The 12th character of a VIN encodes the first character of the production serial number. It falls in the Serial (12–17) block of the 17-character VIN. Below is exactly what it means, with a real sample VIN highlighting the 12th position.
Here it is 2, part of the serial number 237478.
The 12th character opens the six-character production serial number (positions 12–17) — the unique sequential number that distinguishes two otherwise-identical vehicles off the same line. On high-volume vehicles this whole block is a straight running number.
Some manufacturers use position 12 to encode a production-line or sequence detail before the pure serial begins at 13.
Decode a full VIN → · See all 17 positions →
← 11th character · 13th character →
It encodes the first character of the production serial number. In the sample 1FM5K8GC9MA237478 the 12th character is 2.
It is the first character of the production serial number (positions 12-17), the unique sequential build number.
At position 12; positions 12-17 together form the serial.