# Deciding GM vin number **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** chevrolet, equinox\ **Created:** [June 7, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703 "2017-06-07T01:43:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dorianstedman77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dorianstedman77](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dorianstedman77)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/1 "2017-06-07T01:43:33Z")
I am looking at the vin number on a chevy equinox to look up recalls, the number starts 2GNA and then has an alien character that is not in the English set. It’s a sloping vertical line top left down to bottom right, at the base is a horizontal shorter line. It’s almost like an upside down capital T with a sloping vertical line. Any ideas what this is meant to be? I put it in to a chevy vin number website as an I or a t , both brought up the wrong vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/2 "2017-06-07T01:53:20Z")
Your title also has the vin number. Compare it to the vin tag. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/3 "2017-06-07T02:17:17Z")
From what I see, that character defines the series, and could be an “S”. Since “S” contains a sloping downward line right to left, maybe it is just the printer had a problem and only a partial “S” got printed. ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/8/842d163253ede11dd984e6b45a8d3c7eb64e81e9.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/4 "2017-06-07T02:46:59Z")
I looked at the VIN on six Equinox SUVs advertised by a local dealer and the fifth character is an “L” on each. The letter “I” is not used in a VIN. ---
**Author:** ![dorianstedman77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dorianstedman77](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dorianstedman77)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 8:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/5 "2017-06-07T08:07:24Z")
![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/a/a9fc25932454c0e5f57aaa31f218c2c2d707a872.PNG) Here’s the offending letter ---
**Author:** ![dorianstedman77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dorianstedman77](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dorianstedman77)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 8:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/6 "2017-06-07T08:37:46Z")
Ok - it’s an L - thanks for the replies ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 11:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/7 "2017-06-07T11:25:19Z")
Those letters/numbers are very stylized, which leads to errors. A very bad decision on the part of GM. That is not the place where you want stylized text, and they should have realized that !!! ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 12:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/8 "2017-06-07T12:22:50Z")
> [@BillRussell](#): > > Those letters/numbers are very stylized, which leads to errors. A very bad decision on the part of GM. > > That is not the place where you want stylized text, and they should have realized that !!! Perhaps it’s done to make falsifying more difficult? _ **CSA** _ ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/9 "2017-06-07T13:24:38Z")
The stylized lettering for L may make it easier or more accurate for a computer to read. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/10 "2017-06-07T21:16:00Z")
Does your registration have the VIN number on it? I’d use that one. ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/11 "2017-06-07T21:43:56Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > The stylized lettering for L may make it easier or more accurate for a computer to read. doesn’t matter, most of the time the number is read by humans, and that should be the most important. That “L” is definitely not readable by a human. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/12 "2017-06-07T21:52:25Z")
> [@BillRussell](#): > > doesn’t matter, most of the time the number is read by humans Not when the car is being built and THAT is the only thing that matters to GM. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/13 "2017-06-07T21:53:37Z")
I’d have to go up and take a look but seems to me they have a bar code under the VIN for computer reading. When you return a rental they just scan it without opening the door or anything. Maybe they have an RFID chip in it or something but think they just scan the VIN. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/14 "2017-06-07T23:15:28Z")
That looks like a printers mistake to me. OP should show this to the dealership next time in the area. I expect GM managements wants to know that a vin printer’s problem has made it to the field. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/15 "2017-06-07T23:45:54Z")
General Motors has been using that font for more than 20 years, better adapt to it. This is a 1995 Chevrolet; ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/e/e139405a14fa352da1748fae93c21d8fc9a00db8.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/16 "2017-06-08T02:34:17Z")
Depends on the brand of vehicle When I’m doing smogs, I scan the vin bar code On GM vehicles, it’s on top of the dash, I can scan through the glass On Ford, I have to open the door, because the vin bar code is on the door post. They don’t have a bar code on top of the dash. Not any of our fleet’s Fords, in any case I mentioned those 2 brands, because they’re probably the most common in our fleet ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/17 "2017-06-08T02:37:06Z")
hmm … all the other characters are perfectly readable, a little stylized, but still not ambiguous at all what they are. I wonder why they did the weird thing just to the “L”. Had Nevada pointed the L thing out in his earlier post, I expect the OP would have found that helpful. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/18 "2017-06-08T05:09:34Z")
Then I may be mistaken but it was Ford rental that we returned and the guy scanned something and had my receipt before I even opened the door. ---
**Author:** ![skulldrinker](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/skulldrinker/32/3215_2.png) [@skulldrinker](https://community.cartalk.com/u/skulldrinker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 7:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/19 "2017-06-08T07:29:35Z")
I think I read somewhere vins do not contain I’s or O’s. For obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703/20 "2017-06-09T16:03:41Z")
> [@GeorgeSanJose](#): > > I wonder why they did the weird thing just to the “L”. Looks like GM doesn’t want _any_ vertical lines in the VIN…probably for the scanner. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/deciding-gm-vin-number/104703.md?page=2)