In 1981, the United States Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration began requiring all road vehicles to have a 17-character vehicle identification number, establishing the fixed VIN system still in use today. The outline below explains the Jaguar codes used from 1981 to 1999. Click on the code or position to be taken to the explanation for the code.
Jaguar VIN Codes 1981-1999
| VIN | SAJ | K | Y | 1 | 3 | 4 | X | L | C | 4 6 9 0 6 1 |
| Position | 1 2 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 13 14 15 16 17 |
Position 1-3 - Manufacturer
- SAD - Daimler-Jaguar
- SAJ - Jaguar Cars Ltd.
Position 4 - Car Line
- A - XJ6 Series III
- F - XJ6, XJ12
- G - XK8
- H - XJ6, Sovereign, 1990-1997
- H - XJ8, XJ8L, 1998-1999
- K - Vanden Plas
- M - XJ6, Vanden Plas, Majestic, XJ12
- N - XJS, XJ-SC
- P - XJR, Sport
- T - XJS Rouge
Position 5 - Restraint System
- A - Passive Belt
- D - Driver, Passenger, Front Side Air Bag, USA
- E - Driver, Passenger Air Bag, USA
- F - Driver, Passenger, Front Side Air Bag Canada
- G - Driver, Passenger Air Bag, Canada
- M - Driver Air Bag, Canada
- N - Dual Air Bags, Canada
- P - Driver, Passenger, Front Side Air Bag, Mexico
- S - Full Power Air Bags, Mexico
- T - Depowered Air Bags, Mexico
- V - Active Belt
- W - Driver Air Bag, USA
- X - Dual Air Bags, USA
- Y - Motorized Passive Belts
Position 6 - Body Type
- 1 - 4-Door Sedan
- 2 - 2+2 2-Door Convertible
- 3 - 2-Door Convertible
- 4 - 2-Door Convertible
- 5 - 2-Door Coupe
- 6 - 4-Door Sedan, 5-Seat
- 7 - 4-Door Sedan, 4-Seat
Position 7 - Engine Type
- 1 - 4.0 Liter 6-Cylinder, Supercharged
- 2 - 4.0 Liter California Specifications
- 3 - 4.2 Liter 6-Cylinder, XJ6, 1981-1987
- 3 - 6.0 Liter V12, XJ12 1994-1997, XJ-S 1994-1995
- 5 - 3.6 Liter 6-Cylinder, Low Compression
- 5 - 4.0 Liter Emissions C, Twin Canister
- 6 - 3.6 Liter 6-Cylinder, High Compression
- 7 - 4.0 Liter 6-Cylinder
- 8 - 5.3 Liter V12, XJS, XJ-SC
- 8 - 4.0 Liter V8, Supercharged, 1998
- 9 - 4.0 Liter V8, 1998
- 0 - 4.0 Liter, Emissions L, Twin Canister
Position 8 - Transmission Type
- 4 - Automatic LHS
- 8 - Manual 5-Speed
Position 9 - VIN Check Digit
- Manufacturer's Internal Code, 0-9 or X Security Character*
Position 10 - Vehicle Model Year
| B - 1981 C - 1982 D - 1983 E - 1984 |
F - 1985 G - 1986 H - 1987 J - 1988 |
K - 1989 L - 1990 M - 1991 N - 1992 |
P - 1993 R - 1994 S - 1995 T - 1996 |
V - 1997 W - 1998 X - 1999 |
Position 11 - Assembly Plant
- C - Browns Lane, England
Position 12-17 - Serial Number
- Sequential Production Number
* To learn more about VINs, country and manufacturer codes and how to calculate check digits visit VehicleIdentificationNumber.Com.
