Tesla Fremont VIN Lookup — Decode Any 5YJ Tesla From Gigafactory California.

Find the 17-character VIN on the lower driver-side windshield, the door-jamb sticker, the MyTesla app under the Vehicle tab, or the title document. Confirm it begins with 5YJ (the Fremont WMI assigned to Gigafactory California). Enter it into the free Tesla Fremont VIN lookup form on this page. The tool validates the VIN format, confirms the Fremont plant, decodes the year and model, queries NMVTIS for title brand and salvage history, and pulls every open NHTSA recall attached to the VIN. Results return in seconds with no account, credit card, or sign-up required.

Gigafactory California in Fremont produces the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and older Model Y units (pre-2022 North American Model Y production). Every Tesla built at Fremont carries the WMI 5YJ in the first three positions of the VIN. Cybertruck has never been built at Fremont — that line is exclusively at Gigafactory Texas in Austin. If a VIN starts with 5YJ, the Tesla was built at Fremont; if it starts with 7SAY, it was built in Austin; LRW indicates Shanghai; and XP7 indicates Berlin-Brandenburg.

From 1984 to 2010 the same factory operated as NUMMI — New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. — a GM-Toyota joint venture that produced the Chevrolet Nova, Geo Prizm, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Tacoma. NUMMI closed in 2010 as part of GM’s post-bankruptcy restructuring. Tesla acquired the facility the same year for a small fraction of its replacement cost and reopened it as Tesla’s first production plant, with the Model S launching in 2012. The NUMMI Toyota Production System heritage is part of why Fremont could be re-tooled so quickly.

Gigafactory California in Fremont has an annual installed capacity of approximately 500,000 vehicles per year across all four Tesla model lines built there (Model S, Model X, Model 3, and older Model Y). That makes it one of the most productive single auto assembly facilities in North America by vehicle count. Actual production varies year to year as Tesla shifts mix between Fremont and other Gigafactories, but Fremont remains the highest-volume production plant for Model S and Model X worldwide.

A first-year 2012 Tesla Model S has a 17-character VIN beginning with 5YJ (Fremont) and the year code C in position 10. The standard VIN year cycle uses C for 2012, D for 2013, E for 2014, F for 2015, G for 2016, H for 2017, J for 2018, K for 2019, L for 2020, M for 2021, N for 2022, P for 2023, R for 2024, S for 2025, and T for 2026. Original 2012 Model S units are increasingly recognized as historically significant Teslas and may trade at a premium relative to similar-mileage 2013 and 2014 cars. A Tesla Fremont VIN lookup confirms both the 5YJ plant and the year code in one query.

Yes. CarCheckerVIN’s Tesla Fremont VIN lookup is free, with no sign-up, no credit card, and no hidden charges. As an NMVTIS-approved data provider we can surface the consumer-relevant title-brand fields and the live NHTSA Tesla recall feed without a paywall. A paid full Tesla history report is available if you need every line item and every date, but the free Fremont lookup is enough to confirm the 5YJ plant, decode the year and model, and spot salvage, flood, junk, rebuilt, or lemon brands plus open Autopilot, hood-latch, and touchscreen recalls before you buy.

Every Tesla built at Fremont prints the VIN in at least four places. The easiest is the lower corner of the windshield on the driver side — look through the glass from outside the vehicle. The second is the driver-side door jamb sticker, which is required on every Tesla sold in the US by federal law. The MyTesla app prints the VIN under the Vehicle tab. The Tesla title document and the Tesla insurance ID card both print the VIN as well. If any one of those sources disagrees with another, do not buy the Tesla until you reconcile the mismatch — it is exactly the kind of thing a Tesla Fremont VIN lookup is designed to catch.