CFR 49 Part 565

CFR-2011-title49-vol6-part565.pdf

CONSOLIDATED LABELLING REQUIREMENTS FOR 49 CFR 565 and 567

CFR 49 Part 565

OMB: 2127-0510

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Pt. 565

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)

Type 2C1 Headlamp Dimensional Information [SAE J1383 APR85, Figure 8]
Type 2D1 Headlamp Dimensional Information [SAE J1383 APR85, Figure 5]
Type 2E1 Headlamp Dimensional Information [SAE J1383 APR85, Figure 15]
Types 1A1, 2A1, and 2E1 Headlamp Mounting
Ring/Lamp Body Dimensional Information
[SAE J1383 APR85, Figure 12]
Type 2B1 Headlamp Mounting Ring/Lamp
Body Dimensional Information [SAE J1383
APR85, Figure 14]
Types 1C1and 2C1 Headlamp Mounting Ring/
Lamp Body Dimensional Information [SAE
J1383 APR85, Figure 9]
Type 2D1 Headlamp Mounting Ring/Lamp
Body Dimensional Information [SAE J1383
APR85, Figure 6]

PART 565—VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) REQUIREMENTS
Subpart A—General Applicability of
Subparts
Sec.
565.1
565.2

Purpose and scope.
Application.

Subpart B—VIN Requirements
565.10 Purpose and scope.
565.11 Applicability.
565.12 Definitions.
565.13 General requirements.
565.14 Motor vehicles imported into the
United States.
565.15 Content requirements.
565.16 Reporting requirements.

Subpart C—Alternative VIN Requirements
In Effect for Limited Period
565.20 Purpose and scope.
565.21 Applicability.
565.22 Definitions.
565.23 General requirements.
565.24 Motor vehicles imported into the
United States.
565.25 Content requirements.
565.26 Reporting requirements.

vehicle identification number (VIN)
system and its installation to simplify
vehicle identification information retrieval and to increase the accuracy
and efficiency of vehicle recall campaigns.
§ 565.2

(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, subpart B
of this part 565 applies to passenger
cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles,
trucks, buses, trailers (including trailer kits), incomplete vehicles, low speed
vehicles, and motorcycles manufactured on or after October 27, 2008 whose
VINs have a letter ‘‘A’’ or ‘‘B’’ in the
10th position, and to passenger cars,
multipurpose
passenger
vehicles,
trucks, buses, trailers (including trailer kits), incomplete vehicles, low speed
vehicles, and motorcycles manufactured on or after April 30, 2009. Vehicles imported into the United States
under 49 CFR 591.5(f), other than by the
corporation responsible for the assembly of that vehicle or a subsidiary of
such a corporation, are excluded from
requirements of §§ 565.13(b), 565.13(c),
565.13(g), 565.13(h), 565.14 and 565.15.
(2) All motor vehicles identified as
model year 2009 or earlier vehicles by
their manufacturer must comply with
subpart C of this part 565.
(b) Subpart B of this part 565 applies
to vehicles manufactured on or after
April 30, 2008 and before April 30, 2009,
whose vehicle identification number
(VIN) does not have a letter ‘‘A’’ or
‘‘B’’ in the 10th position of the VIN and
that are not identified as model year
2009 or earlier vehicles by their manufacturer.
[73 FR 28370, May 16, 2008]

AUTHORITY: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30115, 30117,
30141, 30146, 30166, and 30168; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50.
SOURCE: 73 FR 23379, Apr. 30, 2008, unless
otherwise noted.

Subpart A—General Applicability
of Subparts
§ 565.1 Purpose and scope.
This part specifies the format, content and physical requirements for a

Application.

Subpart B—VIN Requirements
§ 565.10

Purpose and scope.

This part specifies the format, content and physical requirements for a
vehicle identification number (VIN)
system and its installation to simplify
vehicle identification information retrieval and to increase the accuracy
and efficiency of vehicle recall campaigns.

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§ 565.11

Applicability.

See subpart A of this part 565 regarding the general applicability of this
subpart. This part applies to passenger
cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles,
trucks, buses, trailers (including trailer kits), incomplete vehicles, low speed
vehicles, and motorcycles manufactured on or after October 27, 2008 whose
VINs have a letter ‘‘A’’ or ‘‘B’’ in the
10th position, and to passenger cars,
multipurpose
passenger
vehicles,
trucks, buses, trailers (including trailer kits), incomplete vehicles, low speed
vehicles, and motorcycles manufactured on or after April 30 2009 that are
not identified by their manufacturer as
model year 2009 or earlier vehicles. Vehicles imported into the United States
under 49 CFR 591.5(f), other than by the
corporation responsible for the assembly of that vehicle or a subsidiary of
such a corporation, are excluded from
requirements of §§ 565.13(b), 565.13(c),
565.13(g), 565.13(h), 565.14 and § 565.15.
[73 FR 23379, Apr. 30, 2008, as amended at 73
FR 28371, May 16, 2008]

§ 565.12

Definitions.

