VIN Decoder · RAM
RAM VIN Decoder: 1C6, 3C6, 3C7 and Old Dodge Ram Codes
Ram has been a brand of its own since 2010, yet the VIN needed three more model years to catch up. A 2011 Ram 1500 still starts 1D7, Dodge's truck code. A 2012 one starts 1C6RD, with D for Dodge in position 5. Only from the 2013 model year does the R appear, and that letter is how a VIN tells a Ram from a Jeep Gladiator, which shares the 1C6 code.
- WMI set: 6 codes, 1C6 to 3D7
- Plant codes: 5 characters, two sources each
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a RAM VIN
Scope: RAM 1C6 · 3C6 · 3C7 · Dodge Ram 1D7 · 1D3 · 3D70 / 17
A RAM VIN skips I, O and Q. If the door label of a 1500 seems to show an O, it is a zero.
Reading a RAM VIN, from 1D7 to 1C6
Positions 1 to 3 give country and vehicle type. 1C6 is a truck from the United States, 3C6 a truck or van from Mexico, 3C7 an incomplete vehicle such as a chassis cab from Saltillo. These are group codes: a Jeep Gladiator starts 1C6 too. Before 2012 the pickups used Dodge's own truck codes, 1D7, 1D3 and 3D7, and those VINs never contain the word Ram anywhere.
Positions 5 to 7 hold brand, model and cab in Chrysler's own scheme. R in position 5 is Ram, J is Jeep, D is Dodge. A 2025 Ram 1500 Rebel opens 1C6SRF, a 2013 Ram 1500 1C6RR7. Position 8 is the engine code. A ProMaster van from Saltillo opens 3C6TRV.
Can a RAM VIN fail the check digit? Not if it is typed correctly. Every RAM code is North American, where the check digit is the law, and 38 of the 44 RAM VINs we found in Czech used-car listings computed. On a RAM, a failure points to a mistyped character or a plate that deserves a closer look. The model year sits in the tenth place and the plant letter in the eleventh: S for Warren Truck, N for Sterling Heights, G for Saltillo Truck, E for Saltillo Van.
RAM WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1C6 | Chrysler Group / FCA US truck code since 2012: Ram 1500 from Warren or Sterling Heights; shared with the Jeep Gladiator |
| 3C6 | FCA Mexico truck code since 2012: Ram 1500, 2500, 3500 and ProMaster from Saltillo |
| 3C7 | FCA Mexico incomplete-vehicle code since 2012: Ram chassis cabs from Saltillo |
| 1D7 | Dodge truck from the US, 2002 to 2011: Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500; shared with the Dodge page |
| 1D3 | Dodge truck from the US with side airbags, 2002 to 2009: Dodge Ram; shared with the Dodge page |
| 3D7 | Dodge truck from Mexico, 2002 to 2011: Dodge Ram from Saltillo; shared with the Dodge page |
Each RAM code rests on NHTSA data (vPIC and FCA's Part 565 charts) plus a Wikipedia or Wikibooks WMI entry. The switch from Dodge to Ram in position 5 is confirmed by Wikibooks and by how vPIC decodes 2012 and 2013 trucks.
Michigan or Coahuila: where a RAM comes from
RAM pickups are built in Michigan and in Saltillo, Mexico, and most of those in European listings came over from the US. That makes the VIN the main proof of what you are getting. Is the 1500 on offer in Poland a Classic or the newer model? Position 11 answers it: S means Warren, where the older body was built, N means Sterling Heights.
Michigan: 1C6, earlier 1D7 and 1D3
- Warren Truck, plant S, built the older Ram 1500, sold as the Classic until 2024; Sterling Heights, plant N, builds the 1500 introduced for 2019.
- A 2025 Ram 1500 with the 3.0-litre six reads 1C6SRF and N in position 11.
- Before 2012 the same trucks carried 1D7 or 1D3 and decoded as Dodge.
Saltillo, Coahuila: 3C6, 3C7, earlier 3D7
- Saltillo Truck, plant G, builds Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500; 3C7 marks a chassis cab.
- Saltillo Van, plant E, builds the ProMaster: 3C6TRV.
- Plant 4, the Saltillo Truck Extension, appears in FCA's filings from the 2025 model year.
2012: a Ram with Dodge in the VIN
A 2012 Ram 1500 reads 1C6RD: the new group code, but D for Dodge in position 5. NHTSA's decoder still names the make Dodge for that year. The R for Ram arrives with the 2013 model year. If a seller lists a 2012 truck as a RAM and the decoder says Dodge, both are right.
Every RAM VIN falls under North American rules, so a check-digit failure always shows red. The cause is almost always a typing error: a 5 for an S, or a letter where a digit belongs. Hold the dashboard VIN against the door-sticker number and the registration document before drawing conclusions.
Model year: position 10 on a RAM
For a RAM the year letter reads C for 2012, D 2013, S 2025. The same letters stood for 1982 and 1983, so the decoder checks position 7: on a RAM since 2012 it is a letter, which places the truck after 2010. Imported RAMs are often registered in Europe well after their model year; the German registration certificate (Feld B) or a UK logbook dates that first registration.
| Code | Model year | Code | Model year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | M | 2021 |
| B | 2011 | N | 2022 |
| C | 2012 | P | 2023 |
| D | 2013 | R | 2024 |
| E | 2014 | S | 2025 |
| F | 2015 | T | 2026 |
| G | 2016 | V | 2027 |
| H | 2017 | W | 2028 |
| J | 2018 | X | 2029 |
| K | 2019 | Y | 2030 |
| L | 2020 |
Frequently asked questions
What do the RAM WMI codes 1C6 and 3C6 mean?
1C6 is the truck code of FCA US, used on Ram pickups built in Warren and Sterling Heights, Michigan, since the 2012 model year. 3C6 is the same for trucks and vans from Saltillo, Mexico. 3C7 marks a chassis cab. Older pickups carry the Dodge codes 1D7, 1D3 or 3D7.
Is my truck a Ram or a Dodge Ram?
Look at position 5 and the first three characters. 1D7, 1D3 or 3D7 means a Dodge Ram built up to 2011. 1C6 or 3C6 with D in position 5 is a 2012 Ram, still registered by the VIN as a Dodge. R in position 5 marks a Ram from the 2013 model year on.
My RAM 1500 and a Jeep Gladiator both start 1C6. Which page is right?
Position 5 settles it: R for Ram, J for Jeep. The Gladiator opens 1C6JJT and comes from Toledo, Ohio, so position 11 shows L instead of S or N.
Where is the VIN on a RAM?
A metal tag on the dashboard, seen through the glass in front of the steering wheel; US law requires it to be legible from outside. The door-jamb sticker on the driver's side repeats it. Once the truck is registered in Germany, the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I carries it as field E.
What can't a RAM VIN tell you?
It codes model, cab, engine and plant. The axle ratio, the trim pack, tow equipment, an LPG conversion or the service history are not there. If you are buying a 1500 with an LPG system, the conversion papers matter more than the VIN.