MACK

What is Mack?

John M. Mack, Augustus Mack, William Mack founded Mack in 1900, headquartered in Greensboro, USA. Despite the USA badge, 100% of the Mack cars in our records were assembled in the United States — the country on the boot lid and the country under the car are rarely the same thing. 20 models tracked (1981–2026).

Data · NHTSA & EPA · 20 models · 1981–2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026 · 4.2 ★★★★★★★★★★ Brand Score
Quick answer

Mack is a USA carmaker founded in 1900, now part of Volvo Group. The cars themselves are another matter: across 1 VIN prefixes on record they came off lines in 1 country — the United States 100%. 20 models are tracked here (1981–2026). Reliable? yes, on balance — 4.2 out of 5 across 20 rated models, though the spread between model years is far wider than the badge suggests (every model ranked →).

20
Models
1981
Since
1
Vehicle types
USA
Origin
1900
Founded

Who makes Mack

Mack Trucks, Inc. is an American manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volvo Group (Volvo AB). Founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1900 by brothers John, Augustus and William Mack, Mack Trucks is one of the oldest commercial-vehicle manufacturers in the United States. Mack's bulldog hood ornament, in continuous use since 1932, is among the most recognized commercial-vehicle trademarks in the world. Mack specializes in vocational trucks (refuse, construction, mining, logging) and to a lesser extent long-haul tractors. The Anthem highway tractor, Granite construction Class 8, TerraPro low-cab-forward refuse truck and LR Electric battery-electric refuse truck represent the modern lineup. Mack's Macungie, Pennsylvania assembly plant produces most US-market vehicles. The brand has approximately 6-8% North American Class 8 market share, with much higher share in vocational segments. Mack's parent Volvo Group trades on the Stockholm Stock Exchange as VOLV-B. Recall data for every Mack VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any Mack VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.

The Mack brothers built their first vehicle, a sightseeing bus, in Brooklyn in 1900 and incorporated as the Mack Brothers Company in 1902. The Bulldog Mack nickname originated during World War I, when British soldiers using Mack AC trucks in France remarked that the trucks resembled bulldogs in their tenacity. The 1932 introduction of the chrome Bulldog hood ornament, designed by Chief Engineer Alfred Masury, became the Mack symbol. Mack was acquired by Renault Trucks in 1990, and Volvo Group acquired Renault Trucks (and thus Mack) in 2001.

FIG.01·About Mack
Mack
Founded1900
Founded byJohn M. Mack, Augustus Mack, William Mack
HeadquartersGreensboro, USA
Owned byVolvo Group
Slogan«Born Ready»
Assembled in1 countries
ROWS 6·SOURCE ForCar Editorial + NHTSA VIN records

Technology it is known for: MP7 / MP8 engine architecture, mDRIVE automated manual transmission, Mack Connect telematics, GuardDog Connect remote diagnostics, Mack Twin Y suspension.

This page covers Mack Trucks Inc. (Volvo Group subsidiary) — not the Mack brothers personally or Mack Defense (a separate Mack subsidiary serving military markets).

Where Mack cars are actually built

A badge says where a company is registered, not where its cars were bolted together. The first three characters of any VIN — the world manufacturer identifier — say the second thing, and that is what we counted: 9 vehicles on record, 1 distinct manufacturer codes.

FIG.02·Where Mack cars are built
Assembled inShareVIN starts withYears seen
the United States100%1M21987–2025
ROWS 1·SOURCE NHTSA records, grouped by VIN manufacturer code

Read your own: the first character is the region, the first three together identify the plant's manufacturer. A Mack beginning 1M2 was assembled in the United States.

All Mack models 20

Every Mack model we track, grouped by body type. Click any model for its VIN decoder, recalls, MPG, safety and ForCar Reliability Score — broken down by year.