§ 565.12
(f) Incomplete vehicle means an assemblage consisting, as a minimum, of
frame and chassis structure, power
train, steering system, suspension system and braking system, to the extent
that those systems are to be part of the
completed vehicle, that requires further manufacturing operations, other
than the addition of readily attachable
components, such as mirrors or tire
and rim assemblies, or minor finishing
operations such as painting, to become
a completed vehicle.
(g) Line means a name that a manufacturer applies to a family of vehicles
within a make which have a degree of
commonality in construction, such as
body, chassis or cab type.
(h) Low-volume manufacturer, for purposes of this part, means a manufacturer of fewer than 1,000 vehicles of a
given type each year.
(i) Make means a name that a manufacturer applies to a group of vehicles
or engines.
(j) Manufacturer means a person—
(1) Manufacturing or assembling
motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment; or
(2) Importing motor vehicles or
motor vehicle equipment for resale.
(k) Manufacturer identifier means the
first three digits of a VIN of a vehicle
manufactured by a high-volume manufacturer, and the first three digits of a
VIN and the twelfth through fourteenth digits of a VIN of a vehicle manufactured by a low-volume manufacturer.
(l) Model means a name that a manufacturer applies to a family of vehicles
of the same type, make, line, series and
body type.
(m) Model year means the year used
to designate a discrete vehicle model,
irrespective of the calendar year in
which the vehicle was actually produced, provided that the production period does not exceed 24 months.
(n) Plant of manufacture means the
plant where the manufacturer affixes
the VIN.
(o) Series means a name that a manufacturer applies to a subdivision of a
‘‘line’’ denoting price, size or weight
identification and that is used by the
manufacturer for marketing purposes.
(p) Trailer kit means a trailer that is
fabricated and delivered in complete

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§ 565.13

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)

but unassembled form and that is designed to be assembled without special
machinery or tools.
(q) Type means a class of vehicle distinguished by common traits, including
design and purpose. Passenger cars,
multipurpose
passenger
vehicles,
trucks, buses, trailers, incomplete vehicles, low speed vehicles, and motorcycles are separate types.
(r) VIN means a series of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned
to a motor vehicle for identification
purposes.
§ 565.13 General requirements.
(a) Each vehicle manufactured in one
stage shall have a VIN that is assigned
by the manufacturer. Each vehicle
manufactured in more than one stage
shall have a VIN assigned by the incomplete vehicle manufacturer. Vehicle alterers, as specified in 49 CFR
567.7, shall utilize the VIN assigned by
the original manufacturer of the vehicle.
(b) Each VIN shall consist of seventeen (17) characters.
(c) A check digit shall be part of each
VIN. The check digit shall appear in
position nine (9) of the VIN, on the vehicle and on any transfer documents
containing the VIN prepared by the
manufacturer to be given to the first
owner for purposes other than resale.
(d) The VINs of any two vehicles subject to the Federal motor vehicle safety standards and manufactured within
a 60-year period beginning with the 1980
model year shall not be identical.
(e) The VIN of each vehicle shall appear clearly and indelibly upon either a
part of the vehicle, other than the glazing, that is not designed to be removed
except for repair or upon a separate
plate or label that is permanently affixed to such a part.
(f) The VIN for passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, low speed
vehicles, and trucks of 4536 kg or less
GVWR shall be located inside the passenger compartment. It shall be readable, without moving any part of the
vehicle, through the vehicle glazing
under daylight lighting conditions by
an
observer
having
20/20
vision
(Snellen) whose eye-point is located
outside the vehicle adjacent to the left
windshield pillar. Each character in

the VIN subject to this paragraph shall
have a minimum height of 4 mm.
(g) Each character in each VIN shall
be one of the letters in the set:
[ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ] or
a numeral in the set: [0123456789] assigned according to the method given
in § 565.15.
(h) All spaces provided for in the VIN
must be occupied by a character specified in paragraph (g) of this section.
(i) The type face utilized for each
VIN shall consist of capital, sanserif
characters.
[73 FR 23379, Apr. 30, 2008, as amended at 74
FR 67977, Dec. 22, 2009]

§ 565.14 Motor vehicles imported into
the United States.
(a) Importers shall utilize the VIN assigned by the original manufacturer of
the motor vehicle.
(b) All passenger cars, multipurpose
passenger vehicles, low speed vehicles
and trucks of 4536 kg or less GVWR certified by a Registered Importer under
49 CFR part 592 whose VINs do not
comply with part 565.13 and 565.14 shall
have a plate or label that contains the
following statement, in characters that
have a minimum height of 4 mm and
the identification number assigned by
the vehicle’s original manufacturer inserted in the blank: SUBSTITUTE FOR
U.S. VIN: lllll SEE 49 CFR PART
565. The plate or label shall conform to
§ 565.13 (h) and (i). The plate or label
shall be permanently affixed inside the
passenger compartment. The plate or
label shall be readable, without moving
any part of the vehicle, through the vehicle glazing under daylight conditions
by an observer having 20/20 vision
(Snellen) whose eye-point is located
outside the vehicle adjacent to the left
windshield pillar. It shall be located in
such a manner as not to cover, obscure,
or overlay any part of any identification number affixed by the original
manufacturer. Motor vehicles conforming to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 115 are exempt from this
paragraph.
§ 565.15 Content requirements.
(a) The first section shall consist of
three characters that occupy positions
one through three (1–3) in the VIN.
This section shall uniquely identify the

