Why the rash of thefts of Toyota Prius mufflers? Prefectural Police Alerted to 100 Victimizations! What is the reason for the worldwide increase in damage?
Chiba Prefectural Police Warns of More Than 100 Cases of Toyota Prius Alone in 2022!
On December 2, 2022, Chiba Prefectural Police issued a warning to “”Beware of Muffler Theft! The Chiba Prefectural Police issued a warning to the public to “”Beware of Muffler Theft!
Among them, the theft of mufflers (catalysts) of Toyota’s hybrid car “”Prius”” seems to have been reported one after another.
What part of the Prius is being targeted? The new Prius, unveiled for the first time in the world, has been well received for its design! See the actual car!
Why are Toyota’s “”old Prius”” mufflers targeted? Why are hybrid vehicles targeted worldwide (image: 3rd generation Prius)?
This alert seems to have been issued since early November 2022 in areas where muffler thefts are particularly common, such as Kisarazu City and Wakaba-ku, Chiba City.
In fact, the following is a statement issued by the Kisarazu Police Department on November 9, 2022.
(Original text of the police announcement is in Japanese only)
The following is the original statement issued by the Kisarazu Police Department on November 9, 2022.
Beware of theft of muffler parts for hybrid cars! (Shiomi 1-chome, Kisarazu City)
This is an announcement from the Kisarazu Police Station.
Recently, there have been a series of incidents of theft of parts connected to the muffler (commonly known as catalytic converters) at the bottom of hybrid vehicles in the jurisdiction of the Kisarazu Police Station.
In order to avoid becoming a victim, you should
z Parking lots that are well-lit and bright at night.
Parking lots with good visibility and no blind spots
Parking lots with security cameras installed.
In addition, you should also try to prevent damage by installing similar facilities in your home parking lot or installing an alarm system in your car.
Kisarazu Police Station, Chiba Prefecture
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
A Chiba Prefectural Police official had the following to say on the matter.
In 2022, there have been more than 100 cases of thefts targeting Prius mufflers in the prefecture.
Most of the damage has occurred during the nighttime hours, often at monthly parking lots and apartment complex parking lots.””
More than 100 cases of catalyst theft have been reported in Prius & Chiba Prefecture alone since January 2022, which seems like a rather large number.
The Chiba Prefectural Police recommends the installation of alarm devices in cars, security cameras and sensor lights in parking lots, and choosing parking lots with security cameras and bright lights at night when parking for a certain time.
Incidentally, although there is no official data available in Japan, slightly older hybrid cars are often the victims overseas.
According to Toyota UK, the 2nd generation Prius (2004-2009), the 3rd generation Prius (2009-2016), and the 2nd generation Auris Hybrid (2012-2018) are the vehicles with the most stolen catalysts.
In newer hybrids, catalytic converters are less likely to be stolen because they are designed to be less vulnerable to theft.
However, based on the aforementioned data, owners of first through third-generation Prius may want to be careful.
Regarding the background of older Prius being more likely to be targeted, one auto mechanic said, “”The number of second- and third-generation Prius sold is very large. And even though they are old in design, they boast fuel efficiency comparable to today’s cars. Because of this, they are still very popular for used car test drives. Because of this, the Prius itself is often the target of theft, and I suspect that the muffler (catalytic converter) alone is an easy target for theft.
* * * * * * * * * *
In the UK, a project to prevent the theft of catalytic converters has been launched in cooperation with Toyota UK and the police.
This project calls for owners of Toyota hybrid vehicles to come in and mark the catalytic converters to make it more difficult to resell them.
The purpose of this project is not to physically prevent catalytic converter theft, but rather to prevent the theft of the catalytic converter from being discovered and resold for profit by revealing the owner’s history when the catalytic converter is stolen and resold.
Why the rash of Toyota Prius muffler thefts? 100 cases of damage, and the prefectural police have been alerted! What is the reason for the worldwide increase in damage?
Kuruma News
Chiba Prefectural Police Warns of More Than 100 Cases of Toyota Prius Alone in 2022!
On December 2, 2022, Chiba Prefectural Police issued a warning to “”Beware of Muffler Theft! The Chiba Prefectural Police issued a warning to the public to “”Beware of Muffler Theft!
Among them, the theft of mufflers (catalysts) of Toyota’s hybrid car “”Prius”” seems to have been reported one after another.
(Image) What part of the Prius is being targeted? The new Prius, unveiled for the first time in the world, has been well received for its design! See the actual car! (29 pictures)
Why are Toyota’s “”old Prius”” mufflers targeted? Why are hybrid vehicles targeted worldwide (image: 3rd generation Prius)?
This alert seems to have been issued since early November 2022 in areas where muffler thefts are particularly common, such as Kisarazu City and Wakaba-ku, Chiba City.
