GMC VINs start with 1GT or 1GK (US), 2GK (Canada), 3GT or 3GK (Mexico) and 1GD (incomplete vehicles).
Specs are free. The GMC's history is the part that costs money — $5.99 of it.
Accident records, title brands, odometer readings, service history and open recalls for this VIN.
Get the full report — $5.99GMC VIN decoder: reading the code yourself
GMC VINs follow General Motors' layout, so the same characters answer the same questions as on a Chevrolet: the eighth is the engine and the eleventh the plant. The one trap is that GM reuses plant letters between truck and SUV codes — Z is Fort Wayne on a Sierra but Spring Hill on an Acadia.
| Position | What GMC encodes there |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier (table below). |
| 4–7 | Weight class, chassis, series and body on trucks and SUVs; the decoder translates them. |
| 8 | Engine. D on a 2020 Sierra 1500 is the 5.3-litre V8. |
| 9 | Check digit. |
| 10 | Model year (table below). |
| 11 | Assembly plant (table below). |
| 12–17 | Production serial. |
GMC WMI codes (positions 1–3)
| Code | Meaning | Typical vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| 1GT | Truck, built in the US | Sierra 1500, Sierra HD, Canyon |
| 1GK | SUV, built in the US | Yukon, Yukon XL, Acadia |
| 2GK | SUV, built in Canada | Terrain (CAMI, Ingersoll) |
| 3GT · 3GK | Built in Mexico (truck · SUV) | Sierra 1500 (Silao) · Terrain (San Luis Potosí) |
| 1GD | Incomplete vehicles | Chassis cabs, Savana cutaways |
GMC assembly plant codes (position 11)
| Code | Plant | Builds |
|---|---|---|
| Z (truck VINs) | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Sierra 1500 and HD |
| G | Silao, Mexico | Sierra 1500 |
| F | Flint, Michigan | Sierra HD |
| R | Arlington, Texas | Yukon, Yukon XL |
| Z (SUV VINs) | Spring Hill, Tennessee | Acadia |
| 6 | CAMI, Ingersoll, Ontario | Terrain |
| L | San Luis Potosí, Mexico | Terrain |
| 1 | Wentzville, Missouri | Canyon, Savana |
Every row above was checked against NHTSA's database with a sample VIN. The decoder resolves the plant from the full VIN, so the shared letters are never ambiguous there.
Model-year letters (position 10)
Every maker uses the same tenth-character code. 2001–2009 are the digits 1–9; from 2010 the alphabet starts again at A, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z so nothing is mistaken for a digit. The same letters were used for 1980–2000, which is why a VIN's seventh character matters: a letter there means the vehicle is 2010 or newer, a digit means 2009 or older.
| 1 2001 | 2 2002 | 3 2003 | 4 2004 | 5 2005 |
| 6 2006 | 7 2007 | 8 2008 | 9 2009 | A 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 |
GMC trouble spots to check in the history report
Match the engine character from the decode against this list. Years are approximate.
- 6.2-litre V8 (L87), 2021–2024 Sierra 1500 and Yukon: recalled in 2025 for crankshaft and connecting-rod bearing failures that can seize the engine.
- Cylinder-deactivation lifters on the 5.3 and 6.2 V8 (2007 on, Sierra and Yukon): collapsed lifters and damaged camshafts; a lifter or camshaft job on record is a big repair already done.
- 5.3 V8 oil consumption, 2010–2014: piston rings and the cylinder-deactivation system, the subject of a class action.
- Eight-speed automatic shudder (about 2015–2019 Sierra, Canyon, Yukon): torque-converter shudder; GM's fix was a change to a revised fluid.
- 2.4-litre four, 2010–2013 Terrain: oil consumption from piston rings; GM extended coverage.
- 3.6 V6 timing chains, about 2007–2012 Acadia: chain stretch with check-engine codes.
- Takata airbag inflators: 2007–2014 Sierra and Yukon. The free recall check above lists the campaigns for the model and year; nhtsa.gov/recalls confirms whether this VIN's repair was done.
A VIN-first checklist for buying a used GMC
- Decode the VIN and note the engine character; it decides which issues above apply.
- Check the trim: Denali and AT4 command big premiums, and the window sticker confirms what the truck left the factory with.
- Run the history report for accidents, title brands, fleet use and the odometer timeline.
- If the truck spent time where hurricanes hit, check the flood car check for its counties.
- Match the dash VIN, the door-jamb label and the frame stamp on trucks.
What a GMC VIN decode can't tell you
Everything above was fixed on the day the vehicle was built, which is exactly why it is reliable and exactly why it is incomplete. A collision, a flood title issued in another state, a rolled-back odometer or a skipped timing-chain service all happen later, so none of them touch the VIN. They live in the vehicle history report: accident and damage records, title brands, the odometer timeline, open recalls, service entries and ownership changes. Decode here for free as often as you like; buy history only for the GMC you are serious about. Dealers and flippers who check every car can bring that to $1.30 a report.
Guides that go with this decoder
- Chevrolet VIN decoder — the same GM layout, with RPO codes and the shared engine issues.
- What the 17 digits in a VIN mean — the full position-by-position breakdown.
- Signs of a rolled-back odometer — what a decode can't catch and a report can.
- Is a salvage-title car worth buying? — every brand, and what it does to value.
- Dealer auction VIN checks — the pre-bid routine volume buyers use.
- Other makes: any VIN · Ford · Chevrolet · GMC · Toyota · Honda · Nissan · Hyundai · Kia · Subaru · Mazda · Jeep · Dodge and Ram · Tesla · BMW · Mercedes-Benz · Audi · Volkswagen · Lexus · Land Rover · Porsche · window sticker lookup
Frequently asked questions
How do I decode a GMC VIN?
Enter the 17-character VIN above. The decoder returns model year, model, trim, body, engine, drivetrain, transmission and assembly plant from the official NHTSA vPIC database. 1GT is a US-built truck and 1GK a US-built SUV; a leading 2 means Canada and 3 Mexico.
Which character is the engine on a GMC VIN?
The eighth. On a 2019-on Sierra 1500, D decodes as the 5.3-litre V8, whether the truck was built in Fort Wayne or Silao. Check it against the listing, because 'V8' alone doesn't say which.
Which plant built my GMC?
The eleventh character, read with the first three. On a truck VIN, Z is Fort Wayne, Indiana (Sierra 1500 and HD), G is Silao, Mexico (Sierra 1500) and F is Flint, Michigan (Sierra HD). On an SUV VIN, Z means Spring Hill, Tennessee (Acadia), R is Arlington, Texas (Yukon), 6 is CAMI in Ingersoll, Ontario and L is San Luis Potosí, Mexico (Terrain).
Is a GMC VIN read the same way as a Chevrolet's?
Yes. GMC and Chevrolet are both General Motors brands and share plants, engines and the VIN layout; a Sierra and a Silverado from the same plant read almost identically. The Chevrolet VIN decoder guide covers the shared engine issues in more detail.
Is my GMC in the 6.2-litre V8 recall?
GM recalled 2021–2024 Sierra 1500, Yukon and Yukon XL (with their Chevrolet and Cadillac twins) with the L87 6.2-litre V8 in 2025 for crankshaft and connecting-rod bearing failures. The free recall check lists the campaigns for the model and year; nhtsa.gov/recalls confirms whether this VIN is included and repaired.
Does a VIN decode show if a GMC has been in an accident?
No. A decode returns factory build data only. Accidents, branded titles, odometer readings, service records and open recalls appear in the full vehicle history report, $5.99 for a single VIN.