Honda VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“The Power of Dreams”
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Founded by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa in 1948, Honda became the world's largest motorcycle producer in 1959 and entered the United States automobile market in 1969 with the N600.
Honda is the only Japanese automaker that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft (the HondaJet) in addition to cars, trucks, motorcycles and lawn equipment. The company's VTEC variable valve-timing system, introduced on the 1989 Integra XSi, set a benchmark for high-revving naturally aspirated efficiency. The Civic and Accord nameplates have been continuously sold in the US since 1973 and 1976 respectively, and Honda was the first Japanese automaker to build cars in the United States, opening its Marysville, Ohio plant in 1982.
Honda trades on the New York Stock Exchange under HMC. Acura, Honda's luxury division, has operated as a separate brand in North America since 1986. Recall data is reported to NHTSA in real time, and EPA fuel-economy ratings, IIHS crash-test results and Consumer Reports reliability rankings provide third-party benchmarks. ForCar.org decodes any Honda VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original MSRP.
Honda at a glance
- Founded
- 1948
- Founders
- Soichiro Honda, Takeo Fujisawa
- Headquarters
- Minato, Tokyo, Japan
- Stock ticker
- NYSE: HMC
- Largest motorcycle maker
- Yes, since 1959
- First Japanese US plant
- Marysville, Ohio (1982)
- Signature technology
- VTEC, Honda Sensing, i-MMD hybrid
- Luxury division
- Acura (since 1986)
- Basic warranty
- 3 years / 36,000 miles
- Powertrain warranty
- 5 years / 60,000 miles
Decode any Honda 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 Honda dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Honda technology
Honda heritage
Soichiro Honda, a self-taught mechanic, founded Honda Technical Research Institute in 1946 to attach surplus military engines to bicycles. The company was incorporated as Honda Motor Co. in 1948. The 1958 Super Cub motorcycle became the highest-selling motor vehicle in history, with over 100 million units produced. Honda's 1972 Civic CVCC was the first engine to meet US Clean Air Act emissions standards without a catalytic converter, establishing the brand's reputation for engineering creativity.
Market position
Honda competes in mainstream passenger segments with reliability and engineering refinement as core differentiators, and ranks consistently among the top three brands for resale value in J.D. Power and Kelley Blue Book studies. The Civic anchors the compact segment, the Accord defines mid-size sedan benchmarks, and the CR-V leads compact-SUV sales. Honda's motorcycle and power-equipment divisions cross-subsidize automotive R&D, particularly in small displacement and hybrid powertrain development.
New-vehicle warranty
HONDA VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick HONDA VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any HONDA VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Honda models (534)
Frequently asked questions
When was Honda founded and by whom?
Honda was founded in 1948 by Soichiro Honda, Takeo Fujisawa and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Where is the VIN on a Honda 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 Honda models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 534 Honda nameplates. Any 17-character Honda VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What technology defines Honda?
VTEC, Honda Sensing, i-MMD hybrid
What is the Honda warranty?
Basic: 3 years / 36,000 miles. Powertrain: 5 years / 60,000 miles.
How to check Honda 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 Honda Motor Co., the Japanese manufacturer — not the city of Honda in Colombia or any unrelated Honda surnames.
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