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Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., DOT
manufacturer and type of the motor
vehicle if the manufacturer is a highvolume manufacturer. If the manufacturer is a low-volume manufacturer,
positions one through three (1–3) along
with positions twelve through fourteen
(12–14) in the VIN shall uniquely identify the manufacturer and type of the
motor vehicle. These characters are assigned in accordance with § 565.16(a). A
‘‘9’’ shall be placed in the third position of the VIN if the manufacturer
identifier is six characters. A ‘‘9’’ in
the third position always indicates the
presence of a six-character manufacturer identifier. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration offers
access to manufacturer identifier assignments via its search engine at the
following Internet Web site: http://
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/manufacture.
(b) The second section shall consist
of five characters, which occupy positions four through eight (4–8) in the
VIN. This section shall uniquely identify the attributes of the vehicle as
specified in Table I. For passenger cars,
and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle
weight rating of 4536 kg (10,000 lb) or
less, the fourth character (position 7)
of this section shall be alphabetic. The
characters utilized and their placement
within the section may be determined
by the manufacturer, but the specified
attributes must be decipherable with
information supplied by the manufacturer in accordance with § 565.16(c). In
submitting the required information to
NHTSA relating gross vehicle weight
rating, the designations in Table II
shall be used. The use of these designations within the VIN itself is not required. Tables I and II follow:
TABLE I—TYPE OF VEHICLE AND INFORMATION
DECIPHERABLE
Passenger car: Make, line, series, body type,
engine type, and all restraint devices and
their location.
Multipurpose passenger vehicle: Make, line,
series, body type, engine type, gross vehicle weight rating, and for multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight
rating (GVWR) of 4536kg (10,000 lb) or
less all restraint devices and their location.

§ 565.15
TABLE I—TYPE OF VEHICLE AND INFORMATION
DECIPHERABLE—Continued
Truck: Make, model or line, series, chassis,
cab type, engine type, brake system, gross
vehicle weight rating, and for trucks with a
gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of
4536 kg (10,000 lb) or less all restraint devices and their location.
Bus: Make, model or line, series, body type,
engine type, and brake system.
Trailer, including trailer kits and incomplete
trailer: Make, type of trailer, body type,
length and axle configuration.
Motorcycle: Make, type of motorcycle, line,
engine type, and net brake horsepower.
Incomplete vehicle other than a trailer: Make,
model or line, series, cab type, engine
type, and brake system.
Low speed vehicle: Make, engine type, brake
system, restraint system type, body type,
and gross vehicle weight rating.
Note to Table I: Engine net brake horsepower when encoded in the VIN shall differ
by no more than 10 percent from the actual net brake horsepower; shall in the
case of motorcycle with an actual net
brake horsepower of 2 or less, be not
more than 2; and shall be greater than 2 in
the case of a motorcycle with an actual
brake horsepower greater than 2.
TABLE II—GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING
CLASSES
Class A—Not greater than 1360 kg. (3,000
lbs.)
Class B—Greater than 1360 kg. to 1814 kg.
(3,001–4,000 lbs.)
Class C—Greater than 1814 kg. to 2268 kg.
(4,001–5,000 lbs.)
Class D—Greater than 2268 kg. to 2722 kg.
(5,001–6,000 lbs.)
Class E—Greater than 2722 kg. to 3175 kg.
(6,001–7,000 lbs.)
Class F—Greater than 3175 kg. to 3629 kg.
(7,001–8,000 lbs.)
Class G—Greater than 3629 kg. to 4082 kg.
(8,001–9,000 lbs.)
Class H—Greater than 4082 kg. to 4536 kg.
(9,001–10,000 lbs.)
Class 3—Greater than 4536 kg. to 6350 kg.
(10,001–14,000 lbs.)
Class 4—Greater than 6350 kg. to 7257 kg.
(14,001–16,000 lbs.)
Class 5—Greater than 7257 kg. to 8845 kg.
(16,001–19,500 lbs.)
Class 6—Greater than 8845 kg. to 11793 kg.
(19,501–26,000 lbs.)

