How to Find the Year of My ATV Using the VIN

The 17-character VIN on your ATV is just as important as the VIN on your on-road vehicle.

The vehicle identification number first appeared in the 1950s as a way for manufacturers to track mass-produced vehicles. In the early stages of the VIN system, there was little consistency between manufacturers in terms of vehicle identification. Starting in 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration required all vehicles to bear a standardized, 17-digit VIN code. Mass-produced ATVs followed the same requirements as on-road vehicles. Just as with on-road vehicles, you can determine the year of your ATV from a single character in the VIN.

Instructions

1. Find the VIN -- the 17-character alphanumeric stamping -- on your ATV. The exact location varies greatly, depending on the type of ATV. Refer to the ATV's owner's manual for the exact location of the VIN.

2. Read the tenth character of the VIN.

3. Compare the tenth character to the model year decoding graph to determine the year of your ATV. The characters "1" through "9" and "A" through "Y" are repeated every 30 years, so use your best judgment to determine which year the character indicates: For example, a 1971 and a 2001 ATV both have a "1" as the tenth character in the VIN, but you can easily distinguish a 1971 ATV from a 2001.

References

• VIN Gaurd: VIN Vehicle Identification Number History How To Read A VIN
• Vehicle Identification Number: History of the Vehicle Identification Number "VIN"
• ATV Style: ATV VIN Number

Resources

• ATV Style: Model Year Decoding Graph