Acura NSX VIN Decoder

Decode any Acura NSX VIN free in under three seconds. Type the 17-character vehicle identification number into the decoder above and pull the generation, model year, engine, plant of origin, and open NHTSA recalls. No account, no credit card, no email gate.

This page is the dedicated Acura NSX hub. Below you’ll find the real WMI codes and chassis codes the NSX carries in its own VIN across both its production eras, the plants that have actually built it (including a mid-run factory change that catches most decoders off guard), a position-by-position guide, and where to physically find the VIN on the car.

About the Acura NSX

The NSX is Honda and Acura’s halo car, and one of the few Japanese vehicles that genuinely changed how the rest of the industry built sports cars. The first generation launched for the 1991 model year as the world’s first mass-production car with an all-aluminum monocoque body, a decision that shaved roughly 200 kg off what a steel structure would have weighed. Honda’s engineers also brought in F1 driver Ayrton Senna to evaluate a prototype in 1989; his feedback that the chassis felt “a little fragile” reportedly pushed the team to raise its rigidity targets before production began. The result was a mid-engine supercar with everyday reliability, something no Ferrari or Lamborghini of the era could claim.

Acura built the first-generation NSX from 1991 through 2005, then stopped. There was no NSX for over a decade. The nameplate came back for 2017 as a completely different machine: a mid-engine hybrid with a twin-turbocharged V6 and three electric motors (one between the engine and transmission, one driving each front wheel), producing a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system with no mechanical center differential. It’s also the first NSX ever assembled outside Japan, built at Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville, Ohio, a dedicated small-batch facility built specifically for this car.

Generation	Model years	VIN chassis code (positions 4-6)	Engine	Built at
1st gen (NA1)	1991-1996	NA1	3.0L C30A V6	Takanezawa (Tochigi), Japan
1st gen (NA2)	1997-2005	NA2	3.2L C32B V6	Takanezawa (Tochigi) through early 2004, then Suzuka, Japan
2nd gen	2017-2022	NC1	3.5L JNC1 twin-turbo hybrid V6	Marysville, Ohio, USA (Performance Manufacturing Center)

Two things in that table are worth calling out because most VIN guides get them wrong or skip them. First, the “NA2” facelift in 1997 wasn’t just a bigger engine: it also brought a widened body, a 6-speed manual (versus the original 5-speed), and larger brakes. Second, production of the first-generation NSX itself changed factories partway through its run. We decoded a real 2004 NSX-T VIN through NHTSA’s vPIC database and it came back assigned to Honda’s Suzuka plant in Mie Prefecture, not Takanezawa; a 2000 and a 2001 VIN from the same NA2 era both decoded to Takanezawa. That matches the documented history: NSX production moved from the purpose-built Takanezawa R&D plant to Suzuka in early 2004 for the car’s final two model years before the long hiatus.

There was also no retail 2016 model year. The Performance Manufacturing Center began assembling second-generation cars in mid-2016, but a late schedule shift pushed the car’s actual launch to spring, and Acura sold it as a 2017 model. If you see a VIN advertised as a “2016 NSX,” check it against the decoder above before trusting the listing.

Acura NSX WMI codes (positions 1 to 3)

The first three characters of a VIN form the World Manufacturer Identifier, assigned by SAE on behalf of ISO. We confirmed both codes below directly against NHTSA’s WMI registry and against real, checksum-valid NSX VINs from both generations:

WMI	Country	Manufacturer	NSX generation
JH4	Japan	Honda Motor Co., Ltd.	1st gen (1991-2005), built at Takanezawa or Suzuka
19U	USA	American Honda Motor Co., Inc.	2nd gen (2017-2022), built at Marysville, Ohio

That split is a clean, reliable way to tell the two eras apart before you even look at the model year character. A VIN starting JH4 is always a first-generation, Japan-built NSX. A VIN starting 19U is always a second-generation, Ohio-built NSX. We did not find any other WMI on a real decoded NSX VIN, so we’re not listing one; if a VIN presented as an NSX starts with anything other than JH4 or 19U, decode it with the tool above before trusting the listing.

How to read an Acura NSX VIN, position by position

Every NSX VIN uses the 17-character ISO 3779 standard: a World Manufacturer Identifier, a Vehicle Descriptor Section, a check digit, and a Vehicle Identifier Section.

Positions 1 to 3: World Manufacturer Identifier

See the WMI table above. Because the NSX has only ever been built at one factory per era (with the Takanezawa-to-Suzuka move inside the first era being the one exception), this block splits cleanly by generation rather than varying widely the way it does on high-volume nameplates assembled on several continents.