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§ 565.15

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)

TABLE II—GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING
CLASSES—Continued

TABLE III—ASSIGNED VALUES—Continued
V=5
W=6
X=7
Y=8
Z=9

Class 7—Greater than 11793 kg. to 14968
kg.(26,001–33,000 lbs.)
Class 8—Greater than 14968 kg. (33,001 lbs.
and over)
(c) The third section shall consist of
one character, which occupies position
nine (9) in the VIN. This section shall
be the check digit whose purpose is to
provide a means for verifying the accuracy of any VIN transcription. After all
other characters in VIN have been determined by the manufacturer, the
check digit shall be calculated by carrying out the mathematical computation specified in paragraphs (c) (1)
through (4) of this section.
(1) Assign to each number in the VIN
its actual mathematical value and assign to each letter the value specified
for it in Table III, as follows:
TABLE III—ASSIGNED VALUES
A=1
B=2
C=3
D=4
E=5
F=6
G=7
H=8
J=1
K=2
L=3
M=4
N=5
P=7
R=9
S=2
T=3
U=4

(2) Multiply the assigned value for
each character in the VIN by the position weight factor specified in Table
IV, as follows:
TABLE IV—VIN POSITION AND WEIGHT FACTOR
1st .......................................
2d ........................................
3d ........................................
4th .......................................
5th .......................................
6th .......................................
7th .......................................
8th .......................................
9th .......................................
10th .....................................
11th .....................................
12th .....................................
13th .....................................
14th .....................................
15th .....................................
16th .....................................
17th .....................................

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
10
(check digit)
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2

(3) Add the resulting products and divide the total by 11.
(4) The check digit is based on either
the Fractional Remainder or the Decimal Equivalent Remainder as reflected in Table V. All Decimal Equivalent Remainders in Table V are rounded to the nearest thousandth. The
check digit, zero through nine (0–9) or
the letter ‘‘X’’ shall appear in VIN position nine (9).

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Fractional Remainder .........................
Decimal Equivalent Remainder ..........
Check Digit .........................................

0
0
0

18:42 Dec 22, 2011

1/11
0.091
1

2/11
0.182
2

3/11
0.273
3

4/11
0.364
4

[Rounded to the nearest thousandth]

5/11
0.455
5

TABLE V—NINTH POSITION CHECK DIGIT VALUES

6/11
0.545
6

7/11
0.634
7

8/11
0.727
8

9/11
0.818
9

10/11
0.909
X

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§ 565.15

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)

(5) A sample check digit calculation
is shown in Table VI as follows:

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2
G
7
7

1
1
1
8

3
4
4
6

4
A
1
5

5
H
8
4

6
5
5
3

7
9
9
2

8
H
8
10

9
........
........
0

10
5
5
9

11
G
7
8

12
1
1
7

13
1
1
6

14
8
8
5

15
3
3
4

16
4
4
3

17
1
1
2

Add products: 8+49+24+5+32+15+18+80+0+45+56+7+6+40+12+12+2 = 411.
Divide by 11: 411/11 = 37 4/11 or 37.3636.
If the fourth digit is 5 or greater, round up. If the fourth digit is 4 or smaller, round down.
In the example above, the remainder is 4/11 or 0.364 when rounded up.
Looking up the remainder in Table V—Ninth Position Check Digit Values indicates that ‘‘4’’ is the check digit to be inserted in position nine (9) of the VIN for this sample digit
calculation.

Vin Position .....
Sample VIN .....
Assigned Value
Weight Factor ..
Multiply Assigned value
times weight
factor ............

TABLE VI—CALCULATION OF A CHECK DIGIT

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§ 565.16

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)

(d) The fourth section shall consist of
eight characters, which occupy positions ten through seventeen (10–17) of
the VIN. The last five (5) characters of
this section shall be numeric for passenger cars and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross
vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg. (10,000
lbs.) or less, and the last four (4) characters shall be numeric for all other vehicles.
(1) The first character of the fourth
section shall represent the vehicle
model year. The year shall be designated as indicated in Table VII as
follows:
TABLE VII—YEAR CODES FOR VIN
Year
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
2037
2038
2039

Code

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5
6
7
8
9
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
V
W
X
Y
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Note to Table VII: For passenger cars, and for multipurpose
passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg (10,000 lb) or less, if position 7 is numeric, the
Model Year in position 10 of the VIN refers to a year in the
range 1980–2009. If position 7 is alphabetic, the Model Year
in Position 10 of the VIN refers to a year in the range 2010–
2039.

(2) The second character of the fourth
section shall represent the plant of
manufacture.
(3) The third through the eighth
characters of the fourth section (positions 12 through 17) shall represent the
number sequentially assigned by the

manufacturer in the production process
if the manufacturer is a high-volume
manufacturer. If a manufacturer is a
low-volume manufacturer, the third,
fourth, and fifth characters of the
fourth section (positions 12, 13, and 14),
combined with the three characters of
the first section (positions 1, 2, and 3),
shall uniquely identify the manufacturer and type of the motor vehicle and
the sixth, seventh, and eighth characters of the fourth section (positions
15, 16, and 17) shall represent the number sequentially assigned by the manufacturer in the production process.
§ 565.16 Reporting requirements.
The information collection requirements contained in this part have been
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq) and have been assigned OMB
Control Number 2127–0510.
(a) The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) has
contracted with the SAE International
to coordinate the assignment of manufacturer identifiers to manufacturers
in the United States. Manufacturer
identifiers will be supplied by SAE at
no charge. All requests for assignments
of manufacturer identifiers should be
forwarded directly to: SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Drive,
Warrendale, Pennsylvania, 15096, Attention: WMI Coordinator (telephone:
724–776–4841). Any requests for identifiers submitted to NHTSA will be forwarded to SAE. Manufacturers may request a specific identifier or may request only assignment of an identifier(s). SAE will review requests for
specific identifiers to determine that
they do not conflict with an identifier
already assigned or block of identifiers
already reserved. SAE will confirm the
assignments in writing to the requester. Once confirmed by SAE, the
identifier need not be resubmitted to
NHTSA.
(b) Manufacturers of vehicles subject
to this part shall submit, either directly or through an agent, the unique
identifier for each make and type of vehicle it manufactures at least 60 days
before affixing the first VIN using the
identifier. Manufacturers whose unique
identifier appears in the fourth section

