Acura ZDX VIN Decoder

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

The tricky part of decoding a ZDX VIN is that “Acura ZDX” describes two almost unrelated vehicles. The original ZDX (2010-2013) was a low-volume, MDX-based “four-door crossover coupe” with a 3.7L gas V6, built in Canada. Acura killed it after weak sales, then revived the name a decade later: the 2024-2025 ZDX is Acura’s first electric vehicle, built in the US on General Motors’ Ultium EV platform. Below are the real WMI codes, plant codes, and model-year characters for both generations, verified against NHTSA’s vPIC database.

About the Acura ZDX

The original Acura ZDX launched for model year 2010 as a “four-door crossover coupe,” essentially a sloped-roof, sportier variant of the second-generation MDX, sharing that model’s platform, running gear, and Alliston, Ontario assembly line. It was polarizing and expensive, and it sold poorly: only 7,191 units moved across four model years, sliding every year after a 2010 peak of roughly 3,259 units. Acura pulled the plug after 2013.

The name sat unused for a decade, then came back for an entirely different vehicle. The 2024 ZDX is a battery-electric SUV, Acura’s first EV, co-developed with General Motors on GM’s Ultium (BEV3) architecture, the same underpinnings as the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. It shares no parts, platform, or styling lineage with the earlier car beyond the name and a sloped roofline. Honda ended US production in September 2025, with roughly 19,000 units sold, again citing softer-than-expected demand.

Generation	Years	VIN generation clue	Powertrain	Built at
1st gen (original)	2010-2013	WMI 2HN, VDS begins YB1	3.7L J37A5 SOHC V6, SH-AWD, 6-speed automatic	Alliston, Ontario, Canada (Honda of Canada Mfg.)
2nd gen (electric revival)	2024-2025	WMI 4W5, VDS begins KH (A-Spec) or XH (Type S)	Single or dual electric motor, 102 kWh Ultium battery, RWD or AWD	Spring Hill, Tennessee, USA (GM Spring Hill Manufacturing)

That second row is the genuinely unusual fact: a Honda-brand vehicle assembled on a General Motors line, under a 2020 Honda/GM agreement to co-develop EVs. Every checksum-valid 2024 ZDX VIN we decoded through NHTSA returns “GENERAL MOTORS LLC” as manufacturer of record and “SPRING HILL, TENNESSEE” as the plant, not a Honda or Acura facility. We also ruled out a common mix-up: the original ZDX was not built at Honda’s East Liberty, Ohio plant, which builds the current MDX and RDX. Every original-generation VIN we decoded, and Honda’s 2010 launch press release, confirm Alliston, Ontario as the sole plant.

Acura ZDX WMI codes (positions 1 to 3)

The first three characters of a VIN form the World Manufacturer Identifier, assigned by SAE International on behalf of ISO. We decoded real ZDX VINs from both generations against NHTSA’s vPIC database to confirm these; no other WMI showed up on any genuine, checksum-valid ZDX VIN we tested:

WMI	Country	Plant	ZDX generation
2HN	Canada	Alliston, Ontario (Honda of Canada Mfg.)	2010-2013 original ZDX
4W5	USA	Spring Hill, Tennessee (GM Spring Hill Manufacturing)	2024-2025 electric ZDX

If your ZDX VIN starts with anything other than 2HN or 4W5, treat it as suspect. Both generations were low-volume, single-plant models, so neither ever needed a second WMI to cover overflow serial numbers.

How to read an Acura ZDX VIN, position by position

Every ZDX built since 2010 uses the 17-character ISO 3779 standard. The string breaks into three blocks, and each character carries specific meaning, though as you’ll see below, the meaning shifts completely between the two generations.

Positions 1 to 3: World Manufacturer Identifier

See the table above. The first character identifies the country of assembly, and on the ZDX that single character tells you almost everything: 2 means Canada (the original gas-powered ZDX), 4 means the USA (the electric revival). The WMI identifies the factory, not Acura’s headquarters in Torrance, California, which is why the second generation’s WMI resolves to General Motors rather than Honda or Acura in NHTSA’s manufacturer database.

Positions 4 to 8: Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

On the original ZDX, positions 4 to 6 hold YB1, a chassis code confirmed on every 2010-2013 VIN we tested regardless of model year or trim. Position 8 tracks trim, not engine, since every original ZDX shares the same 3.7L V6: position 8 reads 4 on Tech-package cars and 6 on Advance-package cars, consistent across 2010-2012. A 2013 VIN with position 8 6 returned NHTSA’s generic “no listed trim” instead of “Advance,” so treat position 8 as a strong hint, not a guarantee.

The electric ZDX uses positions 4 to 8 differently, since the same block also encodes drivetrain. Position 4 reads K for A-Spec and X for Type S; position 6 reads M for single-motor RWD A-Spec, N for dual-motor AWD A-Spec, and P for dual-motor AWD Type S; position 8 reads K on RWD cars and L on AWD cars. So KHMRK is an A-Spec RWD, KHNRL an A-Spec AWD, and XHPRL a Type S, confirmed across multiple real 2024 VINs.

One honest caveat: NHTSA’s vPIC database returns an inconsistency for 2012-model-year original ZDX VINs, listing the engine as a “J35A7” 3.5L V6. Every other model year and Honda’s own 2012 ZDX press specs confirm the 3.7L J37A5 V6 across the entire 2010-2013 run at 300 hp; the 3.5L figure looks like a data-entry error in NHTSA’s tables, not a real engine swap. We’re flagging it rather than repeating it as fact.

Position 9: Check digit

The check digit is the one character in the VIN that catches typos. It’s calculated from the other 16 characters using a fixed weighting table and modulo-11 math. Mistype a single character anywhere in the VIN and the math no longer matches; any compliant decoder, every state DMV, and NHTSA will reject the entry. Every VIN cited on this page passes that check.

