Autocar VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
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Autocar Trucks (officially Autocar Industries, LLC) is an American manufacturer of severe-duty Class 8 trucks for refuse, terminal-tractor and on-off highway applications, headquartered in Hagerstown, Indiana, and a subsidiary of GVW Group LLC. Originally founded in 1897 by Louis Clarke as the Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Company (renamed Autocar in 1899), Autocar is the oldest surviving truck nameplate in the United States.
Autocar produces the ACX refuse and recycling truck (the most-deployed cab-over refuse chassis in North America), the Xpeditor severe-service Class 8 truck, the DC-series day cab tractors and ACTT terminal tractors. Autocar exited the long-haul highway tractor market decades ago and now focuses on vocational and severe-duty applications where the ACX's low-cab-over design excels at curbside refuse collection. Autocar holds approximately 50%+ market share in the North American refuse-truck segment.
Autocar is privately held and not publicly listed. Recall data for every Autocar VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any Autocar VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.
Autocar at a glance
- Founded
- 1897
- Founder
- Louis Clarke
- Headquarters
- Hagerstown, Indiana, USA
- Parent
- GVW Group LLC (since 2001)
- Status
- Oldest surviving US truck nameplate
- Specialty
- Refuse, terminal-tractor, severe-duty
- Refuse-truck share
- ~50%+ (largest)
- First electric
- ACX-E refuse truck (2022)
- Basic warranty
- 2 years / 100,000 miles
- Engine warranty
- 5 years / 500,000 miles
Decode any Autocar VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN below to retrieve the trim, factory options, original window-sticker MSRP and any open NHTSA recall affecting that specific vehicle. ForCar.org pulls the same dataset that Autocar dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Autocar technology
Autocar heritage
Louis Clarke founded the Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Company in 1897 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, building the first all-American gasoline automobile in 1898. The company renamed itself Autocar Company in 1899 and built passenger cars until 1911 before pivoting to commercial trucks. White Motor Company acquired Autocar in 1953, Volvo acquired White (and Autocar) in 1981, and GVW Group acquired Autocar from Volvo in 2001. Autocar is the oldest surviving US truck nameplate, having operated continuously since the 1899 incorporation.
Market position
Autocar competes in the North American refuse-truck and severe-duty Class 8 vocational segments against PACCAR (Kenworth, Peterbilt), Mack and Freightliner. The brand dominates the cabover refuse-truck segment with approximately 50%+ market share. Autocar's ACX-E electric refuse truck launched in 2022 as a quiet alternative for early-morning refuse collection in dense residential areas.
New-vehicle warranty
AUTOCAR VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick AUTOCAR VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any AUTOCAR VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Autocar models (24)
Frequently asked questions
When was Autocar founded and by whom?
Autocar was founded in 1897 by Clarkson and Capel Steam Car Co. and is headquartered in Hagerstown, USA.
Where is the VIN on a Autocar vehicle?
The 17-character VIN appears in four standard locations: dashboard at the windshield base (driver side), driver-side door jamb sticker, the engine bay (firewall or engine block stamping), and the vehicle's title, registration and insurance documents.
How many Autocar models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 24 Autocar nameplates. Any 17-character Autocar VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Autocar warranty?
Basic: 2 years / 100,000 miles. Powertrain: 5 years / 500,000 miles (engine).
How to check Autocar recalls by VIN?
Enter your VIN in the decoder above. ForCar.org queries NHTSA's open-recall dataset for that specific VIN and returns any safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that affect your vehicle.
Disambiguation: This page covers Autocar Industries LLC (the GVW Group truck manufacturer) — not Autocar magazine (the British automotive publication) or Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Company (Autocar's 1897-1899 corporate predecessor).
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