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Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., DOT
of the VIN shall also submit the three
characters of the first section that constitutes a part of their identifier.
(c) Manufacturers of vehicles subject
to the requirements of this part shall
submit to NHTSA the information necessary to decipher the characters contained in its VINs. Amendments to this
information shall be submitted to the
agency for VINs containing an amended coding. The agency will not routinely provide written approvals of
these submissions, but will contact the
manufacturer should any corrections
to these submissions be necessary.
(d) The information required under
paragraph (c) of this section shall be
submitted at least 60 days prior to offering for sale the first vehicle identified by a VIN containing that information, or if information concerning vehicle characteristics sufficient to specify
the VIN code is unavailable to the
manufacturer by that date, then within
one week after that information first
becomes available. The information
shall be addressed to: Administrator,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE, Washington, DC 20590, Attention:
VIN Coordinator.

Subpart C—Alternative VIN Requirements In Effect for Limited Period
§ 565.20 Purpose and scope.
This part specifies the format, content and physical requirements for a
vehicle identification number (VIN)
system and its installation to simplify
vehicle identification information retrieval and to increase the accuracy
and efficiency of vehicle recall campaigns.
§ 565.21 Applicability.
See subpart A of this part 565 regarding the applicability of this subpart.
This part applies to passenger cars,
multipurpose
passenger
vehicles,
trucks, buses, trailers (including trailer kits), incomplete vehicles, and motorcycles. Vehicles imported into the
United States under 49 CFR 591.5(f),
other than by the corporation responsible for the assembly of that vehicle
or a subsidiary of such a corporation,
are excluded from requirements of

§ 565.22
§ 565.23(b), §§ 565.23(c), 565.23(g), 565.23(h),
565.24 and 565.25.
[73 FR 23379, Apr. 30, 2008, as amended at 73
FR 28371, May 16, 2008]

§ 565.22

Definitions.

(a) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Definitions. Unless otherwise indicated, all terms used in this part that
are defined in 49 CFR 571.3 are used as
defined in 49 CFR 571.3.
(b) Body type means the general configuration or shape of a vehicle distinguished by such characteristics as the
number of doors or windows, cargo-carrying features and the roofline (e.g.,
sedan, fastback, hatchback).
(c) Check digit means a single number
or the letter X used to verify the accuracy of the transcription of the vehicle
identification number.
(d) Engine type means a power source
with defined characteristics such as
fuel utilized, number of cylinders, displacement, and net brake horsepower.
The specific manufacturer and make
shall be represented if the engine powers a passenger car or a multipurpose
passenger vehicle, or truck with a
gross vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg.
(10,000 lbs.) or less.
(e) Incomplete vehicle means an assemblage consisting, as a minimum, of
frame and chassis structure, power
train, steering system, suspension system and braking system, to the extent
that those systems are to be part of the
completed vehicle, that requires further manufacturing operations, other
than the addition of readily attachable
components, such as mirrors or tire
and rim assemblies, or minor finishing
operations such as painting, to become
a completed vehicle.
(f) Line means a name that a manufacturer applies to a family of vehicles
within a make which have a degree of
commonality in construction, such as
body, chassis or cab type.
(g) Make means a name that a manufacturer applies to a group of vehicles
or engines.
(h) Manufacturer means a person—
(1) Manufacturing or assembling
motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment; or
(2) Importing motor vehicles or
motor vehicle equipment for resale.

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§ 565.23

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)

(i) Model means a name that a manufacturer applies to a family of vehicles
of the same type, make, line, series and
body type.
(j) Model Year means the year used to
designate a discrete vehicle model, irrespective of the calendar year in
which the vehicle was actually produced, provided that the production period does not exceed 24 months.
(k) Plant of manufacture means the
plant where the manufacturer affixes
the VIN.
(l) Series means a name that a manufacturer applies to a subdivision of a
‘‘line’’ denoting price, size or weight
identification and that is used by the
manufacturer for marketing purposes.
(m) Trailer kit means a trailer that is
fabricated and delivered in complete
but unassembled form and that is designed to be assembled without special
machinery or tools.
(n) Type means a class of vehicle distinguished by common traits, including
design and purpose. Passenger cars,
multipurpose
passenger
vehicles,
trucks, buses, trailers, incomplete vehicles and motorcycles are separate
types.
(o) VIN means a series of Arabic numbers and Roman letters that is assigned
to a motor vehicle for identification
purposes.
§ 565.23

General requirements.

