Hyundai VIN Decoder & Lookup Tool

A Hyundai VIN decoder reveals the model year, model name, trim level, engine type and displacement, transmission, drive type, body style, and assembly plant of any Hyundai vehicle. It uses NHTSA vPIC, the public VIN-decoding platform built from manufacturer-submitted data (model year 1981-forward); decode fields vary by model year and manufacturer submission. It does not show accident or ownership history.

Hyundai VINs typically start with KMH, KMF, KM8, 5NP, or 5NM. KM-prefixed VINs identify Hyundai vehicles built in Korea. 5NP and 5NM identify Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama — the Sonata, Elantra, Santa Fe, and Tucson built there.

The easiest place to find the VIN on a Hyundai is the lower corner of the windshield on the driver's side dashboard, visible from outside the vehicle. It's also printed on the driver's door jamb sticker, the vehicle title, the registration card, and the insurance card. On older models the VIN may be stamped on the engine block or firewall.

Every Hyundai VIN from model year 1981 onward is exactly 17 characters — the ISO 3779 standard — and never contains the letters I, O, or Q to avoid confusion with the digits 1, 0, and 9. Vehicles built before 1981 used shorter, manufacturer-specific serial formats, so a shorter number on a pre-1981 Hyundai can be legitimate. On a 1981-or-newer Hyundai, anything other than 17 characters is a partial reference or a transcription error.

Yes. CarWhere's Hyundai VIN decoder is completely free with no signup, account, or credit card required. We use the NHTSA vPIC API — the official U.S. government VIN database that every U.S.-market Hyundai is filed against. We additionally cross-reference the decoded year, make, and model against verified buyer transactions in our deal database.

Hyundai operates manufacturing facilities in Montgomery, Alabama (HMMA), Ellabell, Georgia (Metaplant America - 2025+), Ulsan, South Korea, Asan, South Korea, plus additional facilities globally. Note that not every facility does final vehicle assembly — some build engines or components that ship to an assembly plant. The 11th character of a Hyundai VIN identifies the final-assembly plant, while the first three characters (the World Manufacturer Identifier) identify the manufacturer and country.

Yes, in two steps. Decoding a Hyundai VIN here surfaces the recall campaigns filed against that year, make, and model — which tells you what campaigns affect the model, not whether this specific vehicle's repair is still outstanding. To confirm whether a specific VIN has an unrepaired open recall, enter the full VIN at the official NHTSA recall lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls; Hyundai also operates an owner portal where owners can view recall status and schedule free repairs at any authorized Hyundai dealer.

No. A VIN decode reveals factory specifications only — make, model, trim, engine, plant. To check accident history, salvage titles, or odometer rollback on a Hyundai, you need a vehicle history report from Carfax or AutoCheck, both of which use the VIN as the lookup key but pull from insurance and DMV records.

KMH means the car was built in South Korea (Ulsan or Asan), while 5NP and 5NM mean Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery. Several nameplates — Sonata, Santa Fe, Tucson — have been built in both countries for the U.S. market over the years, so two otherwise identical used cars can carry different prefixes.

U.S.-market Santa Fes are primarily built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery (VINs starting 5NM), with some model years and trims sourced from Ulsan, Korea (KM8). The VIN decode's plant field settles it for any specific vehicle.