VIN decode · Tax years 2025–2028
US final assembly · UNITED STATES
Was it assembled in the US?
The car-loan interest deduction needs US final assembly and original use that starts with the taxpayer. Paste the VIN. This page scores plant country and a model-year / new-vehicle signal — not whether any loan is deductible.
The free report also lists extra vPIC specs plus public NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and complaint themes. It does not include accident, wreck, title, or salvage history.
Don't get caught with your pants down. Check that VIN first.
Recall alerts
See all recall alerts
Severity: HIGH2025–2027 Ford F-150: front seats may not be properly bolted to the truck
Front seat-to-body bolts on 2,276 Dearborn-built 2025–2027 Ford F-150 pickups may be loose or missing, which can reduce occupant protection in a crash. Dealers will inspect and fix the bolts free; check your VIN now.
Severity: CRITICAL2015–2016 Hyundai Genesis / 2017–2020 Genesis G80: power seat motors may overheat and cause a fire
A stuck front power seat switch can keep the seat motors running and overheat, risking a fire while parked or driving on 94,622 Hyundai Genesis and Genesis G80 sedans. Park outside until the free repair is ready; check your VIN now.
Severity: HIGH2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid: motor generator ECU error can cut drive power at higher speeds
A motor generator ECU fault on 30,978 model-year 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrids can cut power or shut down the hybrid system at higher speeds. A free software update is coming; check your VIN now.
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VIN recall check · free
Don't get caught with an open recall.
Same VIN box. Open NHTSA campaigns lead the report. We list what is on file for the model year, make, and model — we do not close recalls.
Check open recallsMilder cut. Watch the edgy set →
SFW · 60-second Pathé film
The First Digit
assemblyalert.com
Nigel from Accounts calls the gold import a bald eagle with cupholders. Margaret checks the plant. Germany. FAIL. The first digit is a rumour. Fully clothed. Captions on every shot.
Play The First DigitMore commercials · 18+
Don't get caught with your pants down.
The loop above is the milder cut. The 18+ gallery is the pants-down VIN set — posters first, age gate before any of those spots play. Not tax advice.
Watch the 18+ setTax years 2025–2028
A plant-country record for filing season.
People file the One Big Beautiful Bill Act car-loan interest deduction for tax years 2025–2028, up to $10,000 of interest. AssemblyAlert does not decide if a loan is deductible.
A Form 1098-VLI and similar broker statements will show up for many filers around January 2027. This site is a dated NHTSA vPIC plant-country record you can keep for a preparer. It is not an IRS form.
US assembly pass or fail is PlantCountry === UNITED STATES (USA) only. Puerto Rico is not a pass. VIN first character 1, 4, or 5 is a screen, not the test — a BMW VIN that starts with 5 (5UX) can still be Germany.
The report shows separate checks. Assembly-check copy stays Passes the US-assembly test, Fails the US-assembly test, or Could not determine. Vehicle year is scored on its own. Plant-country Pass is not the deduction. Used vehicles do not qualify.
Decode stays free. The optional $4 card is a printable Assembly Alert vehicle spec sheet — window-sticker style fields, recall count, serial at /v/{serial}. It is a filing record for your folder, not a government certificate and not a deduction.
Not tax advice. Not affiliated with the IRS, NHTSA, or the Treasury. Not a government document.
Also on this site
Calculators, facts, and guides
The VIN box above scores US assembly and a model-year / new-vehicle signal. Recalls is the same decode with open NHTSA campaigns first. Español is a Spanish recall page. These pages do not bury the checker — they are extra tools and IRS-cited explainers. Lease payments do not qualify.
The homepage spot stays the milder loop. The First Digit is the SFW Pathé film. Commercials (18+) is the edgier set — crude VIN / OBBBA pants-down jokes, not porn.
- [HIGH] RECALL ALERT: 2025–2027 Ford F-150: front seats may not be properly bolted to the truck
- [CRITICAL] RECALL ALERT: 2015–2016 Hyundai Genesis / 2017–2020 Genesis G80: power seat motors may overheat and cause a fire
- [HIGH] RECALL ALERT: 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid: motor generator ECU error can cut drive power at higher speeds
How the test works
Plant country and vehicle year.
Paste a 17-character VIN. The free decode reads manufacturer-reported plant fields and ModelYear from NHTSA vPIC. Those are separate data checks for the OBBBA car-loan interest deduction, tax years 2025–2028.
First-character VIN myth
1, 4, or 5 in position 1 is a WMI screen only — never the verdict. A BMW VIN that starts with 5 (5UX) can still be assembled in Germany.
PlantCountry is exact
Pass only if NHTSA PlantCountry is exactly UNITED STATES (USA). Canada, Mexico, and Germany fail. Puerto Rico is not a pass. Empty is unknown.
GVWR class, not pounds
Classes 1 and 2 (including 1A–1D and 2E–2H) pass the weight screen. Class 3 is uncertain — check the door jamb. Class 4 and above fail.
Vehicle year is a separate check
Used vehicles do not qualify. Older VIN model years usually fail original-use even when the plant is in the United States. A current year is not proof you are the first owner. There is no IRS purchase-price / MSRP cap.
Not IRS. Not a deduction.
