A Acura VIN is 17 characters. Positions 1–3 say who built it and where, 4–8 describe the body and engine, 9 is a check digit, 10 is the model year, 11 is the plant, and 12–17 are the serial number. On a Acura those first three characters are almost always 5J8, 19U, JH4 — 84% of the 624 VINs decoded here start with one of them.
How to read a Acura VIN
Here is a real 2026 Acura VIN from our database, split into its parts:
VIN 19UDE4G72TA800117 — decoded free on its own report page.
| Position | Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | WMI | World Manufacturer Identifier — country, manufacturer and vehicle type. |
| 4–8 | VDS | Vehicle Descriptor Section — body style, engine, restraint system, series. |
| 9 | Check digit | A calculated digit that validates the whole VIN. Wrong digit = wrong VIN. |
| 10 | Model year | One character for the model year. Letters skip I, O, Q, U and Z. |
| 11 | Plant | The assembly plant that built the car. |
| 12–17 | Serial | Sequential production number of this exact vehicle. |
Which Acura is it? Read the first three characters
Characters 1–3 are the World Manufacturer Identifier, and Acura runs 8 of them across 4 countries, so on a Acura the prefix alone tells you which line the car came off and what body it was built as. Counted across 624 Acura VINs decoded here:
| WMI | Built in | Vehicle type | Models under this code | VINs on file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5J8 | United States | — | MDX, RDX | |
| 19U | United States | — | CL, ILX, Integra, NSX, TL + 1 more | |
| JH4 | Japan | — | Integra, Legend, RL, RLX, RSX + 2 more | |
| 2HN | Canada | — | MDX, ZDX | |
| 5FR | United States | — | MDX | |
| 4W5 | United States | — | ZDX | |
| 3HD | Mexico | — | ADX | |
| 19V | United States | — | ILX |
Country and vehicle type come from the NHTSA manufacturer registry; the model column is counted from Acura VINs decoded on ForCar, so it reflects what people actually own, not the full production catalogue.
Model-year codes for Acura
Position 10 carries the model year, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z. The alphabet comes round every 30 years, which for Acura has already happened — 1996 and 2026 share the character T. All 40 model years of Acura, 1987 to 2026, with the character each one carries:
| Model year | VIN character (position 10) | Same character as |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | T | 1996 |
| 2025 | S | 1995 |
| 2024 | R | 1994 |
| 2023 | P | 1993 |
| 2022 | N | 1992 |
| 2021 | M | 1991 |
| 2020 | L | 1990 |
| 2019 | K | 1989 |
| 2018 | J | 1988 |
| 2017 | H | 1987 |
| 2016 | G | — |
| 2015 | F | — |
| 2014 | E | — |
| 2013 | D | — |
| 2012 | C | — |
| 2011 | B | — |
| 2010 | A | — |
| 2009 | 9 | — |
| 2008 | 8 | — |
| 2007 | 7 | — |
| 2006 | 6 | — |
| 2005 | 5 | — |
| 2004 | 4 | — |
| 2003 | 3 | — |
| 2002 | 2 | — |
| 2001 | 1 | — |
| 2000 | Y | — |
| 1999 | X | — |
| 1998 | W | — |
| 1997 | V | — |
When two years share a character, the check digit and serial range tell them apart — that is what the decoder does automatically.
Body and engine characters we see on Acura VINs
Positions 4 through 8 describe the build, and manufacturers assign them themselves — the same letter means different things on different marques. Across 624 VINs Acura uses 18 different characters in these three slots alone — the ones below, ordered by how much of the Acura fleet each covers:
| Position | Characters seen on real VINs | Variety |
|---|---|---|
| 4 — body | Y (32%) · T (23%) · U (17%) · D (16%) · C (6%) · K (4%) | 6 distinct |
| 5 — series | E (25%) · B (22%) · C (18%) · D (18%) · A (8%) · U (4%) | 6 distinct |
| 8 — engine | 5 (21%) · 3 (14%) · 8 (13%) · 6 (12%) · 7 (10%) · 4 (9%) | 6 distinct |
A character that dominates the column usually marks the body style the model was mostly sold in; a spread across several means multiple bodies or engines shared the same platform.
