At a glance
- WMI
- 4UF, Arctic Cat Inc., off-road vehicles
- Product type (position 5)
- A ATV, R ROV or utility, S snowmobile, M motorcycle
- Plants (position 11)
- T Thief River Falls, Minnesota; 5 Augusta, Georgia
- Model name in vPIC
- "Arctic Cat" for every model
On this page
- How to read an Arctic Cat VIN
- Arctic Cat VIN codes by position
- What does an Arctic Cat VIN lookup return?
- A real Arctic Cat VIN decoded: a 2017 Alterra ATV
- Why does the decoder say it isn't a motor vehicle VIN?
- Why does my Arctic Cat VIN decode as Yamaha?
- Where is the VIN on an Arctic Cat?
- How do I check Arctic Cat recalls by VIN?
- Common questions
- Sources
How to read an Arctic Cat VIN
An Arctic Cat VIN lookup starts with 4UF, the code NHTSA lists for Arctic Cat Inc. as an off-road vehicle maker. The current guide, Rev G, covers model year 2025 and later and was filed in January 2025 by Textron Specialized Vehicles. It codes what the machine is, not its model name. Here is the layout on 4UF1S2GG6TT100001, a test VIN we built from that guide with a computed check digit (it shows the pattern; we didn't match it to a real sled):
| Position | What Arctic Cat codes | 4UF1S2GG6TT100001 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WMI, 1st character | 4 |
| 2 | WMI, 2nd character | U |
| 3 | WMI, 3rd character: 4UF is Arctic Cat Inc. | F |
| 4 | Brand: 1 is Arctic Cat | 1 |
| 5 | Product type: S is a snowmobile | S |
| 6 | Engine type: 2 is a gas two-stroke | 2 |
| 7 | Displacement range: G is 501 to 600 cc | G |
| 8 | Net power range: G is 101 to 125 hp | G |
| 9 | Check digit, by the formula in 49 CFR 565.15 | 6 |
| 10 | Model year: T is 2026 | T |
| 11 | Plant: T is Thief River Falls, Minnesota | T |
| 12 | Serial: Arctic Cat snowmobiles start at 100001 | 1 |
| 13 | Serial | 0 |
| 14 | Serial | 0 |
| 15 | Serial | 0 |
| 16 | Serial | 0 |
| 17 | Serial | 1 |
The guide also reserves positions 12 to 14 for an optional 3-character code on low-volume models, marked for future use.
Arctic Cat VIN codes by position
The rest of the guide's codes. Each range is what the VIN can tell you; it never names the exact model:
| Position | Codes |
|---|---|
| 4, brand | 1 Arctic Cat, 3 Caterpillar, 4 JLG, 5 Tracker, 6 Cushman, 7 white label (other), 8 Yamaha, 9 BRP |
| 5, product type | A ATV, M motorcycle, R ROV or utility, S snowmobile, T snowmobile (listed as "2025 Yamaha SRS SRX") |
| 6, engine type | 1 diesel, 2 gas two-stroke, 3 electric, 4 gas four-stroke, 5 hybrid |
| 7, displacement | A 0 to 100 cc, B 101 to 200, C 201 to 300, D 301 to 400, F 401 to 500, G 501 to 600, H 601 to 700, J 701 to 800, K 801 to 900, L 901 to 1,000, P over 1,000, N electric |
| 8, net power | A 0 to 25 hp, B 26 to 50, D 51 to 75, F 76 to 100, G 101 to 125, H 126 to 150, J 151 to 175, K 176 to 200 |
| 10, model year | P 2023, R 2024, S 2025, T 2026, V 2027, W 2028, X 2029, Y 2030 |
| 11, plant | 5 Augusta, Georgia; T Thief River Falls, Minnesota |
| 12 to 17, first serial | Arctic Cat snowmobiles 100001, Yamaha snowmobiles 100101, BRP snowmobiles 000101, ATVs 200001, ROVs 300001 |
From Arctic Cat's 4UF guide, Rev G. Codes the guide marks "open" are reserved for later use.
What does an Arctic Cat VIN lookup return?
