At a glance
- Works on
- 17-character VINs, 1981 model year and newer
- Ford WMIs in NHTSA data
- 27, such as 1FT for US-built trucks
- Year letter in position 10
- L = 2020, T = 2026, V = 2027
- Trim in the VIN
- Not on a 2020 F-150; position 6 on a 2027
On this page
How to read a Ford VIN, position by position
Every Ford VIN follows the federal layout in 49 CFR 565: three characters for the maker and vehicle type, five that describe the vehicle, a check digit, then the year, plant and serial. What Ford puts in positions 4 to 8 changes by model line and year, so this chart uses Ford's own 2020 F-150 filing and a real 2020 F-150 VIN.
| Position | What Ford codes there | In 1FTEW1E59LKD35880 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country of the builder: 1 USA, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico | 1 (USA) |
| 2 | Manufacturer: F for Ford | F |
| 3 | Vehicle type: A car, M SUV or van, T truck, B bus, C or D incomplete chassis | T (truck) |
| 4 | Brakes, GVWR class and restraint package | E: hydraulic brakes, Class E (6,001 to 7,000 lb) |
| 5 | Cab on F-Series trucks: F Regular Cab, X SuperCab, W SuperCrew | W (SuperCrew) |
| 6 | Line: 1 is the F-150 | 1 |
| 7 | Chassis: C is 4x2, E is 4x4; R marks a Raptor, P a Police truck | E (4x4) |
| 8 | Engine | 5: 5.0L V8, 395 hp |
| 9 | Check digit, computed from the other 16 characters | 9 |
| 10 | Model year | L (2020) |
| 11 | Assembly plant | K: Kansas City, in Claycomo, Missouri |
| 12 | Start of the serial; 2020 F-150 serials run A00001 to G99999 | D |
| 13 | Serial, digit 2 | 3 |
| 14 | Serial, digit 3 | 5 |
| 15 | Serial, digit 4 | 8 |
| 16 | Serial, digit 5 | 8 |
| 17 | Serial, digit 6 | 0 |
Ford reads positions 5 to 7 as one code. W1E means an F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 in the 2020 table, and the decoder always matches that code to the model year in position 10.
Example: a Ford F-150 VIN decoded
This is what NHTSA's vPIC database returns for 1FTEW1E59LKD35880, a real 2020 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4. The trim comes back blank: Ford's 2020 F-150 code has no series field, so an XL and a Lariat with the same cab, drive and engine can share positions 5 to 8.
| Field | What vPIC returns |
|---|---|
| Model year | 2020 |
| Make and model | Ford F-150 |
| Body and cab | Pickup, SuperCrew (vPIC calls it Crew/Super Crew/Crew Max) |
| Drive | 4WD |
| Engine | 5.0L V8 (Ford 5.0L 4V), gasoline, 395 hp |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Plant | Kansas City, Missouri |
| GVWR | Class 2E: 6,001 to 7,000 lb |
| Trim | Not returned for this VIN |
Newer trucks close the gap. In Ford's 2027 F-150 filing, position 6 is the series (1 XL, 2 STX, 3 XLT, 4 Tremor, 5 Lariat, 6 King Ranch, 7 Platinum) and position 7 is the drive (K 4x2, L 4x4), so W5L reads as a Lariat SuperCrew 4x4.
Can a Ford VIN decoder show the build sheet?
Not from the VIN alone. The 17 characters identify the vehicle; Ford never put the option list, paint or price into them. Here is where each piece lives:
- In the VIN: model, cab and body, drive, engine, GVWR class, restraints, model year, plant and serial.
- On the driver's door-jamb label: the month and year of manufacture, plus the GVWR and axle ratings (49 CFR 567.4).
- On the window sticker: factory options, packages and prices.
Paint isn't in the VIN either, so here is where to find the paint code.
For the option list, the Ford window sticker lookup pulls the original sticker for new Fords and explains how to get a copy for older ones.
Where was my Ford built? Plant codes in position 11
Position 11 is the assembly plant. These are the letters in Ford's 2027 VIN filing. Older trucks and cars can use other letters, and the decoder reads each one against its own model year.
| Code | Plant | Location |
|---|---|---|
| B | Oakville | Oakville, Ontario |
| D | Ohio Assembly | Avon Lake, Ohio |
| E | Kentucky Truck | Louisville, Kentucky |
| F | Dearborn | Dearborn, Michigan |
| G | Chicago | Chicago, Illinois |
| H | Multimatic | Ontario, Canada |
| J | Hangzhou | Hangzhou, China |
| K | Kansas City | Claycomo, Missouri |
| L | Michigan Assembly | Wayne, Michigan |
| M | Cuautitlan | Cuautitlan, Mexico |
| R | Hermosillo | Hermosillo, Mexico |
| U | Louisville Assembly | Louisville, Kentucky |
| W | Rouge Electric | Dearborn, Michigan |
| 5 | Flat Rock | Flat Rock, Michigan |
What do 1FT, 1FA and 1FM mean on a Ford VIN?
The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI). NHTSA's vPIC database lists 27 of them for Ford, and most follow one pattern: the country, then F, then the vehicle type.
- 1FA, 2FA, 3FA: cars built in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
- 1FM, 2FM, 3FM: SUVs and vans, which NHTSA calls multipurpose passenger vehicles.
- 1FT, 2FT, 3FT: trucks.
- 1FC, 1FD: stripped and incomplete chassis that another company finishes, such as motorhome chassis.
- WF0, NM0, MAJ, 9BF: Ford plants in Germany, Turkey, India and Brazil.
Lincolns carry their own codes, like 5LM and 2LM; see the Lincoln VIN decoder.
Where is the VIN on a Ford?
- Windshield: on a car, SUV or pickup up to 10,000 lb GVWR, the VIN sits at the base of the windshield on the driver's side, readable from outside. Federal rules set that spot and a minimum character height of 4 mm (49 CFR 565.13).
- Driver's door jamb: the certification label on the door edge or latch post carries the VIN, the build month and the GVWR.
- Paperwork: the title, registration and insurance card.
Super Duty trucks rated over 10,000 lb GVWR fall outside the windshield rule, so check the door label first. Shopping pickups from more than one brand? The Chevrolet and Ram pages walk through their trucks' codes.