What a decoded Acura VIN gets you
Reading the characters is the easy part — the reason to decode a VIN is what sits behind it. For Acura that is 11,384 owner complaints and every recall campaign NHTSA has on record, keyed to the same VIN you just read:
| Data | For this brand | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Models covered | 17 Acura models | ForCar catalog |
| Recall campaigns | 679 across the brand | NHTSA |
| Owner complaints | 11,384 filed by Acura owners | NHTSA |
| Model years covered | 42 years (1985–2026) | ForCar catalog |
| VINs already decoded | 624 Acura VINs on file | ForCar |
Where to find the VIN on a Acura
Before hunting for the plate, know what you are looking for: a genuine Acura VIN opens with one of 5J8, 19U, JH4, 2HN, 5FR, 4W5. Four places on a Acura carry that number, and all four must read the same — a mismatch on this brand is where fraud shows itself first.
| Where | How to see it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard, driver side | Through the windshield, bottom corner | Easiest to check before you touch anything |
| Driver door jamb | Open the door, sticker on the pillar | Also lists tyre pressures and build date |
| Under the hood | Firewall or strut tower plate | Survives a windshield replacement |
| Title and insurance | Paper documents | Must match the car — a mismatch means fraud or a swapped panel |
Decode a VIN by Acura model
Codes in positions 4–8 are assigned per model, not per brand, and Acura has 17 of them in our catalogue. 4 of the prefixes above cover more than one model, so the table on this page narrows it down but does not finish the job. Open the Acura you own for the plants, year codes and build characters that apply to it alone.
You know what it is. Find out what it's worth.
- Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
Is this Acura VIN decoder free?
Yes — decoding a Acura VIN costs nothing and needs no account. Beyond the year, plant and build characters you also get what NHTSA holds on the Acura — 679 recall campaigns and 11,384 owner complaints — at no charge.
What do the first three characters of a Acura VIN mean?
That block is the World Manufacturer Identifier, and on a Acura it resolves to one of 8 codes — each tying the car to a plant country and a body type before you read any further. The ones that turn up most on Acura VINs here are 5J8 (United States — MDX, RDX); 19U (United States — CL, ILX, Integra); JH4 (Japan — Integra, Legend, RL). The full list, with the models built under each, is in the table above.
Where was my Acura built?
Character 11 names the plant, but the country is already set by characters 1–3. Of the 624 Acura VINs decoded on ForCar, assembly splits as United States 81%, Japan 11%, Canada 7%, Mexico 1%. Match your first three characters to the table above to see which one is yours.
How many characters is a Acura VIN?
Seventeen, on every Acura built from 1981 onwards, when the 17-character format became mandatory in the US. The oldest Acura VIN on file here is a 1987, so everything in our Acura data already uses the modern layout.
Why do two Acura model years share the same VIN character?
Position 10 cycles through the alphabet every 30 years, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z. For Acura that is not theoretical: a 1996 and a 2026 both carry T in position 10, and this brand was built in both years. The check digit and serial range separate them.
Can a Acura VIN tell me if the car was in an accident?
Not from the characters themselves — they describe how the Acura left the factory, not what happened to it afterwards. Crash and title records sit in separate databases keyed to the same number. What is public are the 11,384 complaints Acura owners filed with NHTSA, and those we do show. Run the number through our VIN check to see what is on the record for it.
Do the body and engine characters mean the same thing on every Acura?
No, and that is the usual mistake — positions 4–8 are assigned per model, not per brand. A letter that means one body on a Acura means something else entirely on another marque. On Acura VINs the character that dominates position 4 is Y — read it against the table above, not against a generic chart.
What if the VIN on the dashboard doesn't match the door jamb?
Treat it as a red flag on any car, and on a Acura check the prefix first: if the first three characters are not one of the 8 codes listed above, the plate did not come from this brand at all. Beyond that, mismatched plates mean either a replaced panel or a tampered identity — ask for documents and verify before any money changes hands.
Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.