Honda VINs start with JHM (Japan), 1HG, 19X, 5FN, 5J6, 5FP or 7FA (US), 2HG or 2HK (Canada) and 3HG or 3CZ (Mexico).
Specs are free. The Honda'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 — $5.99Honda VIN decoder: reading the code yourself
Honda packs more into a VIN than most makes: besides plant and year, it encodes the trim level, so a Honda VIN tells you whether the car is an LX, EX or Touring before you open the door. Most Hondas sold in the US are built in North America, and the first character says which country.
| Position | What Honda encodes there |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier — country and vehicle type (table below). |
| 4–6 | Model line and body: CV1 is a 2018–2022 Accord sedan, FC2 a 2016–2021 Civic sedan, RW2 a 2017–2022 CR-V. |
| 7 | Body type and transmission. |
| 8 | Trim (grade). On a 2020 CR-V, 5 is EX and 8 is EX-L. |
| 9 | Check digit. |
| 10 | Model year (table below). |
| 11 | Assembly plant (table below). |
| 12–17 | Production serial. |
The worked example on our free VIN decoder page, 1HGCM82633A004352, is a Honda: 1HG for a US-built car, CM8 for the 2003–2007 Accord coupé, 6 at position 8 for the EX-V6 grade, 3 for 2003 and A for Marysville, Ohio.
Honda WMI codes (positions 1–3)
| Code | Meaning | Typical vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| JHM · JHL | Honda Motor Co., built in Japan (cars · SUVs) | Fit (2007–2014), Insight (2010–2014), Civic Hybrid, CR-Z; some CR-V |
| 1HG | American Honda, cars | Accord (Marysville), Civic (East Liberty, Greensburg) |
| 19X | American Honda, cars | Civic and Insight from Greensburg, Indiana |
| 5FN | American Honda, minivans and SUVs | Odyssey, Pilot (Lincoln, Alabama) |
| 5J6 | American Honda, SUVs | CR-V, Element (East Liberty, Ohio) |
| 7FA | American Honda, SUVs | CR-V (2023 on) |
| 5FP | American Honda, pickup | Ridgeline (2017 on, Lincoln) |
| 2HG · 2HK · 2HJ | Honda of Canada Mfg., Alliston, Ontario | Civic · CR-V and early Pilot · Ridgeline (2006–2014) |
| 3HG · 3CZ | Honda de México, Celaya | Fit (2015–2020) · HR-V (2016 on) |
| SHH | Honda of the UK, Swindon | Civic hatchback and Type R (2017–2021) |
| 19U | Acura, built in the US | ILX, TLX, Integra |
Honda assembly plant codes (position 11)
| Code | Plant | Builds |
|---|---|---|
| A | Marysville, Ohio | Accord; Acura TLX and Integra |
| L | East Liberty, Ohio | CR-V, Element; Acura RDX and MDX |
| B | Lincoln, Alabama | Odyssey, Pilot, Passport, Ridgeline |
| E | Greensburg, Indiana | Civic sedan, Insight, CR-V |
| H | Alliston, Ontario | Civic, CR-V; earlier Pilot and Ridgeline |
| M | Celaya, Mexico | Fit (2015–2020), HR-V |
| U | Swindon, England | Civic hatchback and Type R (2017–2021) |
| S · C · X | Suzuka, Sayama and Yorii, Japan | Japanese-built Hondas (JHM, JHL) |
Two Civics with the same trim and year can come from Indiana or Ontario, and two CR-Vs from Ohio or Indiana. Plant matters little for reliability, but it is a quick check that the VIN, the door label and the listing all describe the same car.
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 |
Honda trouble spots to check in the history report
Hondas hold their value because they last, which also makes them a target for odometer rollbacks. These are the documented weak spots; the report shows whether the fix was done and whether the mileage timeline makes sense. Years are approximate.
- Automatic transmissions, 1999–2004 (Accord V6, Odyssey, 2003–2004 Pilot, 2001–2005 Civic, and Acura TL, CL and MDX): failures that led to extended warranties and settlements. A rebuilt or replaced transmission on record is good news.
- V6 cylinder deactivation (about 2008–2013 Accord V6, Pilot and Odyssey): oil consumption and fouled spark plugs, the subject of a class settlement and extended coverage.
- VTC actuator rattle on the 2.4-litre four (2008–2015 Accord, CR-V, Element): a grinding noise for a second or two at cold start.
- 1.5-litre turbo oil dilution (2016–2018 Civic, 2017–2018 CR-V): fuel in the oil in cold climates; Honda issued a software update and extended coverage in some cold-weather states.
- Air-conditioning condensers on 2016–2019 Civic.
- 2018–2020 Odyssey: recalls for second-row seats and power sliding doors.
- Takata airbag inflators: Honda had more affected vehicles than any other maker, and the oldest carry a do-not-drive warning. 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 Honda
- Decode the VIN and check the trim against the listing — an LX sold as an EX is a common "mistake".
- Note the engine and transmission: they decide which items above apply.
- Run the history report for accidents, title brands, the odometer timeline and recall work.
- Match the dashboard VIN, the door-jamb label and the title.
- Pull the original window sticker to confirm packages the decode doesn't list.
What a Honda 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 Honda 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
- How to spot a rolled-back odometer — why high-value Hondas get clocked.
- 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 · Toyota · Honda · Nissan · Jeep · BMW · Mercedes-Benz · Audi · Volkswagen · Lexus · Porsche · window sticker lookup
Frequently asked questions
How do I decode a Honda 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. The first three characters tell you where it was built: JHM is Japan; 1HG, 19X, 5FN, 5J6, 5FP and 7FA are US plants; 2HG and 2HK are Alliston, Ontario; and 3HG and 3CZ are Celaya, Mexico.
Which character in a Honda VIN shows the trim?
The eighth. Honda uses it for the grade, so on a 2020 CR-V built in East Liberty a 5 in that slot decodes as EX and an 8 as EX-L. Positions 4 to 7 code the model line, body, engine and transmission: CM8 was the 2003–2007 Accord V6 coupé and CM5 the four-cylinder sedan.
Which Honda plant built my car?
The eleventh character. A is Marysville and L East Liberty, both in Ohio; B is Lincoln, Alabama; E is Greensburg, Indiana; H is Alliston, Ontario; M is Celaya, Mexico; and U is Swindon, England. Japanese plants have their own letters, such as S for Suzuka and C for Sayama. The decoder names the plant for you.
Is my older Honda safe to drive with its original airbag?
Check the recall result above. Honda's highest-risk Takata inflators, in vehicles such as the 2001–2002 Civic and Accord, the 2002 CR-V and Odyssey and the 2003 Pilot, carry a do-not-drive warning until repaired. The free recall check lists the campaigns for the model and year; nhtsa.gov/recalls confirms whether this VIN's repair was done. The repair is free.
Does this decoder work for Acura?
Yes. Acura is Honda's premium brand and uses the same VIN layout, plant letters and trim position; 19U is the usual Acura code for cars built in the US.
Does a VIN decode show if a Honda 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.