Buick VIN decoder
NHTSA has 8 world manufacturer identifiers on file for Buick cars, SUVs and trucks, registered in 4 countries. Enter a Buick VIN to decode it, or check the table to see what the first three characters mean.
What a Buick VIN starts with.
The first three characters of a VIN are the world manufacturer identifier (WMI). These are the ones NHTSA lists for Buick passenger cars, SUVs, trucks and incomplete vehicles.
8 Buick WMIs
| WMI | Registered to | Country | Vehicle type | Makes on this WMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1G4 | General Motors LLC United States · Passenger car | United States | Passenger car | Buick |
| 2G4 | General Motors LLC Canada · Passenger car | Canada | Passenger car | Buick |
| 3G4 | General Motors LLC United States · Passenger car | United States | Passenger car | Buick |
| 3G5 | General Motors LLC United States · SUV / MPV | United States | SUV / MPV | Buick |
| 4GL | General Motors LLC United States · Incomplete vehicle | United States | Incomplete vehicle | Buick |
| 5GA | General Motors LLC United States · SUV / MPV | United States | SUV / MPV | Buick |
| KL4 | General Motors LLC South Korea (KL–KR) · SUV / MPV | South Korea (KL–KR) | SUV / MPV | Buick |
| LRB | Shanghai General Motors Corp Ltd. China · SUV / MPV Shared: Buick, Cadillac | China | SUV / MPV | Buick, Cadillac |
Reading a Buick VIN.
After the WMI, positions 4–8 hold Buick’s own coding for model, body, engine and restraints; position 9 is the check digit, 10 the model year and 11 the plant. The last six are the serial number.
Buick VIN questions.
What does a Buick VIN start with?
NHTSA lists 8 world manufacturer identifiers (WMIs) for Buick road vehicles. The ones registered for passenger cars and SUVs are 1G4, 2G4, 3G4, 3G5, 5GA, KL4 and LRB. The first three characters of the VIN are the WMI.
Where are Buick vehicles built, according to their VINs?
Buick WMIs are registered to manufacturers in Canada, China, South Korea (KL–KR) and United States. The WMI shows the registering company and country; position 11 identifies the exact assembly plant, which the decoder shows for each VIN.
How do I decode a Buick VIN?
Enter the 17-character VIN above. We decode it with NHTSA’s vPIC database, which uses the coding Buick files with NHTSA for positions 4–8, then show the model year, trim, engine, transmission, plant and reported safety equipment.
Does a Buick VIN show recalls?
After decoding, we list every NHTSA recall for that Buick model and model year. Whether one specific vehicle has been repaired can only be confirmed with its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or by a Buick dealer.