Acura VIN Decoder
Enter any 17-character Acura VIN. Free US-market Acura VIN decoder backed by the official NHTSA VPIC database — engine code, assembly plant, model year, body class, and every open recall, in about 30 seconds.
How to read an Acura VIN
A Acura VIN, like any modern road-vehicle VIN, is 17 characters split into three blocks: the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) in positions 1–3, the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) in positions 4–9, and the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS) in positions 10–17. Here's a real Acura VIN broken down position by position.
11293U4U5B627F839310J11A120130140150160171
| Position | Chars | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Country of origin 1 = United States. Most Acuras are US-built: 19U (cars — TLX / ILX / Integra) at Marysville, Ohio and Greensburg, Indiana, and 5J8 (SUVs — RDX / MDX) at East Liberty, Ohio. The NSX supercar and older imported sedans use JH4 (J = Japan). CheckMyVIN reports the actual Plant Country from VPIC rather than inferring it from this digit. |
| 2-3 | 9U | Manufacturer (WMI) 9U = Acura passenger car (Honda of America) within the 19U World Manufacturer Identifier. Other major Acura WMIs: 5J8 (US-built Acura SUVs — RDX / MDX) and JH4 (Japan-built Acura — NSX and older TL / TSX / RL). All decode as Make = ACURA. The model line is encoded in positions 4-8, not at the WMI level. |
| 4-8 | UB2F3 | Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) Encodes the model line, body style, restraint system, and engine/drivetrain. Acura does not publish a public VDS-to-trim table, so CheckMyVIN does not guess that "UB2F3" means a specific trim — instead it reports the Model, Trim, and Engine that NHTSA VPIC returns directly (for this VIN: TLX, V6, 3.5L J-series). |
| 9 | 3 | Check digit A mod-11 checksum computed from the other 16 positions. NHTSA uses it to reject typos before returning a decode — if the check digit is wrong, VPIC flags an error and CheckMyVIN treats the entry as an unreadable VIN. |
| 10 | J | Model year J = 2018. The full year-code table is below. The 30-year ISO cycle skips I, O, Q, U, Z and 0 to avoid confusion with similar-looking characters. |
| 11 | A | Assembly plant For this VIN the plant character maps to Marysville, Ohio — Honda's flagship US plant, where the TLX, Integra, and NSX are built. CheckMyVIN reads Plant City and Plant Country straight from the VPIC record rather than inferring from position 11; Acura's other plants are East Liberty, Ohio (RDX / MDX), Greensburg, Indiana (ILX), and Tochigi / Suzuka in Japan (NSX, older imports). |
| 12-17 | 000001 | Production sequence A 6-digit serial number that increments through the model year at that plant. Not meaningful on its own, but together with the year and plant it confirms the VIN is internally consistent. |
VIN year codes (position 10)
The 10th character of every modern VIN encodes the model year. The cycle skips the letters I, O, Q, U and Z, and the digit 0, to avoid being confused with similar digits. This table covers every model year currently on US roads.
| Code | Year | Code | Year | Code | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | H | 2017 | R | 2024 |
| B | 2011 | J | 2018 | S | 2025 |
| C | 2012 | K | 2019 | T | 2026 |
| D | 2013 | L | 2020 | V | 2027 |
| E | 2014 | M | 2021 | W | 2028 |
| F | 2015 | N | 2022 | X | 2029 |
| G | 2016 | P | 2023 | Y | 2030 |
Acura WMI codes (positions 1–3)
The first three characters of the VIN identify the manufacturer and country of assembly. Acura uses several WMI codes depending on plant and model line.
