Free Ford Transit VIN Decoder

How to decode a Ford Transit VIN

Characters 1-3 of a Ford Transit VIN

A World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) is a unique code used to identify the manufacturer of a vehicle, providing insights into the vehicle’s place of origin, manufacturer name, and vehicle type. For example, the WMI 1FM is designated to Ford Motor Company, specifically for their multipurpose passenger vehicles, such as the Ford Transit. These vehicles are manufactured in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, covering model years from 2015 to 2022. The WMI is essential for recognizing vehicles globally, serving as a standardized method for classifying vehicle manufacturers and the types of vehicles they produce. This system plays a crucial role in vehicle registration, recall processes, and manufacturing standards enforcement.

List of WMI Codes for a Ford Transit

WMI: 1FT

• Model Years Covered: 2015-2024
• Example VIN: 1FTSW2YM1FKA43544
• Manufacturer Name: Ford Motor Company
• Vehicle Type: Truck
• City: Dearborn
• State or Province: Michigan
• Country: United States

WMI: 1FM

• Model Years Covered: 2015-2022
• Example VIN: 1FMZK1CG0FKA81610
• Manufacturer Name: Ford Motor Company
• Vehicle Type: Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)
• City: Dearborn
• State or Province: Michigan
• Country: United States

Characters 4-8 are the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) of a Ford Transit VIN

These characters correspond to components like:

• Engine type
• Transmission
• Model or trim
• Body style
• Gross vehicle weight range

Below find the most popular vehicle descriptor codes for a 2024 Ford Transit:

Auto manufacturers have some discretion to decide how they want to code this section, but its contents and decoded results are generally consistent.

Character 9 is the “check digit” in a Ford Transit VIN.

Based on a formula developed by the US Department of Transportation, it helps reduce fraud by ensuring the validity of the VIN.

10th Character in the Ford Transit VIN — Year Code

11th Character in the Ford Transit VIN — Plant Code(s)

Known Ford Transit Assembly Factory VIN Code(s)

VIN Characters 12 - 17 of a Ford Transit

The final 6 characters in a Ford Transit’s 17-digit VIN are its serial number, which will be unique to every vehicle.

What info can a Ford Transit VIN reveal?

• Model Year: The VIN can provide the vehicle’s model year, such as referencing the 2023 model year for a Ford Transit, offering insights into the vehicle’s age and potential historical value.
• Engine Specifications: It may reveal detailed engine information, including the manufacturer (Ford), configuration (V-Shaped), displacement (3.5L), and specific features like Ecoboost technology, providing a comprehensive understanding of the vehicle’s powertrain.
• Safety Features: The VIN often lists safety equipment, indicating whether features like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and Crash Imminent Braking (CIB) are potentially standard or optional on the vehicle, offering potential insights into its safety capabilities.
• Fuel Type: Insights into the vehicle’s fuel preferences can be gleaned, showing that a vehicle, like the example Ford Transit, typically runs on Gasoline, providing potential information on its fuel efficiency and environmental impact.
• Drive Type and Transmission: Details about the vehicle’s drive type, in this case, RWD/Rear-Wheel Drive, and its transmission specifics like automatic with 10 speeds, might be decoded from the VIN, offering potential insights into the vehicle’s handling and performance capabilities.
• Manufacturing Information: The VIN can uncover where the vehicle was manufactured, revealing the plant’s location (Kansas City, Missouri, United States) and the company name (Kansas City: Claycomo, Missouri), offering potential insights into the vehicle’s production origin and quality.
• Body Type and Capacity: It can also provide insights into body class, such as Cargo Van, cab type (Crew/Super Crew/Crew Max), and interior configurations including the number of seat rows (1) and seats (2), offering potential information on the vehicle’s design and passenger capacity.

Sample VIN Decode Report for a Ford Transit