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Catalytic converter theft: how to protect your car

By LEXUS UK

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.

2,460 comments

  1. Dear Fellow Victims of Catalytic converter thefts,

    It is crazy this sort of crime still happens in day light in the UK. It is shame on Toyota they still have not provided a lasting solution to Toyota Hybrid car owners. Does anyone have an experience of the so called deterrent Cat Lock from Toyota has helped stop further thefts? Or has anyone got their Cat Locks cut and stolen their Catalytic converters despite the Lock being fitted? I am looking into the Cat Lock solution and checking if worth pursuing that rather than local garage customised metal plate welding solution which unfortunately causes some noise affecting ability for smooth driving. Appreciate any feedback from relevant previous experience. Thanks

    Reply

  2. Dear Toyota,

    I am very disappointed with your design fault including your lack of proactive support in a timely manner for victims of catalytic converter theft Toyota Customers. It is evident Toyota Hybrid cars have become huge liability despite the fact that they were deemed to be very economical cars losing their unique selling proposition. Here is my story:

    In January this year, I got my catalytic converter stolen from my Toyota Prius. I got that repaired with huge bill and sold it thinking I got rid of the problem and got Auris replacement. We currently have 2 Auris’s at home, 2011 and 2016. Unfortunately from both the catalytic converters got stolen at the same time to our horror from at the back of our house in London. This is at the cost of £2,000 to repair at local garage as Toyota was on backlog waiting of parts from 4-6 weeks when I made the phone call at my nearest Toyota dealer (Romford). Although the local garage installed me a security metal plate including the catalytic converter, I now have noise in the car which is extremely annoying from the security metal plate. Please do not tell me you are not responsible on what the local garages fit as I can already hear you saying that in advance. The local garage stepped in to the rescue of your customers as you were unable to help! I am at huge loss having paid £3,000 for the repairs of 3 different Toyota cars this year which is more than enough money to buy another good car. Can you please let me know how you can help fitting a Cat Lock if you think that will help deter future crimes? BUT to be asked by Toyota yet to pay £250 per Cat Lock is another additional liability on my Toyota cars that have caused me already far too much unnecessary costs in keeping and maintaining them. By the way, I am also looking into fitting an additional alarm “Tilt Sensor” as a deterrent and that comes at a cost of £300 per Toyota car – additional £600 for both cars. I would like to understand too, if you are able to help with the “Tilt Sensor” alarm. Your speedy attention looking into this matter seriously and assist is appreciated in advance.

    Reply

    1. Hi there,

      Thanks for getting in touch with us. We are so sorry to hear about your experience with this crime. We take your story extremely seriously and have escalated your existing customer relations case. Someone will be in touch with you soon.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  3. this is happened to me today, I parked my car and hospital, within two hours, My catalyitic Converter was being stolen and the thefter has damaged my car body.
    I had to call AA and staff came who told me that this is consistant happened recently due to thefters has ‘target’. this is scare to hear. there were two cars included mine at the same time and same place. called the police nothing will be done.
    I have been try to contact with toyota dealer but no response.
    five years no claims discount has been affected because of this, surely insurance premium increased . £350 access charge for no fault of my own except Toyota lack of taking into account of the problem. now I will without a car for maybe few days, this is a real concern about toyota now

    Reply

    1. Hi there,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been impacted by this crime. We are taking this rise in crime incredibly seriously and assessing each case on an individual basis in order to best help our customers. We will email you directly in regards to opening a customer relations case on your behalf.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  4. I have had my converter stolen from my 2018 Auris in early August from a hospital car park and am still waiting for parts with no ETA. This is the first and last time I buy a Toyota and thinking of selling it once I get it back as there is no guarantee it’s not going to happen again, seeing as colleagues have also had theirs stolen more than once from the same car parks. There are lots of other vehicles in the car parks but it seems only Toyotas are being targeted. The solution of a Catloc which I have to pay for will probably only deter thieves for a few minutes at the extra cost of £250. If I had known about this I would never have bought a Toyota.

    Reply

    1. Hi Leon,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are incredibly sorry you have been a victim of this crime. We have emailed you directly to gain additional details in order for us to open a customer relations case on your behalf. Our team will be able to track parts and discuss this with you further.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  5. I have just had the catalytic converter stolen from my Prius.I thought if I was parking on main street near to the Gardai Station (Irish police) I was safe. Not true. It is so frustrating and time consuming process in Ireland: first the Police, then Insurance, then the garage. I don’t mention the costs of the repairs. Now my wife want to get rid of our Prius because she is panicking that this will happen again.
    There is a lack of a useful information how to prevent this theft. The solutions offered online are expensive. would be nice of Toyota to support us somehow.
    Greetings

    Reply

    1. Hi Pawel,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been impacted by this crime and for the distress this may have caused. We are working to support all our customers impacted by this situation and have emailed you directly regarding opening a customer relations case on your behalf.

      Thanks.

      Reply

    2. I guess the makes to target are now in the “folklore” of the criminal element – even though other car’s cats may be as easy and as valuable to steal. The reputation has become engrained in the community.

