Ray, I appreciate reading all your posts concerning Toyota
> mechanical problems. They are very informative, and I thank
> you for them. You know your stuff. But I have to challenge
> you here.
>
> Technically, it's the ELEVENTH vin position that refers
> to the plant. Recall my much earlier posting in this thread (I've
> included a brief excerpt of it at the end of this message).
>
> The first vin position involves the country of origin.
I am assuming that you have read the government standards regarding VIN formatting as well as the explanation in the faq section of Toyota's web site. Yes, the 11th position must refer to the assembly plant. The standards also allow the manufacturer some leeway regarding the first 3 positions.
Now, I too, like you, originally thought that 1, 4, and 5
> in the FIRST vin position *OF TOYOTA* vehicles (as opposed to
> NISAN or DODGE) also referred to the *TOYOTA* plant of
> final assembly--perhaps just a redundant reference to the plant in
> addition to the ELEVENTH vin position (the ELEVENTH *officially*
> refers to the plant). But Mike immediately
> challenged me, saying 1, 4, and 5 in the FIRST vin position of
> Toyotas is NOT a redundant reference to the plant. He says it
> refers to the percentage of North American auto parts found in
> the vehicle.
>
> Considering that I have read independent sources confirming
> that the ELEVENTH vin position officially refers to the plant, having
> the FIRST vin position also refer to the plant is rather redundant.
> But Ray you might be right. However, both of you cannot be
> right--both you and Mike.
If you read the federal guidelines on the VIN format (available for free without having to pay Lexis Nexis), you will not find any reference to domestic content, or at least I did not see any. I believe that Mike's formulas may apply to Ford and/or GM but does not apply to all automakers in the world. Think about this: if a Camry is made in Japan for sale in Japan or Europe or anyplace in the world outside of North America, what difference does North American content make to a buyer in Thailand?
The first three character positions must be consistent for a manufacturer but I don't think every manufacturer must follow the exact same format for the first 3 characters, other than the second one, which identifies the manufacturer.
Mike worked for Ford, I worked for Toyota. If you want obscure information about Fords, I would take Mike's knowledge over mine any day. If you want obscure information about Toyota ...