Mack More models 20

Mack More models by the numbers
ModelYearsRecallsComplaintsBest MPGForCar score
Mack Anthem2018–20264——4.5/5
Mack Granite1995–20268——4.5/5
Mack Pioneer2025–2026———4.5/5
Mack RD1981–2005495—3.5/5
Mack Pinnacle2006–20262——4.5/5
Mack MD2020–2026172—4.0/5
Mack LR2015–2026251—4.0/5
Mack MR1981–2008591—3.5/5
Mack CH1981–2005866—3.5/5
Mack MC1981–20057——4.5/5
Mack Terrapro2006–2026———4.5/5
Mack DM1981–2008321—3.5/5
Mack MS1981–2005———4.5/5
Mack CF1981–199438——4.0/5
Mack CL1981–2009495—3.5/5
Mack MH1981–199449——4.0/5
Mack DMM1981–200519——4.5/5
Mack DMC1981–1994———4.5/5
Mack RB1981–200832——4.5/5
Mack RL1981–1994———4.5/5
ROWS 20·SOURCE NHTSA + EPA + ForCar

Mack by the numbers

What the federal records say about the marque. Each line links to the full breakdown by model and year.

FIG.03·Mack by the numbers
TopicMackDetail
Recalls476 campaignsMost recalled: Vehicle Speed Control
Owner complaints21+ filedMost reported: CH
ROWS 2·SOURCE NHTSA, EPA and HLDI records
Upgrade to Pro

Compare model years like a dealer does.

  • Full research report on any model year
  • Market chart: how this model holds value
  • Exact values with mileage adjustment
  • Price-drop alerts on the trims you're watching
  • No ads, no tracking — and much more
Free plan available — no credit card needed
MACK

Get a Mack window sticker by VIN

Recreate any Mack's original Monroney label — MSRP, factory options, EPA MPG and safety — free from the VIN.

Mack window stickers →

How to read a Mack VIN

Every Mack built since 1981 carries a unique 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It encodes where and when the vehicle was made, its engine and body — here's what each part means:

FIG.05·How to Read a Mack VIN
1–3 · WMI1M1
4–8 · VDSCM826
9 · Check5
10 · YearR
11 · PlantA
12–17 · Serial004352
  • WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a Mack and the country it was built in (real Mack codes below).
  • VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
  • Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
  • Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
  • Plant (11) — which factory assembled it.
  • Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
Real Mack WMIs — the first 3 VIN digits by build country
  • USA1M1
  • Canada2M1
17 CHARS·SOURCE SAE / ISO 3779 · NHTSA vPIC

The remaining digits — engine (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard. See exactly what your VIN decodes to: model year, assembly plant, country of origin and the full 2001–2026 year-code table.

Who owns Mack, and what you get

Mack belongs to Volvo Group. Mack Trucks competes in the North American vocational truck and Class 8 segments with particular strength in refuse, construction, mining, logging and concrete-mixer applications. The brand's positioning emphasizes durability and vocational specialization rather than long-haul efficiency. Mack's 6-8% Class 8 share is concentrated in vocational segments where Mack runs above 30% market share. Within Volvo Group, Mack handles the North American vocational and traditional-styling segments while Volvo Trucks handles long-haul and European-styling segments.

FIG.04·Mack ownership and warranty
Mack
Country of originUSA
OwnershipVolvo Group
Basic warranty3 years / 36,000 miles
Powertrain warranty5 years / 60,000 miles
Assembly countriesUnited States
ROWS 5·SOURCE Manufacturer terms + NHTSA VIN records

⚠ Worth knowing before you rely on it: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, while basic cover here runs 3 years / 36,000 miles. See when Mack models actually start to break →

Mack — frequently asked

Is Mack usa?

Mack is a USA company, headquartered in Greensboro and founded in 1900. The cars are a separate question: 100% of the Mack vehicles in our records were assembled in the United States.

Where are Mack cars made?

Across 1 manufacturer codes on record, assembly splits as: the United States (100%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the manufacturer and plant country — that is where these shares come from.

Who owns Mack?

Mack is part of Volvo Group.

How many Mack models are there?

We track 20 Mack models spanning 1981–2026. The full list is above, ordered by how often each is searched.

What is the Mack warranty?

New vehicles come with 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Terms vary by model year and market — confirm with a dealer.

Is Mack reliable?

It depends far more on the model and year than on the badge. Every Mack model is ranked by complaint rate here, along with the age at which each starts to fail.

Model data and search demand from ForCar's catalog of 20 Mack models. Recalls, complaints and safety ratings sourced from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Brand facts compiled by ForCar Editorial. Last updated Sep 2026. Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.
Found this useful?

Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.

Prefer ForCar →