Nissan VIN Decoder: Free VIN Lookup

Decode any 17-character Nissan VIN to see year, model, engine, and build plant, instantly, free, no signup.

Enter a 17-character Nissan VIN

For full vehicle history (title brands, salvage, recalls, market value), get the report for $9.99

A Nissan VIN is a 17-character code on every Nissan built since 1981. US-built Nissans start with 1N4, 1N6, or 5N1; Mexican-built with 3N; Japanese imports with JN1 or JN8. Decoding a Nissan VIN is free, but it never shows title brands, theft records, or odometer history, that requires a vehicle history report.

Example: decoding a Nissan VIN

Sample pattern: 1N4BL4BV•KC••••••

Positions	Characters	Meaning
1–3	1N4	Nissan, USA, passenger car
4–8	BL4BV	VDS: Altima sedan, engine (2.5L), series/trim, restraint codes
9	•	Check digit
10	K	Model year 2019
11	C	Smyrna, Tennessee assembly
12–17	••••••	Sequential production number

Structure per NHTSA 49 CFR Part 565.

Nissan WMI codes: where your Nissan was built

WMI	Country	Detail
1N4	USA	Passenger cars, Smyrna, TN (Altima, Maxima, Leaf)
1N6	USA	Trucks/cargo vans, Canton, MS (Frontier, Titan)
5N1	USA	SUVs/MPVs, Nissan North America (Rogue, Pathfinder, Murano)
3N1	Mexico	Passenger cars, Aguascalientes (Sentra, Versa, Kicks)
3N6	Mexico	Trucks (NP300/commercial)
JN1	Japan	Passenger cars (Z, GT-R, some sedans)
JN8	Japan	SUVs/MPVs (some Rogue, Murano, Armada years)

Source: NHTSA vPIC WMI registry.

How to read each position of a Nissan VIN

Positions 1–3, WMI: World Manufacturer Identifier. Identifies the maker and country of origin.
Positions 4–8, VDS: Vehicle Descriptor Section. Encodes body style, engine, restraint system, and model line.
Position 9, Check digit: Math-derived validator. A failed check digit can indicate a typo or a cloned VIN.
Position 10, Model year: Single character; see the table below.
Position 11, Assembly plant: Manufacturer-specific code for the factory.
Positions 12–17, Sequence: Sequential production number unique to that car.

Model-year code table (position 10)

Code	Year	Code	Year
A	1980 / 2010	S	1995 / 2025
B	1981 / 2011	T	1996 / 2026
C	1982 / 2012	V	1997 / 2027
D	1983 / 2013	W	1998 / 2028
E	1984 / 2014	X	1999 / 2029
F	1985 / 2015	Y	2000 / 2030
G	1986 / 2016	1	2001 / 2031
H	1987 / 2017	2	2002 / 2032
J	1988 / 2018	3	2003 / 2033
K	1989 / 2019	4	2004 / 2034
L	1990 / 2020	5	2005 / 2035
M	1991 / 2021	6	2006 / 2036
N	1992 / 2022	7	2007 / 2037
P	1993 / 2023	8	2008 / 2038
R	1994 / 2024	9	2009 / 2039

The position-7 rule: year codes repeat every 30 years. If position 7 is a letter the vehicle is 2010 or newer; if a digit it's 2009 or older. Letters I, O, Q, U, Z are never year codes.

Nissan assembly plant codes (position 11)

Code	Plant	Models
C	Smyrna, TN	Altima, Maxima, Leaf, Pathfinder
N	Canton, MS	Frontier, Titan, Murano

Where to find the VIN on a Nissan

On a metal plate at the base of the windshield on the driver's side (visible from outside).
On a sticker on the driver's door jamb.
Stamped on the engine block or firewall on many models.
On the title, registration, and insurance card, always confirm the paperwork matches the physical VIN. Mismatches are a serious red flag.

Nissan title & history red flags to check before you buy

Decoding a VIN tells you how a vehicle was built. To see what happened to it, you need a full vehicle history report, which surfaces title brands, odometer readings, theft records, and more.

Altima is a perennial top-10 theft target

~8,445 Altimas were stolen in a recent annual ranking, and unusually, near-new model years are targeted too, theft records in NMVTIS are the protection here.

CVT failure history

Jatco CVTs in many 2012–2019 Nissans show widespread documented failure patterns (shudder, power loss, failure before 100k miles); a title check can reveal lemon-law buybacks and rapid-fire ownership changes that often accompany transmission trouble.

VC-Turbo engine recall exposure

2019–2020 Altima and 2021–2024 Rogue are in a 443,899-vehicle engine-bearing recall, verify completion by VIN before buying.

Heavy rental/fleet history

Altima and Sentra are fleet staples; a history report shows fleet/rental title chains and the high-mileage, multi-state ownership patterns that go with them.

