VIN Numbers

[Gonzo]

How do you decode a LEXUS VIN/frame number? My VIN (etched upon the firewall) is the same as the "frame number" on the identification plate rivitted in the engine bay.

I have read that the 9th character in a VIN is the check digit, and that the 10th character is the year code. Does this hold for LS400s? I believe that all LS400s are built at the Tahara plant in Japan.

This reference for my LS400 (both the VIN and the frame reference) is "JT753UF2000035865". For a 1995 vehicle, my investigation indicates that the 10th character should be "S" and not the zero indicated.

Either my VIN is not correct or LEXUS have a different way of identifying their vehicles that that typically stated.

I have checked my brothers LS400 (a 1997 model) and it also has a zero for the 10th character (not a "V").

Please comment if you have information on this topic.

 

[Peewee]

I think you have the codes mixed up.

That is the Chassis number, you're car is the 35865th LS400 for that model.

Look at the other code on the build plate.

That indicates its origins and specs.

But I could be wrong.
USofA could be a different system to Aust.

 

[Gonzo]

The VIN reference is as stated and stamped/etched onto the firewall. The frame reference is the same set of 17 characters stamped on the "build plate".

Can other LS400 owners view their VIN and frame references and provide feedback?

 

[Zuffen]

The 17 digit code follows a pattern declared by the United nation (no less) and it's the same worldwide.

The first half dozen letters identify the manufacturer and Country of origin. The latter identify the car.