Lexus VIN Decoder & Lookup Tool

A Lexus VIN decoder reveals the model year, model name, trim level, engine type and displacement, transmission, drive type, body style, and assembly plant of any Lexus 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.

Lexus VINs typically start with JTH, JTJ, 2T2. Lexus shares Toyota WMI conventions. JTH and JTJ identify Lexus vehicles built in Japan (primarily Tahara and Kyushu plants). 2T2 identifies Cambridge, Ontario builds — the RX-series Lexus.

The easiest place to find the VIN on a Lexus 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 Lexus 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 Lexus can be legitimate. On a 1981-or-newer Lexus, anything other than 17 characters is a partial reference or a transcription error.

Yes. CarWhere's Lexus 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 Lexus is filed against. We additionally cross-reference the decoded year, make, and model against verified buyer transactions in our deal database.

Lexus operates manufacturing facilities in Tahara, Japan, Kyushu, Japan (Miyata, Miyawaka), Cambridge, Ontario (RX, NX hybrid). 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 Lexus 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 Lexus 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; Lexus also operates an owner portal where owners can view recall status and schedule free repairs at any authorized Lexus 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 Lexus, 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.

A 2T2 prefix means the vehicle was built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada in Cambridge, Ontario — the plant responsible for North American RX (and more recently NX) production. Japan-built Lexus models carry JTH or JTJ prefixes instead. Build quality standards and U.S. certification are identical across plants.

Yes — the ES sedan has been built at Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky plant since late 2015, carrying VINs that start with 58A. The RX and some NX production comes from Cambridge, Ontario (2T2), and the rest of the lineup is built in Japan.