Free Mercury VIN Decoder

Q: How do I decode a Mercury VIN?

Enter the 17-character VIN in the decoder above. The first three characters identify the country and manufacturer, positions 4-8 describe the vehicle, position 9 is a check digit, position 10 is the model year, position 11 is the assembly plant, and positions 12-17 are the serial number. You get the decoded build sheet, open recalls and crash-test ratings instantly.

Q: What does a Mercury VIN start with?

A Mercury VIN starts with one of the 11 WMI (World Manufacturer Identifier) codes registered to Mercury under 49 CFR 565 — for example 1ME, 1MH, 4M2. The full list, with the plant each code belongs to, is in the table above.

Q: Where is the VIN on a Mercury?

Look at the driver-side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver-side door jamb sticker, or the title and registration documents.

Decode any Mercury VIN into its factory build sheet — model year, trim, engine, transmission, drivetrain and assembly plant — from official NHTSA vPIC data.

Enter any Mercury VIN below. A Mercury VIN starts with 1, 4 or 5 (built in the U.S.A.; 2 if built in Canada, 3 in Mexico), under the World Manufacturer Identifier system defined in 49 CFR 565. The decoder returns the exact model year, trim, engine, drivetrain and assembly plant, plus open NHTSA recalls and crash-test ratings for the vehicle — free, unlimited, no registration.

What each VIN position means on a Mercury

Every vehicle sold in the United States since 1981 carries a 17-character VIN under federal standard 49 CFR 565 (international standard ISO 3779). The letters I, O and Q are never used, to avoid confusion with the digits 1 and 0.

17-character VIN structure
Positions 1–3	World Manufacturer Identifier. Position 1 identifies the country of assembly. On a Mercury it is 1, 4 or 5 (built in the U.S.A.; 2 if built in Canada, 3 in Mexico). Positions 2–3 identify the manufacturer and vehicle type — 11 WMI codes are registered to Mercury (full table below).
Positions 4–8	Vehicle Descriptor Section. Model, body style, engine, restraint system and transmission, as coded by the manufacturer.
Position 9	Check digit. A number (0–9) or X, computed from the other 16 characters with a weighted modulus-11 formula. It detects typos and tampering — validate one here.
Position 10	Model year code. A repeating 30-year cycle (Y = 2000, 1 = 2001, …).
Position 11	Assembly plant. Manufacturer-assigned plant code.
Positions 12–17	Serial number. Unique production sequence of the vehicle.

Position meanings 4–8 are manufacturer-specific. Decoding the VIN returns the exact decoded values — see our data sources.

WMI codes registered to Mercury

11 World Manufacturer Identifier codes are registered to Mercury in the NHTSA vPIC database. The first three characters of every Mercury VIN match one of these codes; each identifies the corporate entity and country of the plant that built the vehicle.

Mercury WMI codes — first 3 VIN characters
WMI	Registered entity	Country	Vehicle type
1ME	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	UNITED STATES (USA)	Passenger Car
1MH	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	UNITED STATES (USA)	Incomplete Vehicle
4M2	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	UNITED STATES (USA)	Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)
4M3	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	UNITED STATES (USA)	Incomplete Vehicle
4M4	FORD MOTOR COMPANY	UNITED STATES (USA)	Truck
2ME	FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.	CANADA	Passenger Car
2MH	FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.	CANADA	Incomplete Vehicle
2MR	FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.	CANADA	Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)
3MA	FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO	MEXICO	Passenger Car
3ME	FORD MOTOR COMPANY, MEXICO	MEXICO	Passenger Car
6MP	FORD MOTOR CO OF AUSTRALIA LTD.	AUSTRALIA	Passenger Car

Where to find your Mercury VIN

Driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield from outside.
Driver-side door jamb sticker.
Vehicle title, registration and insurance card.

Decode a specific Mercury model

Capri specs & recalls Cougar specs & recalls Grand Marquis specs & recalls Lynx specs & recalls Marauder specs & recalls Mariner specs & recalls MARQUIS specs & recalls Milan specs & recalls Montego specs & recalls Monterey specs & recalls Mountaineer specs & recalls Mystique specs & recalls Sable specs & recalls Topaz specs & recalls Tracer specs & recalls Villager specs & recalls Zephyr specs & recalls

All Mercury models →

Frequently asked questions

How do I decode a Mercury VIN?

Enter the 17-character VIN in the decoder above. Positions 1–3 identify the country and manufacturer, 4–8 the vehicle attributes, 9 is a check digit, 10 the model year, 11 the plant and 12–17 the serial number. You get the decoded build sheet, open recalls and crash-test ratings instantly.

What does a Mercury VIN start with?

A Mercury VIN starts with 1, 4 or 5 (built in the U.S.A.; 2 if built in Canada, 3 in Mexico), under the World Manufacturer Identifier system defined in 49 CFR 565.

Is the Mercury VIN decoder really free?

Yes. VinSpecs decodes unlimited Mercury VINs for free using the official NHTSA vPIC database — no registration, no payment, no lookup limits.

Where is the VIN on a Mercury?

Driver-side dashboard (visible through the windshield), driver-side door jamb sticker, or the title and registration documents.

Source: NHTSA vPIC. VinSpecs is an independent service, not affiliated with Mercury or any government agency.