      Reply

    3. Hi Pawel,

      Happened the same to me in Ireland ,if its 2. Gen prius there are cheap aftermarket options from UK manufacturers between 2-400 euro including the sensor ,working perfect and won’t be stolen again. A group stole mine was cought by Police just now ,so its not true they aren’t doing anything. Probably regulating scrapyards and cat recycling will end this hopefully soon.

      Reply

      1. Thanks for posting this, Peter. I was able to secure an aftermarket part. Do the criminals know is it isn’t worth stealing, or is my car still at risk in your opinion?

      2. Do you have name of the brand? Can’t seem to find any aftermarket CATs for the Prius Plus (59 plate) in London. Just desperate to get it fixed and then sell it for peace of mind.

  6. Just had my catalytic converter cut out in the middle of the night whilst my Toyota Prius 57 plate was parked on my drive overnight. I did not even know this is something I had to worry about happening. I have always been very happy with my Toyota and found them to be very reliable so this is extremely disappointing.

    Worse part is finding out that this is a well documented flaw (since April 19 according to this blog) and Toyota have chosen not to inform their customers of this fact. I understand that it is a flaw that Toyota did not foresee but the first step should have been to notify customers so that they could be more vigilant or taken the necessary precautions e.g. put a cover over it at night. It is no use that I have all this information now my converter has been stolen.This has also been mentioned in previous comments by other unlucky customers which makes it doubly frustrating!

    I am one of the “lucky” one because Toyota has my part in stock and can be available tomorrow. However I need to pay £1,345 (which has already been discounted so I am told), which is not inclusive of labour and it is highly likely this part may be stolen again and there is nothing I can do about it. It doesn’t make sense for me to purchase this part when it could be stolen. For the same price I could buy a second hand car…

    For the unlucky ones, wait for months until your part becomes available and it could still be stolen again or just don’t use your Toyota any more. I really don’t see how Toyota can genuinely say these are our options with a straight face.

    Reply

    1. Hi Vivien,

      Thanks for getting in touch with us. We are incredibly sorry you have been impacted by this crime. We will contact you directly in order to put you in touch with our customer relations team if you would like to discuss your case further.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  7. Here’s something I don’t understand:

    I regularly get my Prius serviced at my local Toyota dealership. At no point has it ever been mentioned to me that this risk existed. I regularly sit in the little office with someone who painstakingly goes through my vehicle report with me, advises me on my type tread depth and the state of my windscreen wipers, my hybrid health check, my service plan that I pay monthly for…

    Why has it never been suggested to me to invest in a catloc or a tilt sensor for my alarm?

    My Prius worked perfectly up until the theft. I have high mileage (over 176,000) and cannot afford to be off the road, nor can I afford to get a new vehicle. I don’t mind paying for the bigger repairs that are now cropping up due to the high mileage, but I am annoyed that this known issue has not been reported to me in time to protect my car from catalytic converter theft. I consider this to be negligence on the part of Toyota.

    Reply

  8. Dear Toyota,

    I had my Catalytic Converter stolen in July, when i placed my order for a new one for my Auris 2018 I was informed it should arrive in 2 weeks as we were ordering through my mechanic. However, my mechanic called after 2 weeks to get an update on where the catalytic converter is, but were then told we were placed on back order which is very frustrating. I work with a hospital and require my car as my every day job, due to this issue i haven’t been able to carry out my job requirement.
    Catalytic converter thefts has been a long term ongoing issue with Toyota cars, it only makes sense to make changes to your cars or create something free of charge to prevent any of these issues. However, from what Toyota customers see is that you continue making the same designs causing havoc with to customer, and then leaving them without cars due to failing to produce enough catalytic converters to cover this ongoing issue.

    I would like to know when i will be able to get hold of my catalytic converter that has been paid for delivered as my car is needed for my NHS based job.

    Zahira

    Reply

    1. Hi Zahira,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have experienced the impacts of this crime and for the distress this may have caused. We will email you directly in order to gain additional details to open a customer relations case on your behalf. Our team will be able to track parts and are best placed to support you further.

      Thanks.

      Reply

  9. Wife’s auris cat stolen 3rd October can’t get replacement for love or money .will not be buying a Toyota ever again I’ll stick to a normal car in future with a company that cares for its customers!

    Reply

    1. Hi Roberto,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry to hear you have been a victim of this crime. We have emailed you regarding gaining additional details in order to open a customer relations case on your behalf. We take this crime incredibly seriously and are working to support all our customers who have been impacted by this.

      Thanks.

      Reply

      1. It is very sad that Toyota does not even know the spec of their older cars.The Toyota Carina E was introduced in May 1992 All models were fitted with power steering and a catalytic converter.

      2. Hi David,

        Thanks for getting back in touch. You are right. Apologies for our mistake, we usually ask for the reg to confirm the spec and in this case, we didn’t.

        We are glad to hear your Carina is still going strong and wish you many more happy miles.

        Once again, we’re sorry for any confusion caused.

        Thanks.

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