Daihatsu VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
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Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. is the oldest surviving Japanese internal-combustion engine manufacturer, founded in 1907 in Osaka and headquartered in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. The company specialized in industrial engines until 1930, when it began producing small three-wheeled vehicles. Daihatsu has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation since 2016 and operates as Toyota's small-car and kei-car specialist.
Daihatsu builds Japan's top-selling kei cars including the Tanto, Move, Mira and Hijet. The brand also produces compact cars (Boon, Rocky, Cast) and badge-engineered models for Toyota (the Toyota Pixis and Toyota Raize). The Tanto kei minivan has been Japan's best-selling kei car most years since 2003. Daihatsu exited the United States in 1992 after four years of US sales, and exited European markets in 2013, focusing on Japan, Indonesia and other Asian markets.
Daihatsu's parent Toyota trades on the NYSE under TM. Recall data for Daihatsu vehicles sold in the US during 1988-1992 is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org maintains historical Daihatsu VIN data.
Daihatsu at a glance
- Founded
- 1907 (as Hatsudoki Seizo)
- Renamed Daihatsu
- 1951
- Headquarters
- Ikeda, Osaka, Japan
- Parent
- Toyota (NYSE: TM, since 2016)
- Specialty
- Kei-class vehicles (Japan dominant)
- Bestselling kei car
- Tanto (Japan #1 most years since 2003)
- US presence
- 1988-1992 (exited)
- Status
- Japan + Asia only (no US, no Europe)
- Basic warranty
- 3 years / 100,000 km
- Powertrain warranty
- 5 years / 100,000 km
Decode any Daihatsu 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 Daihatsu dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Daihatsu technology
Daihatsu heritage
Hatsudoki Seizo Co. (Engine Manufacturing Co.) was founded in March 1907 in Osaka by faculty of Osaka Imperial University as Japan's first internal-combustion engine manufacturer. The company renamed itself Daihatsu (a contraction of Osaka and engine manufacturer) in 1951. The 1958 Midget three-wheeled mini-truck launched the brand's small-vehicle expertise, and the 1980 Mira kei car established the four-wheeled kei dominance Daihatsu still holds today. Toyota acquired 51% of Daihatsu in 1998 and full ownership in 2016.
Market position
Daihatsu specializes in kei-class vehicles (sub-660cc engines, sub-3.4-meter length) for Japanese domestic sales, plus compact and small SUV models for Indonesia, Malaysia and other Asian markets. The brand's commercial-vehicle Hijet kei truck dominates Japanese small-business delivery use. Within Toyota Group, Daihatsu serves as the kei-car and emerging-Asian-market specialist while Toyota and Lexus focus on global mid-size and premium segments.
New-vehicle warranty
DAIHATSU VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick DAIHATSU VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any DAIHATSU VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Daihatsu models (3)
Frequently asked questions
When was Daihatsu founded and by whom?
Daihatsu was founded in 1907 by Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd. and is headquartered in Ikeda, Japan.
Where is the VIN on a Daihatsu 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 Daihatsu models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 3 Daihatsu nameplates. Any 17-character Daihatsu VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Daihatsu warranty?
Basic: 3 years / 100,000 km (Japan). Powertrain: 5 years / 100,000 km (Japan).
How to check Daihatsu 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 Daihatsu Motor, the Toyota subsidiary — not Hatsudoki Seizo (its 1907-1951 corporate predecessor) or Daihatsu Diesel (the related industrial engine company).
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