AssemblyAlert is not affiliated with the IRS or NHTSA. This page never says your loan is deductible. Plant-country Pass is not the deduction.
How it works
Two VIN checks. The rest stays on you.
01
Paste the 17-character VIN
No I, O, or Q. Incomplete or starred VINs get no tax verdict.
02
This page calls NHTSA vPIC first
DecodeVinValues sets canonical make, model, and year. The free report then adds public NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and complaint themes. Title and salvage history is not included.
03
PlantCountry and ModelYear
US assembly passes only if PlantCountry is exactly UNITED STATES (USA). Model year is a separate new-vehicle signal. Used vehicles do not qualify. VIN year is not proof of first owner.
Other tests
The VIN does not finish these.
The VIN scores US final assembly and a model-year / new-vehicle signal. Plant-country Pass is not the deduction, and VIN year is not proof of first owner. The items below stay on you.
- Original use with the taxpayer (used vehicles do not qualify)
- VIN year is a signal — not proof you are the first owner
- Loan originated after December 31, 2024
- Personal use
- MAGI phaseout starts at $100,000 single / $200,000 joint
- Interest cap: up to $10,000 — no IRS purchase-price / MSRP cap
- Tax years 2025–2028
- Lease payments do not qualify (IRS)
FAQ
Common questions
Was my car assembled in the US?
- Paste the 17-character VIN. This page reads PlantCountry from NHTSA vPIC. It passes only if that field is exactly UNITED STATES (USA). Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Puerto Rico fail. An empty plant country is unknown, not a pass.
How do I check US assembly for the car loan interest deduction?
- Use this free VIN checker. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act car-loan interest deduction (tax years 2025–2028) requires final assembly in the United States and original use that starts with the taxpayer. AssemblyAlert scores PlantCountry and a VIN model-year / new-vehicle signal. It does not decide whether any loan is deductible.
Does VIN starting with 1 mean US built?
- No. VIN position 1 is a WMI screen only. Characters 1, 4, and 5 are often assigned to the United States, but they are never the verdict. A BMW VIN starting with 5 (for example 5UX) can still be assembled in Germany.
Is this official IRS?
- No. AssemblyAlert is not affiliated with the IRS, NHTSA, or the Treasury and is not a government document. This is not tax advice.
What is a 1098-VLI?
- A Form 1098-VLI and similar broker statements will show up for many filers around January 2027. This site is a dated NHTSA vPIC plant-country record you can keep for a preparer. It is not an IRS form and does not decide if a loan is deductible.
Does a pass mean I qualify for the deduction?
- No. Plant-country Pass is not the deduction. The report shows separate checks: US final assembly (PlantCountry) and a vehicle-year / new-vehicle signal from the VIN model year. Used vehicles do not qualify — original use must start with the taxpayer. Older model years usually fail that gate. A current model year is not proof you are the first owner. Other IRS gates remain: personal use, a loan after December 31, 2024, the VIN on the return, the $10,000 interest cap, and MAGI phaseout. There is no IRS purchase-price or MSRP cap. Leases do not qualify. Assembly-check copy stays Passes the US-assembly test, Fails the US-assembly test, or Could not determine. This site never says you qualify and never says a loan is deductible.
Does vehicle year matter for the deduction?
- Yes as a signal, not as a substitute for original use. Used vehicles do not qualify. The VIN model year (NHTSA vPIC ModelYear) is a strong signal: model years through 2023 are usually already in service and fail that gate even when the plant is in the United States. A leftover new 2024 can still have original use start with you if the loan is after December 31, 2024. Model years 2025–2028 sit in the new-purchase window, but VIN year is not proof of first owner. Confirm title and sale documents.
Do auto leases qualify for the OBBBA car loan interest deduction?
- No. The IRS Working Families Tax Cuts pages state that lease payments do not qualify. AssemblyAlert does not decide whether any loan is deductible. See the lease article and the lease-vs-buy calculator.
Does the free VIN check include accident or salvage history?
- No. The free check does not include accident, wreck, title, or salvage history (NMVTIS). That is a coming paid add-on. After a vPIC decode the report lists extra specs plus public NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and complaint themes for the model year / make / model. Complaint totals are not proof of wrecks on this VIN. Recall completion on this VIN can lag.
What is the $4 vehicle spec sheet?
- After a free decode you can unlock a printable Assembly Alert window-sticker style vehicle spec sheet for $4. It repeats the enriched fields, US-assembly Pass/Fail, the year signal, a recall count, a unique serial, and a dated timestamp. It is not an IRS qualification, not a Monroney label, and not tax advice. Plant-country Pass is not a deduction.
Disclaimer
Read this before you file.
- AssemblyAlert is not tax advice and is not a determination that any loan is deductible.
- AssemblyAlert is not affiliated with the Internal Revenue Service or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Decoded plant fields are manufacturer-reported Part 565 data as published by NHTSA vPIC. They can be blank or wrong.
- The Monroney label and the Part 583 final-assembly point are also valid evidence.
- The IRS has said taxpayers may rely on the NHTSA VIN Decoder plant of manufacture or the window-sticker final assembly point.
- The IRS Working Families Tax Cuts pages state that lease payments do not qualify.
- The free VIN check does not include accident, wreck, title, or salvage history (NMVTIS).
- AssemblyAlert is owned by Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).