A Lincoln VIN usually starts with 5LM on U.S.-built SUVs (Navigator, Aviator, Corsair, MKC), 2LM on Canadian-built SUVs (MKX and Nautilus from Oakville), 3LN on Mexican-built cars like the MKZ, or 1LN on Lincoln passenger cars such as the 2017 Continental. Positions 4-8 carry the model, trim and engine, 9 is the check digit, 10 is the model year and 11 is the plant. Decode it free on vPIC, then run recalls on the full VIN, because a lot of Lincoln campaigns are shared with a Ford twin.
We ran Lincoln patterns through NHTSA's free vPIC decoder on October 13, 2026, mostly because Lincoln listings in mid October 2026 are sloppy: gas Aviators sold as plug-ins, short Navigators labeled as the long L. Lincoln is Ford's luxury brand and the VIN logic is close to what we cover in our Ford VIN decoder. If the 17 positions are new to you, start with how to decode a VIN and come back.
Positions 1-3: 5LM, 2LM, 3LN, 1LN and the rare 5LT
vPIC's WMI table lists 5LM as Ford Motor Company, multipurpose vehicle, make Lincoln. 2LM is Ford Motor Company of Canada, also an MPV code. 3LN is Ford Motor Company, Mexico, passenger car, and 1LN and 2LN are the U.S. and Canadian car codes. 5LT shows up as a Lincoln truck code. In our runs, a 2018 Navigator starting 5LMJJ2LT decoded to Kentucky Truck in Jefferson County, Kentucky. A 2020 Aviator starting 5LM5J7XC came back from Chicago Assembly. A 2019 Nautilus starting 2LMPJ8LP came back from Oakville, Ontario, and a 2017 MKZ starting 3LN6L5C9 came back from Hermosillo, Mexico. For Lincoln, the first character is a decent country clue.
Positions 4-8: model line, trim and the engine letter
Lincoln packs model, trim and engine into the middle five characters, and position 8 is the one we watch. In our decodes, T on the Navigator returned the 3.5-liter GTDI twin-turbo V6, C on the Aviator returned the 3.0-liter V6, P on the 2019 Nautilus returned the 2.7-liter GTDI V6, 9 on the MKZ and Corsair returned a 2.0-liter turbo four, H on a 2019 MKC returned the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, and U on a 2020 MKZ returned the 2.0-liter hybrid with an e-CVT. Position 6 split the big trucks: 5LMJJ2LT decoded as Navigator and 5LMJJ3LT as Navigator L. A 2020 pattern starting 5LMYJ8XY decoded as an Aviator Grand Touring flagged as a plug-in hybrid, so a gas Aviator wearing a Grand Touring badge in a listing deserves a second look.
Honestly, vPIC's Lincoln data is good but patchy. A 2022 Corsair pattern came back with partial data, and a 2017 Continental decoded with no plant at all. When fields go blank, read the door-jamb label and compare it with the dash plate, the way we describe in how to find and verify a VIN.
The Ford twins, briefly
You do not need a platform chart, you just need to know which Ford recalls can land on a Lincoln VIN. NHTSA's own recall summaries pair the Navigator with the Ford Expedition, the Aviator with the Ford Explorer, and the Corsair with the Ford Escape. So when a Ford campaign hits the news, check the Lincoln too. If you are also looking at the Aviator's Ford sibling, our used Ford Explorer buying guide covers it.
Positions 9-11: check digit, year and plant
Position 9 is the check digit defined in 49 CFR 565.15. A typo usually fails it, but a cloned VIN copied from a real Lincoln passes, so treat it as a typo filter and nothing more. Position 10 is the year: in our runs G was 2016, H 2017, J 2018, K 2019, L 2020 and N 2022. Position 11 is the plant: E was Kentucky Truck (Navigator), G was Chicago (Aviator), B was Oakville (MKX and Nautilus), U was Louisville Assembly (MKC and Corsair) and R was Hermosillo (MKZ).
Lincoln recalls worth running by VIN
Run the full VIN, not just the model year, because these campaigns follow build dates and equipment. Recall 22V-346 covered 66,221 2021 Expedition and Navigator SUVs for an engine compartment fire that can start while driving or parked, even with the ignition off, and owners were told to park outside until dealers dealt with the battery junction box. A later filing, 25V-628, covered 4,632 2020 Expedition and Navigator SUVs for a short circuit in that same junction box, with the same park-outside advice. On the Aviator plug-in, 23V-626 covered 2,954 2020-2022 Aviator and Explorer PHEVs whose high-voltage battery cells may short internally. The Corsair has its own battery campaign: 24V-954 covered 20,484 2020-2024 Escape and 2021-2024 Corsair vehicles with a high-voltage battery cell defect, and owners were told not to charge until the fix was done.
Look, an open park-outside recall on a Navigator is a walk-away until you see a dealer repair order with that VIN printed on it. Our post on checking recalls by VIN shows how to read the result.
After the decode: history and what it costs
A clean decode only tells you what the factory built. It says nothing about a flood claim, an auction damage note or a rolled-back cluster. For current-model context, Car and Driver's Navigator page lists a 440-hp twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with a 10-speed automatic. History comes from DMV, insurer, auction and shop records, which CARFAX describes as the basis of its reports. Pull your own report; we have seen seller PDFs with the title section cropped out. As of mid October 2026, a CARFAX report through us runs about $5.50 as a guest or about $4.50 as a member, and a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle is about $6.75, against roughly $39.99 to $44.99 at retail. Confirm at checkout. We are a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, or Experian.
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