Date: August 3, 2012

To:

All County Tax Assessor-Collectors

Subject:

2012 and Future Model Year Manual Corrections

PURPOSE

To provide information regarding manufacturers' recycling of portions of the vehicle identification number (VIN) and processing instructions when encountering a vehicle that is not decoding properly.

DETAILS

In RTB 003-11, we advised you that some manufacturers were recycling portions of the VIN, specifically the 10th digit denoting the year model of the vehicle. We anticipate that this issue will continue every year as manufacturers continue to recycle VIN digits for new year model vehicles.

In some cases, only the year model is affected, reflecting a 1983 year model for a 2013 year model. However, in other cases, vehicles are populating with incorrect year and make; for example, a 2013 Nissan is populating as a 1983 Datsun.

In order for the Registration and Title System (RTS) to recognize these changes, updates to the RTS VIN decoding program is required. Notification of these types of changes is often sporadic and it may take some time for the system update to accommodate such changes. As a result, you may encounter vehicles in the future with year models that do not decode properly in RTS.

COUNTY ACTION

Please verify the vehicle information, paying particular attention to the year model and make on all Manufacturer's Certificates of Origin (MCO). If you encounter a vehicle that is not decoding properly based on the MCO, please correct the information manually.

CONTACT

If you have questions, please contact your local TxDMV Regional Service Center.