Toyota VINs start with JT (Japan), 4T1, 4T3, 5TD, 5TF or 5YF (US), 2T1 or 2T3 (Canada) and 3TM or 3TY (Mexico).
Specs are free. The Toyota'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 — $5.99Toyota VIN decoder: reading the code yourself
Toyota's VINs are the easiest of the major makes to read at a glance, because the company's plants map so cleanly onto the first three characters and the eleventh. Two Camrys with the same trim and year can come from Kentucky, Indiana or Japan, and the VIN says which before you decode anything.
| Position | What Toyota encodes there |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier — country and vehicle type (table below). |
| 4–8 | Body style, engine, series or model line, restraint system and grade. Toyota's exact order differs between cars and trucks, which is why a decoder beats a cheat sheet here. The engine character is the one to care about: Camry 2.5L four versus 3.5L V6, Tacoma 2.7L versus 3.5L, Tundra 5.7L V8 versus the 2022-on twin-turbo V6. |
| 9 | Check digit. Toyotas built for the US market carry it whether they were assembled in Japan or North America. |
| 10 | Model year (table below). |
| 11 | Assembly plant — a letter for North American plants, a digit for Japanese ones. |
| 12–17 | Production sequence. |
Toyota WMI codes (positions 1–3)
| Code | Meaning | Typical vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| JTD · JTK · JTN · JT2 | Passenger car, built in Japan | Prius, Corolla hatch, Yaris, older Camry and Celica |
| JTE · JTM · JTL · JT3 | SUV, built in Japan | 4Runner, Land Cruiser, FJ Cruiser, RAV4 (Japanese-built units) |
| JTH · JTJ · JT8 · JT6 | Lexus, built in Japan | IS, GS, LS, RX, GX, LX |
| 4T1 · 58A | Passenger car, Georgetown, Kentucky | Camry, Avalon, Lexus ES |
| 4T4 | Camry built at Subaru's Indiana plant, 2007–2016 | Camry |
| 4T3 · 5TD | SUV / minivan, Princeton, Indiana | Sienna, Highlander, Grand Highlander, Sequoia |
| 5TF · 5TE · 5TB | Truck, built in the US | Tundra (San Antonio; earlier Princeton), Tacoma (San Antonio and the former NUMMI plant) |
| 3TM · 3TY | Truck, built in Mexico | Tacoma (Baja California and Guanajuato) |
| 2T1 · 5YF · 1NX | Corolla, by plant | Cambridge, Ontario · Blue Springs, Mississippi · NUMMI, Fremont (to 2010) |
| 2T3 · 2T2 | SUV, built in Ontario | RAV4 (Woodstock, Cambridge) · Lexus RX and NX |
| 7MU · 7MM | Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, Huntsville, Alabama | Corolla Cross (2021 on) |
| WZ1 · JF1 · 3MY | Built by partners | GR Supra (Magna Steyr, Graz, Austria) · GR86 (Subaru, Japan) · Yaris sedan 2016–2020 (Mazda, Mexico) |
Toyota assembly plant codes (position 11)
| Code | Plant | Builds |
|---|---|---|
| U | Georgetown, Kentucky | Camry, Avalon, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES |
| S | Princeton, Indiana | Sienna, Highlander, Grand Highlander, Sequoia |
| X | San Antonio, Texas | Tundra, Sequoia; Tacoma until 2021 |
| M | Tecate, Baja California (Mexico) | Tacoma |
| C | Cambridge, Ontario | Corolla (to 2019), RAV4, Lexus RX |
| W | Woodstock, Ontario | RAV4 |
| P | Blue Springs, Mississippi | Corolla |
| Z | NUMMI, Fremont, California (closed 2010) | Corolla, Tacoma |
| 0–9 | Japanese plants (0 is Tsutsumi, Toyota City — the Prius plant) | Prius, Land Cruiser, 4Runner and more |
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 |
Toyota trouble spots to check in the history report
Toyota's reliability record is why its used prices stay high — and why a Toyota is a favourite target for odometer tampering and title washing. These are the documented problem areas; the report shows whether the fix was done and whether the odometer timeline is believable.