Positions 4 to 8: Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

On the first-generation NSX, positions 4 to 6 carry the chassis code directly: NA1 for 1991-1996 cars with the 3.0-liter C30A, NA2 for 1997-2005 cars with the 3.2-liter C32B. Positions 7 and 8 shift with body style and transmission (we saw real VINs decode 51 on early manual coupes and 85 or 88 on NSX-T Targa variants), but NHTSA’s own database doesn’t publish a single definitive meaning for each combination, so we’re not going to invent one; the decoder above pulls trim and body style from the full build record, not from guessing at two characters in isolation.

On the second-generation NSX, positions 4 to 6 read NC1 on every VIN we decoded, base or Type S alike; the car never offered an alternate drivetrain or body style, so there was no need for a second chassis code. Position 7 reads B on every sample. Position 8 reads 0 on every sample we checked, including both base cars and the 2022 Type S, so it isn’t the character that distinguishes the two trims either; trim comes back from the build data attached to the VIN, not from a single VDS digit.

The engine codes we confirmed, all pulled from real VINs decoded through NHTSA’s vPIC database:

Generation	Engine code	Engine	Notes
NA1 (1991-1996)	C30A1	3.0L V6, DOHC VTEC	270-290 hp depending on year and transmission
NA2 (1997-2005)	C32B1	3.2L V6, DOHC VTEC	290 hp, wider body, 6-speed manual available
2nd gen (2017-2022)	JNC1	3.5L twin-turbo hybrid V6 + 3 electric motors	500-573 hp on base/standard cars, 600 hp on the 2022 Type S

Position 9: Check digit

The check digit catches typos. It’s calculated from the other 16 characters using a fixed weighting table and modulo-11 math. Every VIN used to build this page passed NHTSA’s check-digit validation; mistype a single character anywhere in an NSX VIN and the math stops matching, which is why any compliant decoder, state DMV, or the NHTSA recall lookup will reject it.

Position 10: Model year

This is the position that trips people up on the NSX, because the model spans two separate 30-year cycles of the same ISO character sequence, and one letter overlaps between them.
1st generation cycle (1991-2005):

Char	Year	Char	Year	Char	Year
M	1991	S	1995	Y	2000
N	1992	T	1996	1	2001
P	1993	V	1997	2	2002
R	1994	W	1998	3	2003
		X	1999	4	2004
				5	2005

2nd generation cycle (2016-2022):

Char	Year
G	2016 (no retail cars; production only)
H	2017
J	2018
K	2019
L	2020
M	2021
N	2022

Notice M appears in both tables: it’s 1991 on a first-generation NSX and 2021 on a second-generation NSX. In practice this never causes real ambiguity, because the WMI at positions 1 to 3 already tells you which era you’re in (JH4 versus 19U) before you even read the year character, and the chassis code at positions 4 to 6 confirms it a second time. The letters I, O, and Q are always skipped in both cycles because they resemble 1 and 0. We confirmed M (1991), N (1992), P (1993), S (1995), and 4 (2004) against real first-generation VINs, and H (2017), K (2019), L (2020), M (2021), and N (2022) against real second-generation VINs, all decoded through NHTSA’s vPIC database.

Position 11: Assembly plant

This single character is where the mid-run factory change inside the first generation actually shows up in the VIN itself:

Char	Plant	Generation
T	Takanezawa (Tochigi), Japan	1st gen, 1991 through early 2004
S	Suzuka (Mie), Japan	1st gen, final 2004 and 2005 cars
Y	Marysville (PMC), Ohio, USA	2nd gen, 2017-2022

Every real 1991-2003 VIN we decoded carried T. The one 2004 VIN we decoded carried S, matching Honda’s own account that production shifted from Takanezawa to Suzuka in early 2004. Every second-generation VIN we decoded, base and Type S alike, carried Y.

Positions 12 to 17: Serial number

The final six characters are the production sequence stamped on your specific NSX as it left the line. Combined with the previous 11 characters, this makes every NSX VIN globally unique, including two cars of the same generation, year, and chassis code.

NSX trims and how they show up in the VIN

The VIN doesn’t spell out trim names on either generation. First-generation cars ran from the base NSX (5-speed manual) through the NSX-T (targa top, introduced 1995) to the ultra-rare, track-focused NSX-R and NSX-R GT, most of which stayed in Japan and never carried a US-market JH4 VIN with a US-legal build. The second generation kept a simpler lineup: a single unnamed base/Standard trim from 2017 through 2021, and the 600 hp Type S added for the car’s final model year in 2022, limited to 350 units worldwide. Since neither generation’s VIN encodes trim directly, the decoder above returns it from the attached build data rather than from the VDS alone.

