Most Ford Five Hundred VINs open with 1FA (the United States, 2005–2007). Position 11, the plant, shows 3 codes, most often G (99%); a 2007 Five Hundred carries 7 in position 10. Decoding one also brings up 4 recall campaigns and 899 owner complaints from NHTSA.
Got a VIN from another make? The free VIN decoder reads any 17-character VIN, whatever built it.
How to read a Ford Five Hundred VIN
Here is a real 2007 Ford Five Hundred VIN from our database, split into its parts:
VIN 1FAFP25147G122015 — 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. |
Ford Five Hundred VIN prefixes, and when each one was used
Every Ford Five Hundred we have on record, from 2005 to 2007, opens with the same three characters, 1FA:
| VIN starts with | Years seen | Built in | Vehicle type | VINs on record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1FA | 2005–2007 | United States | Passenger Car |
Position 11 names the plant. On the Ford Five Hundred it is not one number either — assembly moved between 3 of them over the years:
| Plant code | Years active | VINs on record | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | 2005–2007 | 890 | |
| 1 | 2005–2005 | 3 | |
| 6 | 2005–2007 | 3 |
Counted from 897 dated Ford Five Hundred VINs attached to NHTSA complaints, each code checked against the NHTSA manufacturer registry.
Model-year codes for the Ford Five Hundred
Position 10 carries the model year, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z. The alphabet comes round every 30 years, which the Ford Five Hundred has not yet outlived: its 3 years still map one-to-one. All 3 model years of the Ford Five Hundred, 2005 to 2007, with the character each one carries:
| Model year | VIN character (position 10) | Same character as |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 7 | — |
| 2006 | 6 | — |
| 2005 | 5 | — |
Body and engine characters we see on Ford Five Hundred VINs
Positions 4–8 are the maker's own build code. Across 6 VINs the Ford Five Hundred uses 4 different characters in positions 4, 5 and 8:
| Position | Characters seen on real VINs | Variety |
|---|---|---|
| 4 — body | F (50%) · H (50%) | 2 distinct |
| 5 — series | P (100%) | 1 distinct |
| 8 — engine | 1 (100%) | 1 distinct |
What a decoded Ford Five Hundred VIN gets you
Behind a Ford Five Hundred VIN: 899 owner complaints and every recall campaign NHTSA has on record:
| Data | For this model | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recall campaigns | 4 campaigns | NHTSA |
| Owner complaints | 899 filed | NHTSA |
| Fuel economy | 21 mpg combined (avg) | EPA |
| Model years covered | 3 years | ForCar catalog |
Where to find the VIN on a Ford Five Hundred
A Ford Five Hundred VIN normally opens with 1FA; the full number sits in four places, and all four must match.
| 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 tire 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 |
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 Ford Five Hundred VIN decoder free?
Yes, with no account. Besides the year, plant and build characters it shows 4 recall campaigns and 899 owner complaints NHTSA holds on the Ford Five Hundred.
What year is my Five Hundred by its VIN?
Read position 10: a 2007 Five Hundred carries 7, a 2006 Five Hundred carries 6, a 2005 Five Hundred carries 5.
Where was my Five Hundred built?
Position 11 names the plant. Across 899 dated Ford Five Hundred VINs it reads G 99%, 1 0%, 6 0%.
What does position 4 mean on a Ford Five Hundred VIN?
It is part of the maker's own build code, so read it against this model, not a generic chart. On 6 Ford Five Hundred VINs here, F is the most common character in position 4, on 50% of them.
What if the VIN on the dashboard doesn't match the door jamb?
On a Ford Five Hundred check the prefix first: most genuine ones open with 1FA. A plate that starts with anything else, or disagrees with the other copies of the number, needs documents checked 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.