CVA Advanced Vehicle Identification & History Analysis 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How many characters does a standard North American VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) contain?
- 12
- 15
- 17 (Correct answer)
- 20
Correct answer: 17
All North American vehicles manufactured since 1981 use a standardized 17-character VIN as required by NHTSA regulations.
Question 2: What information does the 10th character of a VIN encode?
- Country of manufacture
- Model year (Correct answer)
- Engine type
- Plant of manufacture
Correct answer: Model year
The 10th VIN character is the model year code, using letters and numbers in a standardized NHTSA sequence that cycles every 30 years.
Question 3: A CVA notices the VIN plate on the dashboard appears to have been re-riveted or shows adhesive residue. What should this trigger?
- A notation that the plate was factory-replaced under warranty
- Suspicion of VIN tampering or cloning, requiring additional verification through secondary VIN locations (Correct answer)
- Standard documentation of normal vehicle aging
- A request for a new title from the state DMV
Correct answer: Suspicion of VIN tampering or cloning, requiring additional verification through secondary VIN locations
Disturbed or re-riveted VIN plates are a red flag for VIN cloning or tampering, requiring the appraiser to check secondary stamped locations on the vehicle.
Question 4: Which position(s) in the VIN identify the manufacturer and country of origin?
- Characters 1–3 (World Manufacturer Identifier) (Correct answer)
- Characters 5–7 (vehicle attributes)
- Character 9 (check digit)
- Characters 11–17 (production sequence)
Correct answer: Characters 1–3 (World Manufacturer Identifier)
Characters 1–3 form the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), which encodes the country of origin and specific manufacturer.
Question 5: What is the purpose of VIN character 9, the 'check digit'?
- To identify the assembly plant
- To mathematically verify the VIN is legitimate and not randomly fabricated (Correct answer)
- To encode the vehicle's color code
- To indicate the number of previous owners
Correct answer: To mathematically verify the VIN is legitimate and not randomly fabricated
The check digit is calculated using a weighted mathematical formula applied to the other 16 VIN characters, allowing detection of fraudulent or altered VINs.
Question 6: Which federal agency administers VIN standardization requirements for vehicles sold in the United States?
- FTC (Federal Trade Commission)
- EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
- NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) (Correct answer)
- DOT/FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
Correct answer: NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) administers 49 CFR Part 565, which governs VIN requirements for all vehicles sold in the U.S.
CVA Advanced Vehicle Identification & History Analysis 1
How many characters does a standard North American VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) contain?