Catalytic converter theft explodes, pickups and hybrids likely targets

Burglars want your catalytic converters at alarming rates. Claims of catalytic converter theft improved more than 1,200% from 2019 to 2021, according to the most modern knowledge from the National Insurance plan Criminal offense Bureau as documented by Carfax. 

In 2021, there ended up 52,206 reported catalytic converter thefts vs . 3,969 thefts in 2019. The range could be greater, given that proprietors may not report the theft to their insurance plan supplier. Both way, the staggering improve usually means new and outdated autos are inclined, and house owners could be on the hook for repairs and replacements that selection from $1,000 to $3,000, according to the NICB.

Mandated given that 1975 for most passenger autos, the pollution managing device appears like a mini muffler established in the centre of the exhaust system between the two axles. Considering that it is really beneath the car, it’s effortless for burglars to access by sliding underneath the car and chopping it loose from both conclusion of the exhaust pipe. 

What’s so distinctive about catalytic converters, other than their environmental profit? The treasured metals demanded to make them. 

The spike in catalytic converter thefts demonstrates the skyrocketing worth of rhodium, palladium, and platinum. Intruders can make everywhere from $300 on common cats to $1,400 on hybrid ones, Carfax described. 

“As the price of the treasured metals continues to be superior, so do the quantity of thefts of these devices,” the NICB reported in a statement. “There is a very clear connection in between situations of crisis, restricted methods, and disruption of the offer chain that drives these thefts.”

Some automobiles make for better targets than other individuals. It should really arrive as no shock that the bestselling motor vehicles are the most affected, just by the sheer presence of the versions on streets and driveways. Carfax broke down the most repeated thefts by area, as very well as nationwide, by wanting at service stories from far more than 60,000 company centers throughout the state. 

Even nevertheless the bestselling Ford F-150 experienced the optimum number of cat thefts nationwide and in three of the 4 locations, the Toyota Prius hybrid experienced much more thefts in the west area, indicating that site matters.  

Although it didn’t listing the real variety of types affected, it did rank the automobiles by volume:

1985-2021 Ford F-Series pickup truck

1989-2020 Honda Accord

2007-2017 Jeep Patriot

1990-2022 Ford Econoline vans

1999-2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup vans

2005-2021 Chevrolet Equinox

1997-2020 Honda CR-V

1987-2019 Toyota Camry

2011-2017 Chrysler 200

2001-2021 Toyota Prius

The takeaway? Catalytic converter intruders do not discriminate. 

“Robbers focus on a wide wide range of models, regardless of the size of the automobile, its age, or the automaker’s dwelling place,” Carfax described. 

Equally sources advocate installing an anti-theft device or getting the converter etched with the car’s VIN to make it less difficult for legislation enforcement to trace. Also, parking in an enclosed location or garage will limit the hazard of theft.