Position 10: Model year

The 10th character maps to model year on the industry-wide 30-year cycle. Because the ZDX name covers two disconnected production runs, here’s the complete mapping for every year the nameplate has actually used:

Char	Year	Generation
A	2010	Original ZDX
B	2011	Original ZDX
C	2012	Original ZDX
D	2013	Original ZDX
R	2024	Electric ZDX
S	2025	Electric ZDX
T	2026	Electric ZDX (if produced)

The letters I, O, and Q are skipped because they resemble 1 and 0. Note the decade-long gap between D and R: no VIN with a ZDX WMI and a model-year character between E and Q exists, because the nameplate simply wasn’t sold in those years. One honest research note: several vehicles marketed and titled by dealers as “2025 Acura ZDX” nonetheless carry a position-10 character of R, decoding to model year 2024, in every real VIN we checked. Acura appears to have kept the 2024 VIN-encoded model year through the final production run rather than issuing a distinct 2025 series; we could not confirm a genuine S-coded VIN, so treat one as plausible but unverified.

Position 11: Assembly plant

A single character identifies the specific factory. We confirmed each of these against real, checksum-valid ZDX VINs:

Char	Plant	Generation
H	Alliston, Ontario, Canada	Original ZDX (2010-2013)
Z	Spring Hill, Tennessee, USA	Electric ZDX (2024-2025)

Positions 12 to 17: Serial number

The final six characters are the production sequence stamped on your specific ZDX as it left the line. Combined with the previous 11 characters, this makes every ZDX VIN globally unique, gas or electric.

ZDX trim levels and how they appear in the VIN

Neither generation spells the trim name out in plain text; it’s reconstructed from the VDS pattern plus the factory build sheet, per the position-8 discussion above.

• Original ZDX (2010-2013): Base, Technology (Tech), Advance. All three used the same 3.7L V6 and SH-AWD; the differences were navigation, audio, and interior trim.
• Electric ZDX (2024-2025): A-Spec (single-motor RWD or dual-motor AWD) and Type S (dual-motor AWD only, 500 hp). Just these two trims.

Where to find the VIN on an Acura ZDX

Several locations on every ZDX, plus the paperwork:

• Lower-left corner of the windshield, visible from outside the vehicle
• Driver’s side door jamb sticker (also carries tire spec and GVWR)
• Stamped under the hood: on the firewall (original ZDX) or front structure (electric ZDX)
• Vehicle title, registration, insurance card, AcuraLink app (electric ZDX)

The windshield and door jamb are easiest to read on a used-vehicle lot. Check the physical stamp under the hood if you suspect a cloned VIN; it’s tied to the vehicle and much harder to swap than a plate or sticker.

Acura ZDX recalls and safety

Both ZDX generations have open NHTSA recall history, for very different reasons.

The original 2010-2012 ZDX (and some 2013 models) was swept into the industry-wide Takata airbag inflator recall: moisture intrusion could cause the front inflator to rupture violently on deployment, a defect responsible for at least 15 deaths across all affected vehicles industry-wide.

The 2024 electric ZDX has drawn unrelated recalls tied to its newer technology: an anti-lock brake defect that could unexpectedly release brake pressure (notices mailed September 2024), a passenger-side stabilizer bar bracket that could loosen from improper torque (notices mailed May 2025), and a display software error that could blank the instrument cluster or rearview camera image.

To check your specific ZDX: decode the VIN with the tool above to confirm the exact model and year, then cross-reference it with Acura’s US recall lookup or NHTSA’s recall database, and contact your nearest Acura authorized service center 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 ZDX 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 under three seconds: generation, model year, engine or motor configuration, trim, drivetrain, plant of origin, and any open NHTSA recalls. No sign-up.

Why are there two completely different Acura ZDX models, and what’s the GM Ultium connection?

Acura used the ZDX name twice for unrelated vehicles. The original 2010-2013 ZDX was a low-volume, gas-powered “crossover coupe” built on the MDX platform in Canada; Acura discontinued it after only 7,191 units sold. Acura revived the badge in 2024 for its first electric vehicle, an all-new SUV co-developed with General Motors on GM’s Ultium (BEV3) EV architecture, the same platform underneath the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. It’s assembled at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee plant rather than a Honda or Acura factory, which is why NHTSA’s VIN database lists “General Motors LLC” as the manufacturer of record. The two generations share a name and a sloped roofline, nothing else.

Where is the VIN on an Acura ZDX?

The two easiest spots are the lower-left corner of the windshield, read from outside the vehicle, and the driver-side door jamb sticker. Both are required by federal labeling regulation on every ZDX.

How do I tell which generation my ZDX is from the VIN?

Look at the first character. 2 (WMI 2HN) is the original 2010-2013 gas-powered ZDX built in Alliston, Ontario. 4 (WMI 4W5) is the 2024-2025 electric ZDX built in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The 10th character then confirms the exact model year.

Is the Acura ZDX VIN decoder really free?

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

Can an Acura ZDX VIN be faked?

The 17 characters can be retyped on a counterfeit plate, but the check digit at position 9 catches most single-character changes through math, and the under-hood stamp is physically tied to the original vehicle. If the windshield and door-jamb VINs match but the physical stamp doesn’t, the vehicle may be cloned; see how to check if a car is stolen by VIN for the verification steps.

Decode any Acura ZDX VIN free

Type your 17-character ZDX VIN into the decoder at the top of this page for an instant breakdown, whether it’s a 2010-2013 original or a 2024-2025 electric model. To go deeper into VIN structure:

• 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