Towing capacity by VIN
A VIN tells you the make, model, model year, engine and GVWR class, but not the towing capacity: that also depends on the axle ratio, cab, bed, drive and towing package. This tool decodes your VIN with NHTSA's free vPIC service and sends you to the maker's towing chart for that model year, where you pick the row that matches your truck.
How to use this tool · what to enter and how to read the result
Your VIN is sent to NHTSA's vPIC service to decode it: straight from your browser, or through this site if your browser can't reach NHTSA. We don't store it.
What a VIN can and can't tell you
The VIN decode returns what the maker reported to NHTSA for that VIN pattern: make, model, model year, trim or series, body, drive type, engine and a GVWR class (a weight range such as “Class 2E: 6,001 - 7,000 lb”), not the exact GVWR. NHTSA notes that a blank field means it has no data for it, not that the vehicle lacks the feature.
Towing capacity is not part of the VIN. Ford's guide rates the 2026 F-150 anywhere from 7,000 to 13,500 lbs depending on engine, axle ratio, cab, bed length and towing package, which is why our vehicle pages show the maker's full table. To pick the right row:
- Engine and drive: from the decode, or the window sticker.
- Axle ratio: often coded on the certification label on the driver's door edge or pillar; the owner's manual explains the code.
- GVWR, GAWR and the tire and loading placard: on the door-edge labels. These are your vehicle's own limits and they take priority over any chart.
Where to find the VIN
Every VIN has 17 characters, letters and digits only, and never uses the letters I, O or Q (so they can't be confused with 1 and 0). On passenger cars, SUVs, vans and trucks with a GVWR of 10,000 lbs (4,536 kg) or less, it must be readable from outside, through the windshield, next to the driver's-side windshield pillar (49 CFR 565.13). It is also printed on the certification label on the driver's door edge or pillar, and on the title, registration and insurance card.
The ninth character is a check digit calculated from the others, so a single mistyped character usually makes the decode report an error. If it does, check for 0 vs D, 8 vs B and 5 vs S.
Vehicles we cover
Towing data on this site comes only from the maker's own towing guides, checked figure by figure. A VIN that decodes to one of these goes straight to its page:
More makes and models are added as we verify them. For anything not listed, the towing figure is in the owner's manual or the maker's towing guide for that model year.
Related
- Can I tow it?: trailer, hitch, payload and GCWR checked together.
- Payload calculator: payload left after people, cargo and tongue weight.
- What is GVWR?: the weight classes the VIN decode reports.
- What is towing capacity?: what the rating means and what lowers it.
Sources
- NHTSA vPIC API, Decode VIN (flat format), DecodeVinValues. NHTSA also has its own VIN decoder page.
- 49 CFR 565.13, VIN length, permitted characters, check digit and location.
- Towing tables: the maker's guide cited on each vehicle page (see data sources).