Catalytic converter theft from cars isn’t a new crime, but it has increased significantly in recent times.
Police forces around the UK are advising owners of any car fitted with a catalytic converter to take precautions. In Toyota’s case it is second and third-generation Prius models (2004-2009 and 2009-2016 respectively) and second-generation Auris Hybrids (2012-2018) which have been particular targets for thieves.
Below we’ve gathered the best advice for Toyota owners who may be concerned.
What is a catalytic converter?
The catalytic converter is part of the car’s emissions control system. It cleans up the exhaust gases before they are expelled from the car through the exhaust pipe. Its internal elements react with the gases, breaking them down into less harmful substances and water vapour. All new cars sold in Europe since 1993 have had to be fitted with a catalytic converter by law.
Why are they a target for thieves?
Clearly the police are best placed to offer advice on the motives behind this crime. But we understand that the value of the catalytic converter for recycling is the main attraction to thieves, because it contains precious metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium.
What can owners do to stop their cars being targeted?
Some owners have chosen to tag their catalytic converters with an invisible yet traceable forensic marking solution, such as that provided by SmartWater. This means that a stolen catalytic converter can be traced to a specific crime, helping police in their attempts to fight the organised gangs responsible. It also raises the risk to all those handling the devices along the criminal chain, from theft to eventual disposal and recycling. Mechanical theft prevention products such as Catloc devices can also deter thieves.
However, it must be noted that catalytic converter theft is a criminal operation and the scope of owners is therefore limited. Police forces are taking action, so it is important for anyone who is a victim of this crime to report it as quickly as possible.
In the main, older cars are more likely to be targeted. This is because advances in efficiency and technology mean the latest generations of catalytic converters contain vastly lower amounts of precious metals, while still doing their job just as well or even better. This means their value for recycling is very low and they are not attractive to thieves.
Does a mechanical lock give my car 100% protection from thieves?
Sadly not. It can make theft more difficult but thieves are using high-powered cutting tools to remove catalytic converters and because of this it is not possible to make them ‘unstealable’. A mechanical locking device makes it harder to steal a catalytic converter because it slows down thieves and therefore acts as a deterrent.
If I’m worried about my Toyota model, what should I do?
If you are worried about potential catalytic converter theft from your Toyota, we recommend you use our locator tool to find your nearest Toyota centre and contact them to discuss the best way to protect your car.
This article was last updated on 2 November 2024, so some of the responses to reader comments below have been superseded by more recent information.
The catalytic converter from our auris was stolen last week in a hospital car park. We are having to claim on our insurance but have been told it could be THREE months to source a replacement as Toyota aren’t making them anymore and there’s a worldwide shortage. Our insurance only covers a courtesy car for 2 weeks. This is NOT good enough Toyota. What are you going to do about this?! We can not hire a car for this time, nor use public transport due to our location. It is ridiculous that Toyota have not recalled these cars to install preventative measures. And what happens if it gets stolen again?!
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch and we are so sorry you have been a victim of this type of crime. We have seen a huge rise in demand for parts due to the recent crime wave for Catalytic Converters in certain areas of the UK. We, and our supply chain, have struggled to keep up with demand for this essential part but we have been working urgently with our suppliers to increase production.
If your part has already been ordered, we are more than happy to contact the Toyota Centre to get the individual order reference so that we can monitor the supply and let the Centre/you know when it is going to be available. In order for us to do this, we will email you directly to get some additional details to open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
I had the catalytic converter stolen from my Auris hybrid whils it was parked at the Novatel hotel in Nottingham during the weekend 6th to 9th September. I repertedv the theft to Notte police and was given a crime number and reported it to my insurers who arranged recovery to a repair workshop in Yeovil who are now awaiting delivery of a new part but are unable to advise when they will be available. In view of the apparent high incidence of theft from this particular vehicle model I would like to know what action the company is taking and how long it will be before a new part is available
Hi David,
Thanks for getting in touch and we are extremely sorry this has happened to you. We will email you directly to get further details in order to open a customer relations case with our team. They will be able to update you on the estimated delivery of your part when it becomes available.
Thanks.
Hi Toyota,
I like many others are affected by this deluge of customers that have had their Catalytic Converters stolen. I don’t blame Toyota for this, the thieves are the ones to blame.
However, It would be good to know:
1) How many backorders do Toyota currently have in for replacements?
2) How Many Catalytic Converters are in the process of being built?
3) Where possible, would the parts for the new cars be redirected for these customers?
Also having read a lot of the comments from customer it seems that many were not informed of the risk by Toyota of the dealers, I had my car serviced in July 2019 by a Toyota Main Dealer and nothing mentioned, just yesterday I received a letter from Toyota advised to get a Catloc fitted for my Auris which has been available for my car since January 2019. Why 9 months to notify me?
As you stated that this is affected all manufactures I am in the process of calling other Manufacture Head Office’s to see how much truth this holds as I currently have only found Blog’s for Toyota cars.
I received an email a couple of weeks ago and was informed someone would call me, this phone call has not yet happened.