(a) Each vehicle manufactured in one
stage shall have a VIN that is assigned
by the manufacturer. Each vehicle
manufactured in more than one stage
shall have a VIN assigned by the incomplete vehicle manufacturer. Vehicle alterers, as specified in 49 CFR
567.7, shall utilize the VIN assigned by
the original manufacturer of the vehicle.
(b) Each VIN shall consist of seventeen (17) characters.
(c) A check digit shall be part of each
VIN. The check digit shall appear in
position nine (9) of the VIN, on the vehicle and on any transfer documents
containing the VIN prepared by the
manufacturer to be given to the first
owner for purposes other than resale.
(d) The VINs of any two vehicles
manufactured within a 30-year period
shall not be identical.

(e) The VIN of each vehicle shall appear clearly and indelibly upon either a
part of the vehicle, other than the glazing, that is not designed to be removed
except for repair or upon a separate
plate or label that is permanently affixed to such a part.
(f) The VIN for passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks
of 4536 kg or less GVWR shall be located inside the passenger compartment. It shall be readable, without
moving any part of the vehicle,
through the vehicle glazing under daylight lighting conditions by an observer having 20/20 vision (Snellen)
whose eye-point is located outside the
vehicle adjacent to the left windshield
pillar. Each character in the VIN subject to this paragraph shall have a minimum height of 4 mm.
(g) Each character in each VIN shall
be one of the letters in the set:
[ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ] or
a numeral in the set: [0123456789] assigned according to the method given
in § 565.25.
(h) All spaces provided for in the VIN
must be occupied by a character specified in paragraph (g) of this section.
(i) The type face utilized for each
VIN shall consist of capital, sanserif
characters.
[73 FR 23379, Apr. 30, 2008, as amended at 74
FR 67977, Dec. 22, 2009]

§ 565.24 Motor vehicles imported into
the United States.
(a) Importers shall utilize the VIN assigned by the original manufacturer of
the motor vehicle.
(b) A passenger car certified by a
Registered Importer under 49 CFR part
592 shall have a plate or label that contains the following statement, in characters with a minimum height of 4 mm,
with the identification number assigned by the original manufacturer
provided in the blank: SUBSTITUTE
FOR U.S. VIN:lllSEE PART 565.
The plate or label shall conform to
§ 565.23 (h) and (i). The plate or label
shall be permanently affixed inside the
passenger compartment. The plate or
label shall be readable, without moving
any part of the vehicle, through the vehicle glazing under daylight lighting
conditions by an observer having 20/20

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Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., DOT
vision (Snellen) whose eye-point is located outside the vehicle adjacent to
the left windshield pillar. It shall be located in such a manner as not to cover,
obscure, or overlay any part of any
identification number affixed by the
original manufacturer. Passenger cars
conforming to Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 115 are exempt from
this paragraph.
§ 565.25 Content requirements.
The VIN shall consist of four sections
of characters which shall be grouped
accordingly:
(a) The first section shall consist of
three characters that occupy positions
one through three (1–3) in the VIN.
This section shall uniquely identify the
manufacturer, make and type of the
motor vehicle if its manufacturer produces 500 or more motor vehicles of its
type annually. If the manufacturer produces less than 500 motor vehicles of
its type annually, these characters
along with the third, fourth and fifth
characters of the fourth section shall
uniquely identify the manufacturer,
make and type of the motor vehicle.

§ 565.25
These characters are assigned in accordance with § 565.26(a).
(b) The second section shall consist
of five characters, which occupy positions four through eight (4–8) in the
VIN. This section shall uniquely identify the attributes of the vehicle as
specified in Table VIII. For passenger
cars, and for multipurpose passenger
vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg (10,000 lb)
or less, the first and second characters
shall be alphabetic and the third and
fourth characters shall be numeric.
The fifth character may be either alphabetic or numeric. The characters
utilized and their placement within the
section may be determined by the manufacturer, but the specified attributes
must be decipherable with information
supplied by the manufacturer in accordance with § 565.26(c). In submitting
the required information to NHTSA relating to gross vehicle weight rating,
the designations in Table IX shall be
used. The use of these designations
within the VIN itself is not required.
Tables VIII and IX follow:

TABLE VIII—TYPE OF VEHICLE AND INFORMATION DECIPHERABLE
Passenger car: Line, series, body type, engine type and restraint system type.
Multipurpose passenger vehicle: Line, series, body type, engine type, gross vehicle weight rating.
Truck: Model or line, series, chassis, cab type, engine type, brake system and gross vehicle
weight rating.
Bus: Model or line, series, body type, engine type, and brake system.
Trailer, including trailer kits and incomplete trailer: Type of trailer, body type, length and axle
configuration.
Motorcycle: Type of motorcycle, line, engine type, and net brake horsepower.
Incomplete Vehicle other than a trailer: Model or line, series, cab type, engine type and brake
system.
Note to Table VIII: Engine net brake horsepower when encoded in the VIN shall differ by no more than 10 percent from
the actual net brake horsepower; shall in the case of motorcycle with an actual net brake horsepower of 2 or less, be not
more than 2; and shall be greater than 2 in the case of a motorcycle with an actual brake horsepower greater than 2.

