Daewoo VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“Rare earth, common sense”
Daewoo Motors was a South Korean automobile manufacturer founded in 1937 as National Motor (Saenara Motor) and renamed Daewoo Motor Company in 1982 after the Daewoo Group acquired it. After Daewoo Group's 1999 collapse, General Motors acquired Daewoo Motors in 2002 and renamed it GM Daewoo, then GM Korea in 2011. The Daewoo brand has been retired in most markets, with vehicles formerly sold as Daewoo now sold as Chevrolet (in most markets), Holden (Australia, until 2020), Buick (China) or Opel/Vauxhall (Europe).
Daewoo's historical model lineup included the Lanos, Nubira and Leganza sedans (1997-2002), the Matiz minicar (1998-2011, sold globally as Chevrolet Spark) and the Magnus mid-size sedan. Many Daewoo platforms continued under Chevrolet badging until 2010-2015 across emerging markets. Daewoo entered the US market in 1998 and exited in 2002 after the GM acquisition.
GM Korea is wholly owned by General Motors, which trades on the NYSE under GM. Recall data for Daewoo vehicles sold in the US during 1998-2002 is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org maintains historical Daewoo VIN data.
Daewoo at a glance
- Founded
- 1937 (as National Motor)
- Renamed Daewoo
- 1982
- Headquarters
- Bupyeong, South Korea
- Parent
- GM Korea (since 2002)
- US presence
- 1998-2002 (replaced by Chevrolet)
- Daewoo Group collapse
- 1999 (Asian financial crisis)
- Iconic model
- Matiz (later Chevrolet Spark)
- Status
- Brand retired in most markets
- Basic warranty
- 3 years / 36,000 miles (historical)
- Powertrain warranty
- 5 years / 60,000 miles (historical)
Decode any Daewoo 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 Daewoo dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Daewoo technology
Daewoo heritage
National Motor (Saenara Motor) was founded in 1937 as Korea's first automobile manufacturer. After multiple ownership changes, the company became Shinjin Motor in 1965, Saehan Motor in 1976 (with GM as joint partner), and Daewoo Motor in 1982 when the Daewoo Group acquired Saehan. Daewoo expanded aggressively into Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America in the 1990s using GM-derived platforms. The 1997 Asian financial crisis triggered Daewoo Group's collapse in 1999 and forced sale to GM in 2002.
Market position
Daewoo competed in mainstream and budget passenger segments globally during the 1990s and early 2000s. Post-2002, GM eliminated the Daewoo brand in stages — replacing it with Chevrolet badging in Korea (2011), Australia (Holden until 2020), the United States (2002) and most other markets. The Daewoo name is now retained only for the GM Korea bus operations and some commercial vehicle products in domestic Korean markets.
New-vehicle warranty
DAEWOO VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick DAEWOO VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any DAEWOO VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Daewoo models (6)
Frequently asked questions
When was Daewoo founded and by whom?
Daewoo was founded in 1937 by South Korean government / Daewoo Group and is headquartered in Bupyeong, South Korea.
Where is the VIN on a Daewoo 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 Daewoo models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 6 Daewoo nameplates. Any 17-character Daewoo VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Daewoo warranty?
Basic: 3 years / 36,000 miles (historical). Powertrain: 5 years / 60,000 miles (historical).
How to check Daewoo 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 Daewoo Motors / GM Korea (passenger vehicles) — not the broader Daewoo Group conglomerate (defunct 1999) or Daewoo Heavy Industries / Shipbuilding.
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