How to Decode a Toyota Camry VIN Number
by Leonardo R. GrabkowskiUpdated August 01, 2023
Look at the first digit in your VIN. This digit specifies the country of assembly. Toyota Camrys sold in the United States are built in America or Japan. Those built in America will be marked with the numbers "1" or "4". Those built in Japan will start with a "J".
Look at the second digit in your VIN. This digit specifies the manufacturer of the vehicle. All Toyota vehicles, including the Camry, are manufactured by Toyota and will have a "T" as the second VIN digit.
Move on to digits 3 through 7, then digit 9. This series of digits is composed of an internal Toyota code specific to the options and equipment the vehicle has. The engine code, body style and safety features will be listed for your Camry. The coding changes from year to year.
Locate the eighth digit of your VIN. This digit specifies the particular car models. All Toyota Camrys will have a "K" in the eighth digit position. The Camry has used this digit since the introduction of the VIN system in 1981. Even Camry Hybrids are labeled with "K".
Move on to the tenth digit in your VIN. The tenth digit specifies the year model of the vehicle. A 2001 Camry will have a "1" in the tenth position. The numbers ascend until the 2010 model, when the alphabet will used, starting with "A" and moving in ascending order. Camrys built prior to 2001, use the second half of the alphabet, minus "Z". 2000 year model Camrys will have a "Y" as the tenth digit; 1999 models will have an "X".
Locate the eleventh digit of the VIN. This digit specifies the factory the Camry was built in. Camrys built in the United States are built in the Georgetown, Kentucky plant and labeled with a "U". Camrys built in Japan will have a numerical digit, instead of a letter.
Look at the final 6 digits of the VIN. Digits 12 through 17 indicate a model code for the Camry. A Camry with ending digits of "000005", was the fifth Camry produced for that year model. The last six digits are similar to a counter and move in ascending order. Vehicles built in Japan are not on the same count as those built in America.
Tips
- Keep practicing to learn the meaning behind each of the 17 VIN digits. Once you learn them, you may be able to decipher the VIN on almost any vehicle.
Writer Bio
Leonardo R. Grabkowski has been writing professionally for more than four years. Grabkowski attended college in Oregon. He builds websites on the side and has a slight obsession with Drupal, Joomla and Wordpress.
