The Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, is a sequence of 17 alphanumeric characters used to uniquely identify your vehicle. The VIN on vehicles purchased prior to 1992 may consist of fewer digits. Toyota VINs beginning with "2" indicate vehicles assembled in Canada. Vehicles with VINs beginning with "1", "4", or "5" represent vehicles assembled in the United States. Vehicles with VINs beginning with "J" were produced in Japan. The 2nd digit indicates the Manufacturer, which is Toyota. The next 6 digits (3 through 8) are the Vehicle Description Section (VDS). These provide information on the vehicle, engine, model and body style. The ninth digit is a check digit used internally. The 10th digit indicates the model year. Letters (except "O" and "Z") were used for vehicles up to the 2000 model year, while numbers are used for 2001 and newer vehicles. For example, "X" means the 1999 model year, "Y" is the 2000 model year and "1" represents the 2001 model year. The 11th digit is the plant code. Finally, digits 12 - 17 are the unique vehicle serial number. The letter "O" is never used in a VIN. "0" always refers to the number zero.