How to Check and Decode a Cadillac VIN
To find your Cadillac VIN, which provides car information, check the dashboard on the driver’s side or inside the driver’s side door jamb.
Written by Rob Shapiro
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
You can find your Cadillac VIN at the base of the windshield usually on the driver’s side or in the door jamb. A VIN contains vital information about a car, including its country of origin, manufacturer, model year, assembly plant, and more.
You will need your VIN to do many important car tasks at the DMV like updating your vehicle’s registration or renewing your driver’s license. You should also get the VIN of any used car you are considering buying. Locating your VIN is easy but understanding what it means can be quite complicated.
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How to check your Cadillac’s VIN
VIN stands for "vehicle identification number." It is a unique code composed of 17 digits and letters that identifies your Cadillac.
Check these places to find your Cadillac VIN:
- The base of the windshield
- In the door jamb (it’s easiest to spot here when the door is opened)
Or check these documents:
- Car title
- Vehicle registration
- Car insurance policy
- Car lease
- Promissory note, if you have one
How to decode a Cadillac VIN
Most situations call for you to have your VIN, not necessarily understand what it means. That said, by understanding your VIN, you can learn about your car—which can be handy in a lot of situations.
In 1981, VINs were standardized in part by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Over time, these codes became more important as they communicate a standardized set of meanings that tell you about a car’s makes, model, country of origin, and more.
First position: country of origin
The first position of a VIN is dedicated to the world manufacturer identifier (WMI). The first number is the country where the vehicle was manufactured.
If your Cadillac’s VIN starts with a 1, 4, 5, or 7 then it was built somewhere in the United States.
Positions 2-3: manufacturer information
The two digits that follow the first letter or digit refer to the manufacturer. Next, the third digit is usually reserved for the vehicle type—SUV, passenger car, or truck. These codes will differ between a
Cadillac Escalade
and a Cadillac CT4
. Positions 4-8: vehicle-specific information
The following digits and/or letters are vehicle-specific information, which refers to everything from the engine type to the safety equipment that is part of the car.
There are a lot of different types of Cadillacs and a wide range of trim levels. Positions 4-8 offer information about the specifics of a vehicle. This part of a VIN will tell you if the car has active belts or if it’s an SUV.
Position 9: the VIN check digit
Position 9 is important as its purpose is to curb forgeries of VINs. It is used to verify a VIN’s authenticity. It’s a unique “check digit” that is determined by the other digits in the VIN.
Position 10: model year
Model years can be tricky to identify as part of a VIN. Because manufacturers produce so many models, VINs are forced to recycle digits and letters. Keep in mind, the only digits and letters that will not be used here are U, Z, and 0.
This table presents the codes for the VIN model year over the last two decades:
Code | Year |
|---|---|
1 | 2001 |
2 | 2002 |
3 | 2003 |
4 | 2004 |
5 | 2005 |
6 | 2006 |
7 | 2007 |
8 | 2008 |
9 | 2009 |
A | 2010 |
B | 1981 OR 2011 |
C | 1982 OR 2012 |
D | 1983 OR 2013 |
E | 1984 OR 2014 |
F | 1985 OR 2015 |
G | 1986 OR 2016 |
H | 1987 OR 2017 |
J | 1988 OR 2018 |
K | 1989 OR 2019 |
L | 1990 OR 2020 |
M | 1991 OR 2021 |
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Position 11: assembly plant
In this position, you can learn which assembly plant made your Cadillac. Every manufacturer uses a unique set of codes to indicate the factory that assembled a vehicle.
Cadillacs are manufactured in the United States, Canada, and China.
Positions 12-17: vehicle serial number
The last position is reserved for a vehicle’s serial number. There isn’t a clear-cut way to interpret this part of a VIN. Many people make the mistake of thinking that a low number means their car was one of the first manufactured. This isn’t always the case so you might want to hold off on bragging to your friends.
How to find affordable Cadillac insurance
Once you understand how to decode a VIN, you need to start thinking about your car insurance to make sure you’re not overpaying. As a
licensed broker
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