country of origin, manufacturing company; brand name and model besides the automobile serial number.

a). Automobile Serial Number.
b). Brand Name and Model of the Vehicle.
c). Year Manufacture.
d). Manufacturer. ...
...
d). Country of Origin.

VINs are significant not only in clarifying vital facts and statistics about your vehicle, but also ensure a trouble-free ownership registration. However, there are situations as vehicle owners that you want to cross-check your vehicle's VIN as several data registries apply it to record details of the vehicle's history.

What are the situations and circumstances a VIN is extremely crucial?

a) When planning to buy a pre-owned car, VIN lookups give detailed vehicle history reports.
b) VIN helps locate records of the vehicle's previous owners, accidents, and repairs.
c) VIN can also find out or inform you whether the manufacturer has ever issued recalls of the vehicle and whether the repairs were ever effected. d) VINs are crucial since law enforcement agencies do VIN checks to identify the vehicles that have been reported stolen or missing.

Best Reasons Why Your Vehicle Identification Number May Not Decode

1. Brand New Vehicles

Sometimes if not quite often, brand new vehicles may not yet be in the detailed or updated database of the data supplier or outlet. When attempting to look up or to decode a brand new vehicle, this is a potential occurrence that the data provider's database is yet to be upgraded to include your vehicle. However, tine is critical to consider when choosing or deciding your data provider. This is because, whenever new cars are released, their details are already part of that launch process to the market.

2. VIN i17 Digits Short

It is imperative to know that the standard length of VIN is 17 digits long. If the vehicle model year (MY) is before 1981, then there is limited data on such vehicles. All vehicles after 1981 have 17-character VINs. The licensing authority requires all vehicles to be assigned a 17-digit VIN. Today, it is standard for all the automobiles manufactured after/post-1981 and has 17 characters VINs.

3. Pre-VIN Vehicle or Pre-1981

Modern VINs cover vehicle data post-1981 as it became the standard year of reference concerning covering modern vehicles. But vehicles older than the model year are exempted from the list. Significantly, even manufacturers, state the maximum life cycle an automobile to perform at top-notch condition concerning pollution control and emission norms.

4. NON-Covered VIN Data License Market

Multiple automobile markets data provider may mix up the VIN details to some extent. This means it may be as a result of attempting to decode a vehicle with data given by data providers that cover multiple vehicle markets (cross-border markets). However, if the data license is limited to one vehicle market, it is necessary to renegotiate the data license contract clauses before decoding the vehicle distributed across-border.

5. Inconsistent and Illegal VIN Characters

VIN characters and their structures MUST follow a standard format consistent with data provider norms and licensing authority guidelines (NHTSA). There are some standard letters and characters like I and O exempted from a VIN Code to avoid confusion and misguided attempted decoding.
If VIN codes have inconsistent numeric and alphanumeric characters exempting letters I, O, the VIN may fail to decode. These characters are avoided in the VIN code to stop confusion with other numbers 1 and 0, lessen error and ensure maximum VIN code clarity.

6. Inconsistent and Substandard Data Access Instruments

The database is accessible by software valid for the task vetted as secure and standard for the purpose. The NHTSA complies with global standards of transportation safety and ensuring data security of its registered users is a priority.
Any deviation from these safety norms is a possible cause for failure to decode VIN data. As we know today, cybercrime and potentials for hackings are at their highest and therefore the data access instruments must be vetted and validated by the NHTSA.

7. Diversity in VIN Sequence Data or Multiple Data Sequencing

Multiple or mixed up data provider sourcing can also be a potential reason as to why the VIN automatically won't decode. Single source data provider sourcing is the most coherent and consistent as it locates the issues at hand immediately and resolves it.

8. Non-Conformity to Federal or ISO Norms

All VINs MUST conform to the ISO (currently ISO and US Standard FMVSS 115 norms. It is essential to know, every VIN character in sequence and position has a vital meaning regarding the make, model, year of manufacture and vehicle details. As a rule, all VIN codes contain 17 characters (numerals and numbers).

Conclusion
Since Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) serves as the identification code of all automobiles, their manufacturer and their registration details they are significantly vital all the time. However, in extraordinary situations when these numbers don’t decode or cannot be checked with convincing accuracy these are probable causes and reasons to look into and get the clarifications done.

Steve is Associate with Sticker Lookup