TABLE IX—GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING
CLASSES—Continued

TABLE IX—GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING
CLASSES

Class E—Greater than
(6,001–7,000 lbs.)
Class F—Greater than
(7,001–8,000 lbs.)
Class G—Greater than
(8,001–9,000 lbs.)
Class H—Greater than
(9,001–10,000 lbs.)

Class A—Not greater than 1360 kg. (3,000
lbs.)
Class B—Greater than 1360 kg. to 1814 kg.
(3,001–4,000 lbs.)
Class C—Greater than 1814 kg. to 2268 kg.
(4,001–5,000 lbs.)
Class D—Greater than 2268 kg. to 2722 kg.
(5,001–6,000 lbs.)

2722 kg. to 3175 kg.
3175 kg. to 3629 kg.
3629 kg. to 4082 kg.
4082 kg. to 4536 kg.

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§ 565.25

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)
TABLE X—ASSIGNED VALUES—Continued

TABLE IX—GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING
CLASSES—Continued

R=9
S=2
T=3
U=4
V=5
W=6
X=7
Y=8
Z=9

Class 3—Greater than 4536 kg. to 6350 kg.
(10,001–14,000 lbs.)
Class 4—Greater than 6350 kg. to 7257 kg.
(14,001–16,000 lbs.)
Class 5—Greater than 7257 kg. to 8845 kg.
(16,001–19,500 lbs.)
Class 6—Greater than 8845 kg. to 11793 kg.
(19,501–26,000 lbs.)
Class 7—Greater than 11793 kg. to 14968
kg.(26,001–33,000 lbs.)
Class 8—Greater than 14968 kg. (33,001 lbs.
and over).
(c) The third section shall consist of
one character, which occupies position
nine (9) in the VIN. This section shall
be the check digit whose purpose is to
provide a means for verifying the accuracy of any VIN transcription. After all
other characters in VIN have been determined by the manufacturer, the
check digit shall be calculated by carrying out the mathematical computation specified in paragraphs (c) (1)
through (4) of this section.
(1) Assign to each number in the VIN
its actual mathematical value and assign to each letter the value specified
for it in Table X, as follows:
TABLE X—ASSIGNED VALUES
A=1
B=2
C=3
D=4
E=5
F=6
G=7
H=8
J=1
K=2
L=3
M=4
N=5
P=7

(2) Multiply the assigned value for
each character in the VIN by the position weight factor specified in Table
XI, as follows:
TABLE XI—VIN POSITION AND WEIGHT FACTOR
1st .........................................
2d ..........................................
3d ..........................................
4th .........................................
5th .........................................
6th .........................................
7th .........................................
8th .........................................
9th .........................................
10th .......................................
11th .......................................
12th .......................................
13th .......................................
14th .......................................
15th .......................................
16th .......................................
17th .......................................

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
10
(check digit)
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2

(3) Add the resulting products and divide the total by 11.
(4) The numerical remainder is the
check digit. If the remainder is 10 the
letter ‘‘X’’ shall be used to designate
the check digit. The correct numeric
remainder, zero through nine (0–9) or
the letter ‘‘X,’’ shall appear in VIN position nine (9).
(5) A sample check digit calculation
is shown in Table XII as follows:

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2
G
7
7

1
1
1
8

3
4
4
6

4
A
1
5

5
H
8
4

6
5
5
3

7
9
9
2

Add products: 8+49+24+5+32+15+18+80+0+45+56+7+6+40+12+12+2 = 411.
Divide by 11: 411/11 = 37 4/11.
The remainder is 4; this is the check digit to be inserted in position nine (9) of the VIN.

VIN Position 12
Sample VIN .....
Assigned Value
Weight Factor ..
Multiply Assigned value
times ............

9
...
...
0

8
H
8
10

10
5
5
9

TABLE XII—CALCULATION OF A CHECK DIGIT

11
G
7
8

12
1
1
7

13
1
1
6

14
8
8
5

15
3
3
4

16
4
4
3

17
1
1
2

Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., DOT

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§ 565.26

49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–11 Edition)

(d) The fourth section shall consist of
eight characters, which occupy positions ten through seventeen (10–17) of
the VIN. The last five (5) characters of
this section shall be numeric for passenger cars and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross
vehicle weight rating of 4536 kg. (10,000
lbs.) or less, and the last four (4) characters shall be numeric for all other vehicles.
(1) The first character of the fourth
section shall represent the vehicle
model year. The year shall be designated as indicated in Table XIII as
follows:
TABLE XIII—YEAR CODES FOR VIN
Year
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013

Code

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
V
W
X
Y
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
A
B
C
D