Where to find the VIN on an Acura NSX

• Lower-left corner of the windshield, visible from outside the car
• Driver’s side door jamb sticker
• Vehicle title, registration, insurance card

Both the windshield and door jamb locations are required by federal labeling regulation on every US-market car, NSX included. Because the NSX is mid-engine with no front engine bay, it doesn’t offer the same easy firewall or shock-tower stamp that a front-engine car does; the windshield and door jamb are your two reliable references, and they should always match.

Check Acura NSX recalls and safety information

The NSX has a light recall history compared to most cars this old, which tracks with its reputation as a mechanically simple, low-volume car. The first generation had essentially one: a 1995 campaign (95V-103) covering front seat belt buckle release buttons that could break on early cars. The second generation, being newer and built in far smaller numbers than a mainstream Honda or Acura, has picked up a few. A 2018 recall (18V-599) covered 2017 NSX units where road vibration could loosen the screws securing the high-mount brake light’s circuit board, risking a blown fuse and non-functioning brake lights. A separate 2018 recall (18V-600) covered 2017-2018 NSX units whose left and right fuel tank crossover pipe couplers could leak. A 2020 recall (20V-314) covered 2018-2019 NSX units (alongside several other Honda and Acura models) over a low-pressure fuel pump that could fail and stall the engine. That fuel pump issue was later folded into a much broader 2023 campaign (23V-858) covering millions of Honda and Acura vehicles across two decades, including 2015-2020 NSX units.

To check your specific NSX:

1. Decode the VIN with the tool above to confirm the exact model year and generation
2. Cross-reference the 17-character VIN with NHTSA’s recall database
3. Contact your nearest Acura dealer for any open campaign repair

Recall repairs are free regardless of vehicle age, mileage, or ownership history.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decode an Acura NSX VIN?

Type the 17-character VIN from the windshield, door jamb, or title into the decoder at the top of this page. Results return in seconds and include generation, model year, engine, plant of origin, and any open NHTSA recalls. No sign-up.

How do I tell the two NSX generations apart from the VIN?

Look at the first three characters. JH4 means a first-generation NSX built in Japan between 1991 and 2005. 19U means a second-generation NSX built in Marysville, Ohio between 2017 and 2022. You can double-check with positions 4 to 6: NA1 or NA2 confirms the first generation, NC1 confirms the second.

Why was there no Acura NSX for over a decade?

Acura ended first-generation NSX production in 2005 without an immediate successor. The nameplate returned for the 2017 model year as an entirely new car: a mid-engine hybrid with a twin-turbo V6 and three electric motors, developed and built in the United States for the first time rather than Japan.

Where was the second-generation NSX built, and why does that matter?

Marysville, Ohio, at Honda’s Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC), a dedicated small-batch facility built specifically for the car. It’s notable because every first-generation NSX was built in Japan; the 2017-2022 car is the only NSX ever assembled in the United States, and the PMC remains one of the very few plants in the country built to produce a single low-volume supercar rather than a mainstream model line.

Did the first-generation NSX really change factories partway through production?

Yes. Real 2004 NSX VINs we decoded through NHTSA’s database carry the assembly-plant code for Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, while 1991-2003 VINs carry the code for Takanezawa in Tochigi Prefecture, the original purpose-built NSX plant. Production shifted to Suzuka in early 2004 for the final two model years before the long hiatus.

Is the Acura NSX VIN decoder really free?

Yes. VinDecoderPlus decodes every NSX VIN free of charge with no sign-up. The basic decode covers everything the factory stamped into the VIN. A full vehicle history report (accident records, odometer history, prior ownership, salvage status) is available as a paid upgrade if you need it.

Can an Acura NSX VIN be faked?

The 17 characters can be retyped on a counterfeit plate or in a fraudulent listing, but the check digit at position 9 catches most single-character changes through math. Given how collectible and valuable both NSX generations have become, always confirm the windshield VIN matches the door jamb sticker and the title before buying, and treat any mismatch as a reason to walk away. The guide how to check if a car is stolen by VIN walks through the verification steps.

Decode any Acura NSX VIN free

Type your 17-character NSX VIN into the decoder at the top of this page for an instant breakdown. To go deeper into VIN structure or check other Acura models:

• Acura VIN decoder hub for the brand-wide guide
• How to read a VIN number for the general standard
• What every character in a VIN means for a position-by-position reference
• Classic car VIN decoder for pre-1981 vehicles
• VIN decoder vs. vehicle history report for what a decode covers vs. what it doesn’t
• How to check if a car is stolen by VIN before buying a used NSX