How to Check and Decode a Hummer VIN
A Hummer VIN is usually located behind the windshield on the driver’s side or in the driver’s door jamb. Here’s what it means.
Written by Shannon Fitzgerald
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
You can usually find a Hummer VIN behind the windshield on the driver’s side or in the driver’s door jamb. Each digit will encode identifying information about your Hummer, including its country of origin, assembly specifics, and model year.
You’ve probably noticed that your vehicle’s VIN is a standard requirement for paperwork filed at the DMV—such as your
vehicle registration
and title. But while it’s clear that a VIN serves identification purposes, what exactly do those 17 digits mean?Here to help solve the mystery is
car insurance
and trusted broker app Jerry
! We’ve put together a guide to answer all your questions about your Hummer VIN—from where you can find it to what information each digit contains and how you can lower your Hummer insurance costs
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How to check your Hummer’s VIN
Your Hummer’s vehicle identification number—or VIN—uses 17 unique digits to encode all of the information that sets your Hummer apart from other vehicles.
If you’re looking for the VIN on your Hummer, you can usually find it in the following locations:
- Behind the windshield on the driver’s side
- In the driver’s door jamb
- Punched into the frame under the passenger’s door
- Under the hood near the engine
It’s also recorded in important documents, including:
- Your vehicle title
- Your vehicle registration
- Your insurance card
How to decode a Hummer VIN
While your Hummer VIN acts like your vehicle’s ID card when processing paperwork at the DMV, each digit is actually encoding important information.
These codes were standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1981 to clearly communicate a vehicle’s assembly and production background across countries and companies.
All ten numerical digits (0-9) can appear in a VIN, as well as every letter of the alphabet except I, O, and Q. This is because these letters often get mistaken for the numbers 1, 0, and 9. Therefore, if you’re ever unsure whether your Hummer VIN has a numerical digit or a letter in it, it will almost always be the number.
First position: country of origin
In any VIN, the first three digits make up the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) code. The first digit of this code designates the vehicle’s country of origin.
The numbers 1, 4, 5, or 7 indicate your Hummer was assembled in the United States. But you may also see A for South Africa, as well.
Positions 2-3: manufacturer information
You can identify the manufacturer of your Hummer in the second digit of its VIN. Typically you will either see 3 for AM General Corporation or G for General Motors.
The third digit of your Hummer VIN, in combination with the first two, communicates what type of vehicle you’re driving or what manufacturing division it came from. For example, 5GR indicates a
Hummer H2 SUV
, whereas 5GN is a Hummer H3T Pickup. Positions 4-8: vehicle-specific information
The next five digits of your Hummer VIN—digits 4-8—communicate vehicle-specific information about your car.
For a Hummer, this sequence can typically be decoded in this order:
- Digit four—engine type
- Digit five—transmission
- Digits six and seven—model and body type
- Digit eight—gross vehicle weight classification
Position 9: the VIN check digit
The 9th digit of any VIN is known as the “check digit” and is used to verify the VIN’s validity. This character is produced by the manufacturer to prevent someone from using standard VIN code information to create a false VIN.
Position 10: model year
The 10th position of your Hummer VIN will indicate your model year. It’s worth noting, however, that some model year digits have duplicates—as new models continue to be produced each year, some characters have been recycled over time.
To ease some of the confusion these overlapping codes may cause, here’s a breakdown of model year codes from the past twenty or so years:
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 |
N | 1992 OR 2022 |
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Position 11: assembly plant
You can tell which plant location assembled your Hummer by looking at the 11th digit in its VIN.
While this can vary, most Hummer owners will see one of the following:
- E—Mishawaka, Indiana
- U—Livonia, Michigan
- 8—Shreveport, Louisiana
Positions 12-17: vehicle serial number
The last six digits of your Hummer’s VIN establish its unique serial number.
Usually, these numbers indicate production order. However, each manufacturer determines its own sequence, so if your Hummer has a very low number, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was the first one off the assembly line.
How to find affordable Hummer insurance
You can save yourself rummaging around your Hummer by just looking at the VIN on your insurance card. Similarly, you can save yourself rummaging around for affordable insurance by downloading the
Jerry
app. The
trusted broker app
is free to use and, with a little information, instantly cross-analyzes custom quotes from top insurance companies to track down the lowest rates available to you. The best part? The whole process takes less than a minute. When you choose a plan you like, simply select it through the app, and Jerry’s team of expert brokers will help you switch. The average user saves $887 a year on
car insurance
, so it’s definitely worth a quick check! “I was so intimidated about purchasing insurance for my new car. Instead of talking to agency after agency, I foundJerry, which did all the work for me. It was so user-friendly.” —Alice B.
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