(2) The second character of the fourth
section shall represent the plant of
manufacture.
(3) The third through the eighth
characters of the fourth section shall
represent the number sequentially assigned by the manufacturer in the production process if the manufacturer
produces 500 or more vehicles of its
type annually. If the manufacturer produces less than 500 motor vehicles of
its type annually, the third, fourth and

fifth characters of the fourth section,
combined with the three characters of
the first section, shall uniquely identify the manufacturer, make and type
of the motor vehicle and the sixth, seventh, and eighth characters of the
fourth section shall represent the number sequentially assigned by the manufacturer in the production process.
§ 565.26 Reporting requirements.
The information collection requirements contained in this part have been
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.) and have been assigned
OMB Control Number 2127–0510.
(a) The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) has
contracted with the SAE International
(SAE) to coordinate the assignment of
manufacturer identifiers. Manufacturer identifiers will be supplied by
SAE at no charge. All requests for assignments of manufacturer identifiers
should be forwarded directly to: SAE
International,
400
Commonwealth
Drive, Warrendale, Pennsylvania 15096,
Attention: WMI Coordinator. Any requests for identifiers submitted to
NHTSA will be forwarded to SAE. Manufacturers may request a specific identifier or may request only assignment
of an identifier(s). SAE will review requests for specific identifiers to determine that they do not conflict with an
identifier already assigned or block of
identifiers already reserved. SAE will
confirm the assignments in writing to
the requester. Once confirmed by SAE,
the identifier need not be resubmitted
to NHTSA.
(b) Manufacturers of vehicles subject
to this part shall submit, either directly or through an agent, the unique
identifier for each make and type of vehicle it manufactures at least 60 days
before affixing the first VIN using the
identifier. Manufacturers whose unique
identifier appears in the fourth section
of the VIN shall also submit the three
characters of the first section that constitutes a part of their identifier.
(c) Manufacturers of vehicles subject
to the requirements of this part shall
submit to NHTSA the information necessary to decipher the characters contained in its VINs. Amendments to this

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Nat’l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., DOT
information shall be submitted to the
agency for VINs containing an amended coding. The agency will not routinely provide written approvals of
these submissions, but will contact the
manufacturer should any corrections
to these submissions be necessary.
(d) The information required under
paragraph (c) of this section shall be
submitted at least 60 days prior to offering for sale the first vehicle identified by a VIN containing that information, or if information concerning vehicle characteristics sufficient to specify
the VIN code is unavailable to the
manufacturer by that date, then within
one week after that information first
becomes available. The information
shall be addressed to: Administrator,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., Washington, DC 20590, Attention:
VIN Coordinator.

PART 566—MANUFACTURER
IDENTIFICATION
Sec.
566.1 Scope.
566.2 Purpose.
566.3 Application.
566.4 Definitions.
566.5 Requirements.
566.6 Submittal of information.
AUTHORITY: Secs. 112 and 119, National
Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (15
U.S.C. 1401 and 1407); delegation of authority
at 49 CFR 1.50.

§ 566.1

Scope.

This part requires manufacturers of
motor vehicles, and of motor vehicle
equipment to which a motor vehicle
safety standard applies, to submit identifying information and a description
of the items they produce.
[36 FR 20978, Nov. 2, 1971]

§ 566.2

Purpose.

The purpose of this part is to facilitate the regulation of manufacturers
under the National Traffic and Motor
Vehicle Safety Act, and to aid in establishing a code numbering system for all
regulated manufacturers.
[36 FR 20978, Nov. 2, 1971]

§ 566.5
§ 566.3

Application.

This part applies to all manufacturers of motor vehicles, and to manufacturers of motor vehicle equipment,
other than tires, to which a motor vehicle safety standard applies (hereafter
referred to as ‘‘covered equipment’’).
[36 FR 22063, Nov. 19, 1971]

§ 566.4

Definitions.

All terms defined in the Act and the
rules and standards issued under its authority are used as defined therein.
Specifically, incomplete vehicle, intermediate manufacturer, and final-stage
manufacturer are used as defined in
Part 568—Vehicles Manufactured in
Two or More Stages.
(Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1392, 1397)
[37 FR 1364, Jan. 28, 1972]

§ 566.5

Requirements.

Each manufacturer of motor vehicles, and each manufacturer of covered
equipment, shall furnish the information specified in paragraphs (a) through
(c) of this section to: Administrator,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20590.
(a) Full individual, partnership, or
corporate name of the manufacturer.
(b) Residence address of the manufacturer and State of incorporation if applicable.
(c) Description of each type of motor
vehicle or of covered equipment manufactured by the manufacturer, including, for motor vehicles, the approximate ranges of gross vehicle weight
ratings for each type.
(1) Except as noted below, the description may be of general types, such
as ‘‘passenger cars’’ or ‘‘brake fluid.’’
(2) In the case of multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and trailers,
the description shall be specific enough
also to indicate the types of use for
which the vehicles are intended, such
as ‘‘tank trailer,’’ ‘‘motor home,’’ or
‘‘cargo van.’’
(3) In the case of motor vehicles produced in two or more stages, if the
manufacturer is an incomplete vehicle
manufacturer, the description shall so
state and include a description indicating the stage of completion of the

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File Type	application/pdf
File Modified	2014-08-12
File Created	2014-08-12