The 2015 c I'm considering buying had front-end "structural damage" (w/o airbag deployment) 20,000 miles ago. I intend to jack it up and see what may have been replaced. I know engine and tranny have VIN (though not where the tags are located) but it seems our 2012 Gen 3 has VIN on doors and fenders, too. I'm curious to know the full list of parts that have a VIN tag (and ideally where the tags are located) so I can determine what was replaced.
Other than the generic list in the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard, 49 CFR § 541.5(a), I don’t know of a published source for this information. It’s not in Toyota’s Collision Repair Manual (more info) series or Electronic Parts Catalog, for example. If you see an “R DOT” label, the part is a replacement, of course, but there may not be labels on parts salvaged from another vehicle, especially if they were repainted.
Well, I decided it didn't matter a whole lot as long as everything worked or looked as it should. The driver's front fender wasn't original (no VIN tag and slightly different color on the inside), but I couldn't tell anything else was replaced, which is pretty impressive I think. I would guess the hoods are supposed to have VIN tags like the fenders and doors do, but I know our other Prius' was replaced (and I wouldn't be surprised that this one was as well) so I don't know for sure.
The Repair Manual excerpt I posted (post #4) says the VIN is in three places. Maybe you're conflating part number with VIN?
It doesn’t say those are the only three places. At least in the U.S., manufacturers and importers of many vehicles (unless they are exempt, like the liftback Prius) are required to affix tamper-resistant labels or markings with the VIN to certain other parts, to deter the sale of parts from stolen vehicles. The idea is that any covered part should be marked with the VIN of the vehicle on which it’s installed, the VIN of a vehicle that has been salvaged (and not reported stolen), or an “R” (for replacement) and the trademark of the automaker or another legitimate supplier of spare parts. If there’s no marking on a part that should have one, the presumption is that it came from a chop shop.
There are several services which add the VIN to a part not previously tagged by Toyota. This is done as a value-add service by certain dealers. Lots of parts get the sticker.
On this topic I’ve recently run into trouble with my Frankenstein prius. I’ve literally replaced so many parts with junkyard parts and just recently a dash swap that it is difficult to determine the real vin without my keeping record of it . Some of the markings have also been removed for unknown reasons before I got the Frankenstein car (like the door jam sticker and fire wall engraving). My guess is the previous owner, being a nut job, was trying to make all the parts uniform in showing (or not showing) the same vin. I’ve not kept this up so you can literally find 5+ vin stickers and engravings all around my car. The cops even took my license plates assuming I had swapped them onto a different car… hell I’ve changed ecus so many times I wonder what it reads electronically now.
I know the gen2 and 3 US engines have a vin plate on the back passenger side. Which is usually gone if you buy a junkyard engine. Pretty sure they don't want any law enforcement inspections.
your car is going to have a backup vin recorded on the front right floorboard like in the drawing Mendel added upthread. Then you could at least figure out which is the base that all the other bits are stacked on.
What if i didnt want it possible to determine the base vin of a prius? Hypothetically, is that even possible. the damn vin is literally on every part in one way or another.
That's difficult on purpose. The number is stamped in a bunch of different places to reduce insurance fraud and help reduce crime. Some of the marked locations are the manufacturer's secret, not published in repair manuals. They won't tell you where to look, but if a court pays them to bring back the numbers they will.
