The sign says quality. The VIN says what it is.
Buick VIN decoder
Paste a Buick VIN and see the model year, model, body, engine and the plant it was built in, from the record Buick files with NHTSA. Free, no email, and the VIN goes only to NHTSA’s decoder, never to WhichTrim.
17 characters. The letters I, O and Q never appear in a VIN. Find it on the driver's-side dashboard, the door jamb, your insurance card or the title.
Buick’s manufacturer codes (WMI)
Source: NHTSA vPICBuick files 8 manufacturer codes with NHTSA. The first three characters of a Buick VIN are one of them: they say who built the vehicle, what kind it is, and in which country. Built in United States (5 codes), Canada (1 code), China (1 code).
| Code | Vehicle type | Built in | Filed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1G4 | Cars | United States | General Motors Llc |
| 2G4 | Cars | Canada | General Motors Llc |
| 3G4 | Cars | United States | General Motors Llc |
| 3G5 | SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV) | United States | General Motors Llc |
| 4GL | Chassis for upfitting (incomplete vehicle) | United States | General Motors Llc |
| 5GA | SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV) | United States | General Motors Llc |
| KL4 | SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV) | Not filed | General Motors Llc |
| LRB | SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV) | China | Shanghai General Motors Corp Ltd. |
What each character means on a Buick
Source: 49 CFR 565Every Buick VIN since the 1981 model year follows the federal format. Positions 4 to 8 are Buick’s own code for the model, body, engine and restraints; the decoder reads them from Buick’s filing, so they need no table here.
| Position | Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | World manufacturer identifier | Who built it and where. 1, 4 and 5 are the United States, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico, J Japan, K South Korea, W Germany, S the United Kingdom. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle descriptor | Model, body style, restraint system, engine — the section that makes a VIN say which car this is rather than which unit. |
| 9 | Check digit | A checksum of the other sixteen characters. A VIN that fails it has been mistyped or invented. |
| 10 | Model year | A letter or digit, not the year itself: N is 2022, P 2023, R 2024, S 2025, T 2026. I, O, Q, U and Z are never used. |
| 11 | Assembly plant | The manufacturer's code for the factory that built this vehicle. |
| 12–17 | Serial number | The unit's own sequence number on that line. |
| Model year | Code (position 10) |
|---|---|
| 2030 | Y |
| 2029 | X |
| 2028 | W |
| 2027 | V |
| 2026 | T |
| 2025 | S |
| 2024 | R |
| 2023 | P |
| 2022 | N |
| 2021 | M |
| 2020 | L |
| 2019 | K |
| 2018 | J |
| 2017 | H |
| 2016 | G |
| 2015 | F |
| 2014 | E |
| 2013 | D |
| 2012 | C |
| 2011 | B |
| 2010 | A |
| 2009 | 9 |
| 2008 | 8 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2006 | 6 |
Buick models on WhichTrim
A decode that matches one of these opens its model-year page: recalls, owner complaints, service bulletins, crash ratings and fuel economy.
More for your Buick
Source: where to go from hereCommon questions
Source: NHTSA vPIC, 49 CFR Part 565Is the Buick VIN decoder free?
Yes, with no email and no account. The decode comes from NHTSA's vPIC database, the record Buick files with the federal government for every vehicle it sells in the US.
Where is the VIN on a Buick?
At the base of the windshield on the driver's side, readable from outside; on the certification label in the driver's door jamb; and on the title, registration and insurance card.
Does a decode show accidents or title brands?
No. A decode says what Buick built. What happened afterwards (title brands, odometer readings, total losses) is in NMVTIS, sold by providers the Department of Justice approves.
Can I check Buick recalls by VIN?
The decode opens the model year's page here, which lists every recall campaign on file. Whether this exact vehicle is still unrepaired is answered by NHTSA's lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls, which reads Buick's own list.
Is my VIN stored?
No. The decode runs in your browser against NHTSA's public database. WhichTrim never receives it.