Fix a VIN that will not decode

What to check when a VIN won't decode, returns the wrong vehicle, or comes back empty — reading it correctly, scanning it with your camera, or adding the vehicle by make and model instead.

Start here

This is the troubleshooting companion to adding a vehicle. If a VIN won't decode, comes back as the wrong vehicle, or returns nothing, this article covers what to check and where to go next. For the normal walkthrough — adding a vehicle by VIN and confirming its details — read Scan a VIN with YardScan first. If you're stripping one car into many parts, see Part out a whole vehicle.

> [!NOTE] > Almost every "won't decode" problem is one mistyped character. Most of this article is about reading the VIN correctly — and the quickest way past a stubborn VIN is often to add the vehicle by make and model instead.

Read the VIN carefully

A VIN is exactly 17 characters, and Decode stays disabled until you've entered all 17. VINs never use the letters I, O or Q — wherever you see one of those on the plate, it's really a digit:

| On the plate it looks like… | In a VIN it's actually… | |---|---| | The letter O | the digit 0 (zero) | | The letter I | the digit 1 (one) | | The letter Q | never valid — re-read it; it's usually the digit 0 |

Faded or dirty plates blur other pairs too — a 5 and an S, an 8 and a B, a 2 and a Z. When a decode fails, read the VIN slowly, one character at a time, against a clean source. The VIN appears in several places if the dashboard plate is hard to read:

  1. Driver's-side dashboard, through the windscreen
  2. Driver's-side door-jamb sticker
  3. Vehicle title or registration
  4. Insurance card or policy

> [!TIP] > On a phone that supports it, a Scan VIN button appears — use it to read the barcode with your camera instead of typing, since a camera can't mistype a character. Point it at the barcode on the door jamb or windscreen. If your phone can't scan, press Type the VIN instead.

When a valid VIN still won't decode

Sometimes the 17 characters are correct but the decode still comes back empty — the vehicle may sit outside what the decoder covers. You don't have to fight it. Two reliable ways forward:

  • Add the vehicle by hand. Switch to Enter manually and pick the Make and Model (add the Year to narrow it), then press Use this vehicle. This skips decoding entirely, comes from GridX Connect's verified vehicle list, and never uses a vehicle decode. It's the dependable way past a VIN that won't cooperate.
  • Re-open a vehicle you've already added. If you decoded this VIN before, you don't need to decode it again — open it straight from My Yard.

If the wrong vehicle came back

If the decoded card shows the wrong year, make or model, press Change on the card and start over with a corrected VIN. You can't edit a decoded vehicle in place — re-decoding with the right VIN is how you correct it. If it still comes back wrong, add the vehicle with Enter manually instead.

"Choose variant" is about the part, not the vehicle

Decoding a VIN takes you straight to one vehicle — there's no "pick one of these vehicles" step. Later, when you identify a part, you may see Choose variant: that's because the part comes in more than one version for this vehicle (for example, different engines). Pick the one you're holding — it doesn't change the vehicle. If the vehicle itself is wrong, use Change and re-decode.

Where to go next

  • A valid VIN still won't decode. Add the vehicle with Enter manually, or if you'd like us to look into it, contact support — the vehicle may fall outside the decoder's coverage, which isn't shown on screen.
  • You're stripping a whole car. See Part out a whole vehicle.
  • You want the normal walkthrough. See Scan a VIN with YardScan.