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 19U | Acura car — USA (Marysville, OH / Greensburg, IN; TLX, ILX, Integra) |
| 5J8 | Acura SUV — USA (East Liberty, OH; RDX, MDX) |
| JH4 | Acura — Japan (NSX and older imported sedans such as TL / TSX / RL) |
Acura build sheet & options
A full Acura build sheet — original Monroney options, paint code (e.g. Majestic Black Pearl / Platinum White Pearl / Apex Blue Pearl), interior color, the ELS Studio audio package, Technology / A-Spec / Advance package content, and dealer-installed accessories — is not part of the federal NHTSA VPIC dataset. CheckMyVIN can confirm the model, trim (base / Technology / A-Spec / Advance / Type S), engine family (K-series 2.4L, J-series 3.5L V6, 2.0L VTEC Turbo, 1.5L turbo, or the NSX twin-turbo hybrid V6), drive type (FWD or SH-AWD), assembly plant, model year, body class, and recall history pulled live from NHTSA. For the original window sticker your authoritative source is an Acura dealer, who can pull the build specification from the VIN through Honda's dealer system. Acura also publishes its official US owner site at acura.com. CheckMyVIN never claims options data it cannot verify against the NHTSA record.
Acura VIN decoder FAQ
Is the Acura VIN decoder free?
Yes — every Acura VIN lookup on CheckMyVIN is free, with no signup, no email gate, and no usage cap for individual users. Data comes from the public NHTSA VPIC API. The optional "full vehicle history report" link at the bottom of each report is an affiliate to a paid third-party history service; you can ignore it.
How do I read an Acura VIN (TLX, ILX, RDX, MDX, Integra)?
An Acura VIN is 17 characters: position 1 is the country (1 = USA, J = Japan), positions 2-3 are the WMI (9U = Acura car, J8 = Acura SUV, H4 = Acura Japan), positions 4-8 are the model/engine descriptor, position 9 is the check digit, position 10 is the model year (J = 2018 in the worked example above), and position 11 is the plant. Enter any 17-character Acura VIN above and CheckMyVIN reads every field via the official NHTSA database — that is the same thing as an Acura VIN number decoder, VIN lookup, VIN search, or VIN check.
Where is the VIN located on an Acura?
Three places on a modern Acura: the dash plate at the base of the windshield (read it from outside, driver side), the driver door-jamb certification sticker, and the title / registration. The AcuraLink app also shows the VIN under vehicle details. The 17-character VIN is the legal identifier.
How do I find my Acura radio code or navigation code from the VIN?
You can't — the anti-theft radio / navigation security code is NOT encoded in the VIN, so no decoder (this one included) can return it from the VIN alone. "Acura radio code by VIN" is a common search, but the code is tied to the audio-unit serial number and your ownership record. Get it free from your Owners account on acura.com, or from an Acura dealer with the VIN and proof of ownership. CheckMyVIN shows what NHTSA VPIC actually stores and does not fabricate a radio-code lookup.
What does the 10th character of an Acura VIN mean?
The 10th character is the model-year code, following the ISO 3779 cycle every manufacturer uses: A = 2010, B = 2011, … J = 2018 (the worked example above), … Y = 2030. The cycle skips the letters I, O, Q, U, Z and the digit 0 to avoid confusion with similar-looking characters. It tells you the model year, not the build date.
How do I find my Acura engine code (K-series, J-series) and paint code from the VIN?
The engine family is reported by VPIC — CheckMyVIN shows the engine model NHTSA returns (K-series 2.4L four, J-series 3.5L V6, 2.0L VTEC Turbo, 1.5L turbo, or the NSX hybrid V6). The exact engine-build code stamped on the block and the paint code are NOT in the VIN: check the engine stamp directly and the paint label in the door jamb / engine bay, or ask an Acura dealer to look them up from the VIN. CheckMyVIN never guesses an engine or paint code the VIN does not encode.
Can I check Acura recalls with the VIN?
Yes. Every CheckMyVIN report runs the VIN against the live NHTSA recall API and lists any open campaign for that model and year. You can also browse worked Acura examples on the /acura/recall page — the 3.5L V6 fuel-pump and connecting-rod-bearing campaigns are ones to confirm on affected TLX / MDX models — then run your own VIN.