- Frame rust: Tacoma 2005–2010, Tundra 2000–2003 and Sequoia 2001–2004 had frames that corroded through in salt states. Toyota ran inspection and replacement programmes; a truck with years of Rust Belt registrations and no frame work on record deserves a look underneath.
- 2.4L 2AZ-FE oil consumption, 2007–2011 (Camry, RAV4, Scion tC, Corolla XRS): piston-ring wear covered by a warranty enhancement. Frequent top-up or a short-block replacement will be in the records.
- Third-generation Prius, 2010–2015: head-gasket failures, clogged EGR, a brake-booster recall and an inverter recall. Service history by date matters more than by mileage on a hybrid.
- Tacoma 2016–2019: complaints about the 3.5L V6 and six-speed automatic hunting between gears; 2016–2017 rear-differential leaks were recalled.
- Dashboards, 2003–2010 (Camry, Avalon, Solara, 4Runner, Lexus): melting or sticky dash tops, replaced under a warranty enhancement.
- RAV4 2019–2020: fuel tanks that would not take a full fill, addressed by a service bulletin.
- Tundra and Sequoia 2022–2023 (and Lexus LX 600): the 3.4L twin-turbo V6 was recalled in 2024 for machining debris that can cause engine failure; many received new engines.
- Unintended-acceleration recalls, 2009–2010: floor mats and accelerator pedals across most of the range.
- Takata airbag inflators: 2002–2015 Corolla, Camry, Tundra, Sequoia, RAV4, Sienna and others. An open recall shows in the report.
A VIN-first checklist for buying a used Toyota
- Decode the VIN and confirm the engine and trim the listing claims — the hybrid badge and the hybrid drivetrain are not always on the same car.
- Read the plant and year from the VIN and check them against the title.
- Run the history report and read the odometer timeline closely; a Toyota with 90,000 miles that sells for 60,000-mile money is the classic rollback candidate.
- Confirm the recalls above are closed, and that frame work was done on affected trucks.
- On trucks, match the frame stamp to the dash and door-jamb VIN.
What a Toyota 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 Toyota 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
- What to inspect before buying a used car — the lot checklist to print.
- 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 Toyota 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 characters tell you where it was built: JT is Japan, 4T1, 4T3, 5TD, 5TF and 5YF are US plants, 2T1 and 2T3 are Canada, 3TM and 3TY are Mexico.
Does a Toyota VIN starting with JT mean it was imported?
It means the vehicle was assembled in Japan — Prius, Land Cruiser, 4Runner and many Lexus models are. That is normal for US-market cars and says nothing about grey import status. Non-US-market cars are identified by the check digit and model-year rules, not by the JT prefix.
Which Toyota plant built my vehicle?
The eleventh character on North American-built Toyotas: U is Georgetown (Kentucky), S Princeton (Indiana), X San Antonio (Texas), C Cambridge and W Woodstock (Ontario), P Blue Springs (Mississippi), M Baja California (Mexico) and Z the former NUMMI plant in Fremont. Japan-built Toyotas use a digit instead. The decoder names the plant for you.
Is this Toyota VIN decoder free?
Yes, with no account or limit. Only the full vehicle history report — accidents, title brands, odometer history, service records and open recalls — is paid, at $5.99 for one VIN or from $1.30 on dealer plans.
Does a VIN decode show if a Toyota has been in an accident?
No. A decode returns factory build data only. Accidents, branded titles, odometer rollbacks and recall completion are recorded later and appear only in the history report.
Where is the VIN on a Toyota?
On the driver's side of the dashboard, visible through the windshield; on the certification label in the driver's door jamb; and on the title, registration and insurance card. Tacoma and Tundra also carry it stamped on the frame.