In fact, the following is a statement issued by the Kisarazu Police Department on November 9, 2022.
(Original text of the police announcement is in Japanese only)
The following is the original statement issued by the Kisarazu Police Department on November 9, 2022.
Beware of theft of muffler parts for hybrid cars! (Shiomi 1-chome, Kisarazu City)
This is an announcement from the Kisarazu Police Station.
Recently, there have been a series of incidents of theft of parts connected to the muffler (commonly known as catalytic converters) at the bottom of hybrid vehicles in the jurisdiction of the Kisarazu Police Station.
In order to avoid becoming a victim, you should
z Parking lots that are well-lit and bright at night.
Parking lots with good visibility and no blind spots
Parking lots with security cameras installed.
In addition, you should also try to prevent damage by installing similar facilities in your home parking lot or installing an alarm system in your car.
Kisarazu Police Station, Chiba Prefecture
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
A Chiba Prefectural Police official had the following to say on the matter.
In 2022, there have been more than 100 cases of thefts targeting Prius mufflers in the prefecture.
Most of the damage has occurred during the nighttime hours, often at monthly parking lots and apartment complex parking lots.””
More than 100 cases of catalyst theft have been reported in Prius & Chiba Prefecture alone since January 2022, which seems like a rather large number.
The Chiba Prefectural Police recommends the installation of alarm devices in cars, security cameras and sensor lights in parking lots, and choosing parking lots with security cameras and bright lights at night when parking for a certain time.
Incidentally, although there is no official data available in Japan, slightly older hybrid cars are often the victims overseas.
According to Toyota UK, the 2nd generation Prius (2004-2009), the 3rd generation Prius (2009-2016), and the 2nd generation Auris Hybrid (2012-2018) are the vehicles with the most stolen catalysts.
In newer hybrids, catalytic converters are less likely to be stolen because they are designed to be less vulnerable to theft.
However, based on the aforementioned data, owners of first through third-generation Prius may want to be careful.
Regarding the background of older Prius being more likely to be targeted, one auto mechanic said, “”The number of second- and third-generation Prius sold is very large. And even though they are old in design, they boast fuel efficiency comparable to today’s cars. Because of this, they are still very popular for used car test drives. Because of this, the Prius itself is often the target of theft, and I suspect that the muffler (catalytic converter) alone is an easy target for theft.
* * * * * * * * * *
In the UK, a project to prevent the theft of catalytic converters has been launched in cooperation with Toyota UK and the police.
This project calls for owners of Toyota hybrid vehicles to come in and mark the catalytic converters to make it more difficult to resell them.
The purpose of this project is not to physically prevent catalytic converter theft, but rather to prevent the theft of the catalytic converter from being discovered and resold for profit by revealing the owner’s history when the catalytic converter is stolen and resold.
Why the rash of Toyota Prius muffler thefts? 100 cases of damage, and the prefectural police have been alerted! What is the reason for the worldwide increase in damage?
12/12 (Mon.) 7:10
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Automotive News
Metal used for catalysts exploded due to the Corona disaster! Catalyst theft is not only in Japan.
The purpose of stealing mufflers involves the precious metals used in the catalytic converter (a device used to clean and remove exhaust gases) attached to the muffler.
Catalytic converters contain honeycomb coated with precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium, which filter out harmful components in the exhaust gases.
Catalytic converter theft has been around for a long time, but especially since the Corona disaster, these precious metals have skyrocketed and theft has skyrocketed as well.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) states
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced metal production in mines.
With fewer workers in the mines and supply chains disrupted, the cost of mining and producing the precious metals used in catalysts has increased significantly.””
As a result, the price of rhodium has risen to a record high of 200% since March 2020, and catalyst theft has skyrocketed.
Toyota’s 4th-generation Prius, which consists of complex and expensive parts.
So, what happens to a car when the catalyst is stolen? We asked an acquaintance living in the U.S. who was actually a victim of catalyst theft.
The catalytic converter of his car was stolen in a hotel parking lot in Gardena, Los Angeles, in November 2022 in a matter of minutes.
The car that was the victim of the theft is a Toyota Tundra.
This Tundra is not a hybrid vehicle. The owner of the stolen car said the following, including after the theft.
After the theft, the car is in what is called a straight pipe. The silencer is behind it, so it makes an explosive noise.
It is illegal to drive the car as it is, so we are currently taking emergency measures.
In a short period of time, our Tundra, my friend’s Honda “”Element””, and the paint shop truck next to my office were also hit during the night when they were parked outside.
The Tundra sustained about $2,500 (340,000 yen) in damage from the catalytic converter and O2 sensor.
Insurance will cover the damage, but the delivery time will be over a year.
When we placed the order for the catalyst with Toyota USA, they had a back order of 3,000 units for the entire state of California at that point.
Now we know how many are stolen.