Regards
James
Hi James,
Thanks for your kind words, this is a terrible criminal phenomenon which we are working hard to overcome. Your last contact with us was on the 16th, so we will pass this on to the case manager who will be able to update you. Regarding your additional questions, they will also be best placed to discuss them in more detail with you.
Thanks.
Hello Toyoya Team,
I am another person who own Auris and got catalytic converter got stolen. It seems this part is made in less number and stolen more frequently.
Can company take quick action so customers are not waiting too long for their car repair.
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been a victim of this crime. We are doing all we can to minimize the inconvenience to impacted customer as much as possible. The increase in this crime in 2019 has been very significant, so much so that we have struggled to increase parts supply to meet this sudden demand. We can only apologise again for the inconvenience this has caused some customers and we are working flat out with our suppliers to try to resolve this as soon as we can. Our main supplier has now increased its daily production shifts from one to three, and we hope this will allow us to get customers back on the road more quickly.
Thanks.
Having had a cat stolen I looked at any preventative measures that could be used to stop a reoccurrence. I discussed this much vaunted Catloc with the garage that replaced the cat and their view was it would slow down a theft by a few seconds at best, basically useless, can be quickly removed with the tools these low life carry.
Hi John,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are sorry to hear you vehicle has been targeted by thieves. You’re right, criminals are using high-grade power saws to remove the catalyst. We are doing all we can, but clearly these are criminal operations and our scope is therefore limited. We have issued police guidance to our customers, and we have developed and reduced the price of a “Catloc” device which can deter theft and make it more difficult. We are urgently exploring new technical possibilities to deter criminals but we would like to refrain from going in to specifics at this time for security reasons.
Thanks.
Hi Toyota,
My car’s Prius+ catalytic converter was stolen when parked in a car park. The car is at garage for repair waiting for parts for 2 months. On enquiring with the garage regards to this catlock system to prevent catalytic theft they said it is not that effective as it will only add 2 or 3 more minutes of delays to a determined thief. They use higher power saw to get the locks also off. Are these locks really effective? I don’t want to waste money on a car which I am definitely getting rid off.
Thanks
Francis
Hi Francis,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are deeply sorry you have been a victim of criminal activity. The Catloc devices are designed to deter theft and make it more difficult. Unfortunately there is little we, or any manufacturer can do to stop determined criminals who are using high-grade power saws from removing them. We are urgently exploring new technical possibilities to deter criminals but we would like to refrain from going in to specifics at this time for obvious reasons.
We will email you directly to gain further information in order to open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
Thanks for getting back.
Why don’t you explore an architectural change so that the catalytic converter is safely inside the bonnet in an area which is not easily accessible? Put it inside bonnet in a safe area it will be huge deterrent.
Just a thought.
Hi Francis,
Thanks for getting back in touch. We are urgently exploring new technical possibilities to deter criminals but we would like to refrain from going in to specifics at this time for obvious reasons. However, as criminals are using high-grade power saws to remove the catalyst, in reality they are as easy to remove from any vehicle making the design less relevant.
Thanks.
Yes, it is criminal activity, but the response from Toyota is almost as bad in that it completely disassociates the company from any form of responsibility. You have provided criminals with a part that is easily removed, and the Cat Lock will slow them down by 3 seconds (your words). You knew one of the cars being targeted was the hybrid Auris, but sent out a warning to motorists 9 (NINE) months after you were aware of this information: when many of us had already got useless vehicles parked in Toyota dealer compounds. How many vehicles are affected? How replacement catalytic converters have already been supplied, and how many catalytic converters are currently in the manufacture process? Your generic responses are farcical and offer the owners NO assurance that you are on top of this issue. I’ve owned several Toyota’s over the years and love the hybrid engine, but will never ever buy a Toyota again.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for getting back in touch. We are so sorry for the stress this situation may have caused.
We can see you have a case open with our Customer Relations team and they will be back in touch with you soon. They will also be best placed to answer your additional questions.
Thanks.
Hi Toyota Team,
I have been a victim of the same crime. My car (Auris) has been away for almost 2 months with no parts available. No estimated date in view. I am still paying my finance on the car. I called your customer relations team, they closed my case in an hour claiming it is ‘unfortunate there is nothing they can do to help’. I expected more from Toyota but my disappointment on how this issue is being handled means I am one unhappy customer who is ready to leave Toyota after this ordeal since there’s no solution in view.
Thanks
Just had a crime report through from Bedfordshire Police – 13 cats stolen in the past 7 days. ‘Case open with Customer Relations’ means nothing – all they did is contact the dealer to instruct him to phone me. Nothing changes, and I’m now heading for 10 weeks without a car. Of course I blame the criminals for the theft, but Toyota don’t exactly cover themselves in glory with a complete lack of information. And to think you guys knew this was an escalating problem MONTHS ago and did absolutely nothing about it to alert Auris owners.
I had mine stolen a few weeks ago (the day after i got it back from a recall at my Toyota garage). The fact of the matter is , Toyota has made a car with an expensive part being ‘EASY’ to steal. Dress it up how you want but this is the facts of the matter and this is why Toyota’s are being targeted apposed to other cars.
I’ve just paid £350 in excess to have this repaired and now i live in fear of it happening again as Toyota are not doing any recalls to rectify the problem.
