Subaru vin serial nubmer decoder
The current VIN is 17 characters long. This system started in 1981. Prior to that, VINs varied in length from 11 to 17 characters
Where is it located:
Left front corner of dashboard, driver’s door jam, various body panels and engine components, your registration and title
A code’s specific meaning may be different on a yearly basis but the position remains the same.
| VIN | 4 | S | 3 | B | E | 6 | 3 | 5 | X | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| position # | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12-17 | |||||
| means | manufacturer’s code | line | body | engine | model/trim | restraint systems | check digit | year | factory and transmission |
sequential production number |
|||||||
Positions 1-2-3 are the Manufacturer ID code.
1: country code. J is Japan (1 or 4 is USA, 2 is Canada, 3 Mexico, K Korea, S England, W Germany, Z Italy etc)
2. manufacturer. F is Fugi Heavy Industries (A is Audi, B BMW, C Chrysler, F Ord, G GM, H Honda, S Subaru, V VW etc)
3. Vehicle type or manufacturing division JF1 is FHI Fugi Heavy Industry passenger vehicle, made in Japan 4S3 is a SIA Subaru-Isuzu factory passenger vehicle 4S4 is a SIA Subaru-Isuzu factory MPV multi purpose vehicle such as the 2005 Outback, but not the 04 which was a 4S3 because it was still considered a car.
Position 4 is Line
type, ie. what product line. B is Legacy, G is Impreza, S is Forester,
Position 5– tells what kind of body, ie Impreza sedan, Legacy wagon, Baja, Impreza or Forester wagon, Legacy wagon etc. D- Impreza sedan; L- Legacy sedan; G Impreza Sport wgn and Forester; P- Legacy wagon; T- Baja This code can change yearly.
Position 6 – Engine
types, varies by year. This can change yearly 2 is 2.0L turbo 4cyl; 6 is either 2.2L or 2.5L 4 cyl; 7 is a 2.5L turbo STi motor; 8 is a 3.0L 6 cyl.
Position 7 – model
type and trim. First, you have to know the model, then you can decipher the correct trim.
2003: 1: Baja, 2: Brighton, 3: Legacy L, Forester X, 4: Legacy GT, 5: Legacy GT w/ leather, Impreza TS, Forester XS, 6: Legacy Outback, 7: Legacy Outback w/ All Weather pkg, Impreza RS sedan, 8: Legacy Outback Limited wagon and sedan, Impreza Outback Sport, 9: Legacy Outback wagon H6, Impreza WRX, 0: Legacy Outback LL Bean wagon
2005
| number | Legacy sedan | Legacy wagon | Outback | Forester | Impreza | Baja |
| 1 | 2.5i | 2.5i | 2.5i | |||
| 2 | 2.5i Limited | 2.5i Limited | 2.5i Limited | Sport | ||
| 3 | X | Turbo | ||||
| 4 | 3.0R sedan | |||||
| 5 | 3.0R VDC | XS | ||||
| 6 | 3.0R LL Bean | RS sedan w/ sport pkg | ||||
| 7 | GT Limited | GT Limited | XT Limited | XS w/ moonroof, LL Bean | RS sedan, wagon | |
| 8 | GT | GT | XT | Outback Sport | ||
| 9 | XT | WRX sedan, wagon | ||||
| 0 | WRX STi |
Position 8 is the
Restraint. 5- manual seat belts with dual front airbags, 6- manual
seat belts with dual front and dual side airbags. C: Class C (4001-5000lbs) MPV
Position 9: check
digit. A mathamatical formula that takes all the other characters in the VIN and comes up with a value of 0-9 or X, thus ensuring accuracy. I have no idea how this works. It’s a mystery.
Position 10: Model
year: J is 1988, K is 1989, L 1990, M 1991, N 1992, P 1993, R 1994, S 1995, T 1996, V 1997, W 1998, X 1999, Y 2000, 1 2001, 2 2002, 3 2003, 4 2004, 5 2005, 6 2006, 7 2007, 8 2008…
Position 11– Manufacturing
plant and Transmission: can vary by year SIA (US Built)- 4: SIA, 5spd SportShift automatic, 5: SIA, 4spd SportShift automatic, 6: 5spd manual awd, 7: automatic awd, ‘-‘ can be 6spd manual, postal car depending on the year FHI (Japan built)- G: manual awd, H: automatic awd, L 6spd manual
Position 12-17– sequential
production numbers. Changes yearly, based on the line 100001 Baja; 200001 Legacy and Outback sedan; 300001 Legacy and Outback wagon; 500001 Impreza sedan; 600001 Legacy and Outback wagon; 700001 Forester; 800001Impreza Sport wagon
