Friday, July 2nd, 2004 — The auto industry‘s number is almost up. The 17-digit codes that identify the origin, make, model and attributes of cars, trucks, buses — even trailers — worldwide will be exhausted by the end of the decade.
And like an odometer that returns to zero and starts over again, a Vehicle Identification Number — or VIN — could be duplicated.
Experts say duplicated VINs would cause havoc for repair shops, state license offices, insurance agencies, law enforcement and other groups that use VINs to process warranty claims, investigate accident claims and recover stolen vehicles.
"We‘ve been brainwashing law enforcement and the insurance community and virtually everybody that a VIN is like DNA — there‘s one for any one vehicle," said Ed Sparkman, spokesman for the Chicago-based National Insurance Crime Bureau.