Instead the only option is to pay between £200 and £250 for a catlock after i have already skinted myself out paying the excess!
The response i get here will determine whether to carry on with Toyota or if i should sell it and go to another brand whos CAT’s are not as steelable !!!
Thanks
Mike
Hi Michael,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been a victim of this criminal activity. We believe some of our products have been targeted, especially in some specific areas of the country, due to the large number of those vehicles on the road.
However, Toyota vehicles are not the only ones being targeted and questions about the motivations and tactics of criminals should be addressed to the police, but we understand that the rise in the price of such parts and the materials they contain and opportunist profit may be the chief reason for the rise in this crime of late.
We will email you directly to gain further information that will allow us to open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
Not a lot of point addressing anything to the police – they closed my case within 4 hours of my reporting it, took 2 weeks to show any interest in the CCTV I had of the incident and I have yet to speak or see an actual P.C. Toyota should be putting more pressure on the police to take some form of action. The victims of this crime become paranoid about leaving their car anywhere other than a locked garage!!
I’m sure you are losing customer after customer over this – I sincerely hope your newest models have rectified the problem.
A colleague of mine had his replaced catalytic converter nicked again from same public carpark. He got so upset with the situation that he sold his Prius to get another car. Most of the people here would be thinking the same. It’s a shame that the situation had to become so bad and still there are thousands of car out there who are vulnerable.
Considering we are living in the age of communication excess I find it hard to believe that there has been so little on social media.
We should be warning ALL Toyota owners that this is a REAL and serious problem.
If ANYBODY sees men with high visibility jacquards on jacking up a car they should IMMEDIATELY ring the police, hoot loudly and make a great commotion.
Maybe then, we will get the police force to take some serious notice!
Hi Fellow Victims,
I don’t think we should hold Toyota fully at fault, from what I am reading its hybrid cars that are targeted and seeing that Toyota is likely to have the largest market share of hybrid cars on the road its inevitable that myself and many others would feel targeted more that other manufactures.
However, there is clearly a need for Toyota to demand their supplier to step up production else it will mean a lose customers for Toyota.
The Police need to start catching these thieves and prosecuting the recycling companies buying stolen goods as they must wonder how suddenly they are able to buying more than usual.
Hi James,
Thanks for getting back in touch and for these kind comments. We can confirm our main supplier has now increased its daily production shifts from one to three, and we hope this will allow us to get customers back on the road more quickly.
Thanks.
The police are not doing much for such low value cases as most of them can be sorted by insurance. What Toyota needs to do is lobby the police to look into the criminal activity and catch the whole supply chain of this dirty business. It’s a disgrace that so many people are affected and nothing much is being done by police. In my case police did not even got hold of CCTV image in time as it was overwritten in 15 days. I had written to police mentioning about 15 day period of the car park CCTV recordings. Sadly by the time they picked the file it was too late. It is not a high value case for them.
😤
100% do not blame Toyota for the theft. But they have showed sheer incompetence in communication with their loyal customers. Don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting almost 10 weeks, with no sign of a date for delivery of the catalytic converter. Trying to continue in my role as a District Nurse has been a nightmare, and a well earned break in the Lake District this weekend (already booked) has necessitated £200 costs for train travel. I had a hire car for 2 weeks, but that was it. Toyota knew this was a problem which was escalating months ago, but I only received a letter from them 4 days ago. Hope you get your car back on the road soon, James
Just tried to order a Catloc for my Gen 4 Prius after receiving the letter from Toyota. My garage has informed me that they haven’t even been manufactured yet.
How’s that for Toyota incompetence!
Hi Peter,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been a victim of this crime. We are only aware of a handful of cases affecting our newer models. The main focus of criminals seems to be older models. However, we are urgently exploring new technical possibilities to deter criminals but we would like to refrain from going in to specifics at this time for obvious reasons.
We will email you directly to gain further information.
Thanks.
You were lucky to have received a letter from Toyota. I have received nothing!
I am also a victim of catalytic converter crime in my area was stolen 2 days ago.
Hi Edwin,
We’re very sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves. We recommend contacting your nearest Lexus centre to order a replacement part. If you let us know where you are based, we can provide their details.
Thanks.
Hi Peter,
We can now confirm we have a Catloc for Gen 4 Prius. You will be able to order one through your nearest Toyota Centre.
Thanks
Just tried to get a CatLoc fitted by my local Toyota dealer after my insurers had the car repaired. Booked it in, dropped off the car the previous evening only to receive a phone call at 8.30 in the morning to say they could NOT fit the CatLoc because the new Catalytic Converter was not a genuine Toyota replacement!
Spent a long time speaking with the insurers but I’m now left with a dilemma – do I hope the thieves won’t strike again because the replacement is worth less? Or get rid of the car?
Toyota really need to think this through because according to the insurers it IS primarily Toyota and they will place these cars in a much higher ‘at risk’ bracket.
If we can’t insure these cars we won’t buy them!
Hi Ian,
Thanks for getting back in touch. We are so sorry for this situation and have escalated your case within our customer relations team in order to help you further. Someone should be in touch with you soon.
Thanks.