6 prefixes
Subaru VIN decoder
Put a Subaru VIN in and get the full NHTSA specification plus any open recalls. Below, every manufacturer prefix a Subaru can start with.
Where a Subaru VIN starts
The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier. Subaru vehicles carry 6 of them, spread across 2 countries of manufacture, because the same model can be built on more than one continent. The prefix tells you which plant lineage built the car before you decode anything else.
| Prefix | Manufacturer of record | Vehicle type | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4S3 | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC | Passenger Car | UNITED STATES (USA) |
| 4S4 | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | UNITED STATES (USA) |
| JF1 | SUBARU CORPORATION | Passenger Car | JAPAN |
| JF2 | SUBARU CORPORATION | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | JAPAN |
| JF3 | FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES U.S.A., INC. (C/O SUBARU OF AMERICA) | Truck | JAPAN |
| JF4 | FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES U.S.A., INC. (C/O SUBARU OF AMERICA) | Passenger Car | JAPAN |
What Subaru stamps them on
- Passenger Car3
- Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)2
- Truck1
Current Subaru models
Models NHTSA lists for the most recent complete model year.
- Ascent
- BRZ
- Crosstrek
- Forester
- Impreza
- Legacy
- Outback
- Solterra
- WRX
Other makes
Prefix table from NHTSA vPIC, built 2026-08-09. 888 prefixes across the site.