Honda VIN Number Check

Honda vehicles assembled in the United States carry VINs starting with 1HG, 19X, 5J6, 7FA or 5FN; 2HG and 2HK mean the car was built in Alliston, Ontario, Canada. Civics built in Indiana begin with 19X. Accords assembled in Ohio use the 1HG prefix, while Ohio-built CR-Vs use 5J6. Japanese-imported Honda models start with JHM, identifying Japan as the country of origin. Pilot and Passport SUVs built in Lincoln, Alabama carry a VIN starting with 5FN. Knowing the country prefix helps verify whether the vehicle was assembled where the seller claims.

The free decoder reads the VIN in NHTSA's vPIC database and returns the model, model year, body, engine, drive type and assembly plant. Honda VINs in vPIC start with prefixes such as 1HG, 19X, 2HG, 5J6 and 5FN. The same lookup lists NHTSA safety recalls for that make, model and model year. Each of our 12 Honda model pages adds what NHTSA and the EPA have published: owner complaints, technical service bulletins, defect investigations, fuel economy and, where NHTSA has tested the car, NCAP crash ratings. It is not a vehicle history report: it doesn't show accidents, title brands, odometer readings or theft records.

Honda places the VIN on a metal plate at the lower driver side corner of the windshield, visible from the exterior. The number also appears on a sticker in the driver door jamb alongside the tire pressure and weight rating information. On Accord and Civic sedans, the VIN is additionally stamped on the engine firewall. The Pilot and Passport are unibody SUVs with no separate frame, so their stamped VIN is on the body structure; the owner's manual shows the exact spot. All locations should display the same 17-character sequence.

The Honda Accord and Civic carry the longest recall histories in the Honda lineup, largely due to their decades-long production runs and high sales volumes. Both models were central to the Takata airbag inflator recall, one of the largest safety campaigns in US automotive history. The fifth-generation CR-V (2017–2022) received multiple recalls related to the fuel system (fuel supply pipe, fuel tank and fuel pump) and steering. The Odyssey has campaigns tied to the automatic transmission (2002–2004) and, on the 2018–2020 models, the sliding doors.

NHTSA's do-not-drive warning covers unrepaired 2001–2002 Accord and Civic, 2002 CR-V and Odyssey and 2003 Pilot vehicles (and the 2002–2003 Acura TL and 2003 CL), whose older "Alpha" Takata inflators have up to a 50% chance of rupturing in a crash. If the VIN shows an open Takata recall, don't drive the car; the repair is free at Honda dealers. Later Hondas through about 2015 are in other Takata campaigns, so check the VIN in NHTSA's lookup either way.

Three Honda campaigns are limited to vehicles sold or ever registered in 22 northern and eastern states plus Washington, D.C.: 23V-228 (2007–2011 CR-V frame corrosion near the rear trailing arm), 20V-769 (2013–2015 Accord CVT drive shaft) and 26V-365 (rear subframe corrosion on the 2016–2022 Pilot, 2017–2023 Ridgeline and 2019–2023 Passport, filed June 2026). A car that moved south still counts, so check the VIN rather than the current state.

No. Honda handled it as a product update, not an NHTSA safety recall: 2017–2018 CR-Vs and 2016–2018 Civics with the 1.5L turbo in cold-weather states got updated engine and transmission software, and Honda extended the warranty on affected vehicles. Because it isn't a recall, NHTSA's lookup won't show it. Ask the dealer whether the update was done, and check the oil for a fuel smell or a level above the full mark.

Recalls 21V-215 and 23V-858 replace an in-tank low-pressure fuel pump that can fail and stall the engine while driving. 23V-858 (December 2023) covers certain 2013–2023 Accord, CR-V and Odyssey, 2016–2021 Civic, 2015–2021 Pilot, 2018–2023 HR-V, 2017–2020 Ridgeline, 2019–2021 Passport and other Honda and Acura models; 21V-215 covered certain 2019–2020 models earlier. Not every vehicle in those years is included, so check the VIN.