We ran test VINs for a snowmobile, an ATV and a side-by-side through NHTSA's vPIC database. All three pass the check digit, and the model name is the same each time:
| Field | 4UF1S2GG6TT100001 | 4UF1A4GD1T5200001 | 4UF1R4KF6T5300001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Arctic Cat | Arctic Cat | Arctic Cat |
| Body class | Snowmobile | ATV (motorcycle-style) | Off-highway utility or recreational off-highway vehicle |
| Engine | Two-stroke, 501 to 600 cc | Four-stroke, 501 to 600 cc | Four-stroke |
| Power | 101 to 125 hp | 51 to 75 hp | 76 to 100 hp |
| Model year | 2026 | 2026 | 2026 |
| Plant | Thief River Falls, Minnesota | Augusta, Georgia | Augusta, Georgia |
| vPIC codes | 0 and 10 | 0 and 10 | 0, 10 and 14 |
For the side-by-side, vPIC left out the displacement and added code 14: it couldn't read every character from Arctic Cat's submission.
A real Arctic Cat VIN decoded: a 2017 Alterra ATV
A dealer in Colorado listed this 2017 Alterra TRV 550 EFI for sale with its VIN on the listing. NHTSA's vPIC database returns this for 4UF17ATV5HT200632:
| Field | vPIC result |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | 2017 Arctic Cat (vPIC model: Arctic Cat) |
| Type | All-terrain vehicle (vPIC: ATV, motorcycle-style) |
| Engine | Not decoded: vPIC gives a 90 to 695 cc range for the make |
| Plant | Thief River Falls, Minnesota |
| vPIC warnings | Off-road vehicle, not certified to the federal motor vehicle safety standards; the model year may be wrong, so decode again with the year from the title |
Year codes repeat every 30 years, and the position 7 rule that keeps the two cycles apart covers only cars, SUVs and light trucks up to 10,000 lb GVWR, so vPIC flags the year on motorcycles and off-road vehicles.
Why does the decoder say it isn't a motor vehicle VIN?
Because Arctic Cat doesn't certify these machines to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and NHTSA's vPIC says so in each 4UF result we tested. Its off-road warning reads in part: "This is not a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for a motor vehicle." That's a warning, not a failed decode: the check digit still passes and every position still reads.
vPIC also adds a note that the decoded model year may be incorrect. Year letters repeat every 30 years, and the position 7 rule that keeps 1996 apart from 2026 covers only cars, SUVs and light trucks (49 CFR 565.15), so read position 10 against the table above and your bill of sale.
Why does my Arctic Cat VIN decode as Yamaha?
Position 4 is a brand code, and Arctic Cat's guide covers machines it builds for other brands under the same 4UF code: 8 is Yamaha, 9 BRP, 3 Caterpillar, 4 JLG, 5 Tracker and 6 Cushman. Our test VIN 4UF8S4KH7TT100101, on the pattern for a Yamaha-branded snowmobile from Thief River Falls, decoded with Yamaha as the make and Arctic Cat Inc. as the manufacturer. The decoder will flag that the make doesn't match this page and send you to the Yamaha VIN decoder. For other sleds and side-by-sides, see the Polaris and Can-Am VIN pages.
Where is the VIN on an Arctic Cat?
Arctic Cat's 2026 owner's manuals give the spots:
- Snowmobile (2026 ZR 600 EPS): "The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is stamped into the tunnel." A decal on top of the tunnel also shows production information, and the engine serial number (ESN) is stamped into the crankcase.
- ATV (2026 Alterra 600 EPS): the VIN is on the frame support rail, and the ESN on the front of the engine valve cover.
- Side-by-side (2026 Prowler XT): the VIN is on the operator-side frame support rail, below the back of the cargo box and above the operator-side rear shock. The ESN is above the engine oil filter.
Keep both numbers readable: the manuals say no warranty will be allowed if the VIN or ESN is removed or mutilated. Other models can differ, so check your own manual. The ATV VIN decoder page covers other brands' quads.
How do I check Arctic Cat recalls by VIN?
Arctic Cat runs its own lookup at recalls.arcticcat.com: enter the 17-character VIN, without I, O or Q, to see open recall bulletins for that machine. Arctic Cat also says any authorized dealer can check your VIN for outstanding safety recalls. The decoder here shows recalls from NHTSA's database, which is built around motor vehicles, so for a snowmobile, ATV or side-by-side treat Arctic Cat's lookup as the main check.