A Scion VIN is a Toyota VIN, and vPIC says so plainly. Every Scion pattern we decoded listed the make as Toyota, with the model spelled out as "Scion tC" or "Scion xB." The first three characters tell you which Scion you are holding. JTK covers the tC, xA and xD, JTL is the xB, and JTN is the iM and iQ. The FR-S starts JF1 because Subaru built it, and the iA starts 3MY because Mazda built it in Mexico. Position 10 is the model year and 11 is the plant. Decode it, then run recalls and a history report before you pay.
We fed Scion patterns through NHTSA's free vPIC decoder on the morning of October 14, 2026, mostly because the brand is gone and the paperwork around these cars has gotten sloppy. Toyota announced on February 3, 2016 that Scion would fold back into Toyota, and its transition release said 2017 FR-S, iA and iM cars would be rebadged as Toyotas starting that August, while the tC got a final release edition and ended production in August 2016. So a "2017 Scion iM" in an ad is really a Toyota-badged car. New to the 17 positions? Read how to decode a VIN first, and keep our Toyota VIN decoder guide open for the shared codes.
Positions 1-3: which WMI goes with which Scion
The WMI is the fastest way to catch a mismatched ad. A 2005 tC pattern starting JTKDE177 decoded to a 2.4-liter 2AZ-FE four from Toyota's Tsutsumi plant in Toyota City, and a 2011 tC starting JTKJF5C7 came back with the 2.5-liter 2AR-FE from the same plant. A 2005 xA starting JTKKT624 returned a 1.5-liter 1NZ-FE from the Takaoka plant. The xB uses JTL: a 2005 pattern starting JTLKT324 decoded to a 1.5-liter four, while 2008 and 2010 patterns starting JTLKE50E and JTLZE4FE came back with the 2.4-liter and a plant in Kanegasaki, Iwate, listed under Kanto Auto Works. The iM (JTNKARJE) and iQ (JTNJJXB0) both decoded to Takaoka, with a 1.8-liter and a 1.3-liter engine.
Then the two outsiders. An FR-S pattern starting JF1ZNAA1 lists Subaru Corporation as the manufacturer, a 2.0-liter engine and a plant in Ota, Gunma. An iA pattern starting 3MYDLBZV lists Mazda Motor Manufacturing de Mexico in Salamanca, Guanajuato, with a 1.5-liter four. Honestly, a JF1 or 3MY prefix is normal on these two cars, even if a seller who only knows "Scion means Toyota" gets nervous about it.
Positions 4-8: the first xB and the second xB are different cars
The middle block encodes model, body, restraints and engine, and vPIC often fills a Toyota series code beside it. Our 2005 xB pattern showed series NCP31L and the 1.5-liter engine, while the 2008 and 2010 patterns showed AZE151L and the 2.4. That gap matters when you price a boxy xB. Toyota's Scion fact sheet says the second-generation xB arrived for 2008 and the xB ended production in December 2015, so a "2006 xB with the 2.4" is a typo or a story. The xD shows a smaller version of the same thing: a 2008 pattern decoded to Takaoka, and a 2014 pattern came back from Toyota Motor East Japan in Kanegasaki, both with the 1.8-liter 2ZR-FE.
Positions 9-11: check digit, model 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 car passes, so the check digit proves arithmetic, not honesty. Position 10 is the year: in our samples 5 was 2005, 8 was 2008, A was 2010, B was 2011, C was 2012, E was 2014 and G was 2016. Position 11 is the plant code, and on Scions it moves around because the cars came from several Toyota plants plus Subaru and Mazda. Match the dash plate, the door-jamb label and the title before you talk money.
Recalls on a Scion VIN
Toyota's release said Scion owners would keep using Toyota dealer service departments, so that is where open campaigns get fixed. The xB carries the heaviest file. NHTSA recall 16V-340 covers certain 2008-2011 xBs originally sold or ever registered in a list of hot, humid states and territories, for passenger air bag inflators. 19V-741 covers 2008-2012 xBs that already got a replacement inflator of the same design, which can degrade the same way. On the FR-S, Subaru's filing 18V-772 covers 2013 cars whose valve springs can fracture and stall the engine. Our Scion recall check by VIN post walks through the rest.
Look, "the air bag recall was done" on an xB is half an answer. Ask which campaign and get the repair order with the VIN printed on it.
After the decode: history, and what it costs
A decode will not show a salvage brand, an odometer rollback, auction damage or a flood title. Those come from DMV, insurer, auction and shop records, which CARFAX describes as the basis of its reports. Most Scions are ten-plus years old and on their third or fourth owner, which is right when a seller PDF with no VIN on it tends to appear. Pull your own copy. 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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