Odometer fraud on high-mileage sedans

Discount-segment sedans are frequent rollback targets; sequential NMVTIS odometer records expose backward mileage.

Nissan recalls: check before you buy

A VC-Turbo engine bearing recall (2025) covered 443,899 US vehicles, 2019–2020 Altima, 2021–2024 Rogue, 2019–2022 Infiniti QX50, 2022 QX55, for bearing defects that can cause engine failure. A follow-on Rogue engine/throttle-body campaign covered ~642,000 SUVs over engine damage risk. Nissan also recalled millions of 2001–2017-era vehicles in the industry-wide Takata airbag campaign, with Do-Not-Drive advisories on certain older models.

Run a free Nissan recall check →

Recall counts shown by the free tool are model-level context for this model year, not a VIN-specific verdict. VIN-specific recall completion status is in the $9.99 report.

Buying an electric Nissan?

The Nissan Leaf (2011+) was the first mass-market EV, and early Leafs used a passively air-cooled battery known for faster capacity loss in hot climates. On any used Leaf or Ariya, check the title for flood and salvage brands, water-exposed EVs are routinely totaled, and confirm battery-related recall status by VIN. Replacement Leaf packs commonly quote in the $5,000–$10,000 range.

What to check on a used Nissan

Nissan pricing on the used market is often the lowest in its class, which is attractive until you look at why. Altima, Sentra, Rogue, and Versa models frequently sold with subprime financing, which means more repossessions, more deferred maintenance, and more vehicles that changed hands under stress.

The most important mechanical question is transmission history. Continuously variable transmissions in these models can be expensive to replace, so test for shuddering, hesitation on acceleration, and whining under load, and ask whether the unit has already been replaced. On Rogue and Pathfinder, check for prior cooling system service and any overheating history.

Because purchase prices are low, damaged Nissans are often repaired cheaply and resold rather than scrapped. Rebuilt titles, unreported collision repair, and flood cars from storm regions all appear regularly in this segment.

Verify the title brand history, odometer readings over time, salvage and total-loss records, theft records, any open lien, and whether open recalls were completed on this exact VIN.

See the history on this exact Nissan before you pay for it.

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Looking at safety campaigns? Read Nissan recalls: how to check open safety recalls, or run a VIN through the free recall check.

Free VIN decode vs. full vehicle history report

What you learn	TitlePull Report, $9.99 one-time	Free decoder	Other providers
Year, make, model, engine specs	✓	✓	✓ (free)
Title history	✓	No	Varies by provider
Title brands (salvage, flood, lemon)	✓	No	Varies by provider
Odometer readings over time	✓	No	Varies by provider
Theft & total-loss records	✓	No	Varies by provider
Recalls	✓ VIN-specific completion status	Model-level list (free tool)	Varies
Black Book® valuation	✓	No	Often extra
AI summary	✓	No	Rare
Subscription required	Never	Never	Often

Checked the specs? Now check the history.

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Nissan VIN decoder: frequently asked questions

Driver-side dashboard visible through the windshield, driver-door jamb sticker, firewall stamp in the engine bay, and your title and registration. All locations should match exactly.

1N4 identifies a Nissan passenger car built in the USA, typically at Smyrna, Tennessee. 1N6 = US-built Nissan truck (Canton, MS), 5N1 = US-built SUV, 3N1 = Mexico (Sentra, Versa, Kicks), JN = Japan.

First VIN character: 1 or 5 = USA, 3 = Mexico, J = Japan. Sentra, Versa, and Kicks are Mexico-built (3N1); Altima, Rogue, Pathfinder, Frontier, and Titan are US-built.

Yes, model, engine, plant, and year decode free at TitlePull. Title brands, theft records, salvage history, and odometer readings come from NMVTIS and state data, available in a $9.99 flat-fee report with no subscription.

The recall covers 2019–2020 Altima and 2021–2024 Rogue (plus Infiniti QX50/QX55), 443,899 US vehicles. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or Nissan's recall lookup to confirm status and completion.

A VIN history report with NMVTIS theft records is the reliable check. The Altima persistently ranks in America's top-10 stolen vehicles, and thieves target even recent model years.

Not directly, no decode or report lists component failures. But a history report can reveal related signals: lemon-law buyback brands, unusually frequent ownership changes, and auction activity that often follow major transmission failures.

Position 10: K = 2019, L = 2020, M = 2021, N = 2022, P = 2023, R = 2024, S = 2025. Combined with position 11 (C = Smyrna, N = Canton), you can place exactly where and when it was built.

By the TitlePull Team · Published June 7, 2026 · Last updated July 29, 2026 · Fact-checked against NHTSA vPIC

Sources: NHTSA vPIC & 49 CFR Part 565 · NHTSA recall database · NICB theft data · HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute) · Mitchell · NMVTIS (U.S. Department of Justice).