No key words are intention, deceive, defraud. You know how when someone comes on here asking something like "what color should I paint MY car?" and after the "anything but GREEN" comments and then finally someone or ten people respond "IT'S YOUR CAR DO WHAT YOU WANT", wouldn't that apply? Let's say I have a lowly 4-door, slant 6 in terrible shape and the original VIN tag was damaged and I MADE a VIN tag and hand stamped my legitimate original VIN on a plate would I be in trouble. The feds and local LEO's could run the numbers, check all of the hidden numbers, check the /6 engine and transmission numbers and EVERYTHING matches the home made VIN PLATE I made to a "T" and see that it is not a stolen vehicle, and that I have ownership documentation and again it's NOT STOLEN, and I'm NOT trying to deceive anyone or trying to defraud anyone so what would the verdict be and what would I be guilty of??? IMO it's only a crime if it is a crime to deceive or defraud or steal. MY CAR and all of this was put in place by the FMVSS including moving the hidden VIN plates from the door jams to the dash/windshield because the Feds felt they had enough data to show a STOLEN vehicle was more likely to be driven dangerously or unsafely and yes that's a fact you can check this in the VIN regulations.


FMVSS: Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 115

One of the original purposes of the VIN system was to enhance public safety by deterring
vehicle theft based on the assumption that drivers of stolen vehicles are more likely to operate
those vehicles unsafely and thus be involved in vehicle crashes. The current 17-character VIN
system embodied in Part 565 continues to serve this purpose and, as stated in Part 565, also
serves “to increase the accuracy and efficiency of vehicle recall campaigns.”

A. History and Overview of the VIN System
Since 1954, American automobile manufacturers have used a vehicle identification
number (VIN) to describe and identify each of the motor vehicles they manufacture. The early
VINs came in a wide array of configurations and variations, depending on the individual
manufacturer. A move to create a more systematic VIN scheme was made in 1968, with the
enactment of Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 115, which took effect
January 1, 1969. That standard required each passenger car to have a VIN that is permanently
“sunk or embossed” on a part of the vehicle visible through the glazing by a person standing at
the left windshield pillar. Manufacturers were required to avoid having a VIN be repeated within
a 10-year period.