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Catalytic converter theft: how to protect your car

By TOYOTA 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.

2,452 comments

  1. Was it a catlock fitted by toyota, or something else? I had mine installed 32 days ago, so far one attempt i know of as I actually saw the thieves “assessing” situation. Isn’t it sad I’m counting days?
    Also, toyota’s catlock rubs on some speedhumps, go real slow if you have one…

    Reply

    1. Yes, the Catloc was supplied and fitted by Toyota. The second cat and Catloc were stolen just short of 6 months after having them fitted following the first theft of the cat. Agree, the Catloc did make an awful rattling noise when driving (particularly accelerating).

      Reply

  2. Hi I am looking at the Prius+ and understand that this series is due for an upgrade soon. Can I ask if the upgrade will have a cat converter housed within the engine? When do you foresee this being on the market?

    Reply

  3. You can not stop buying Toyota cars as it is cheap, strong, reliable, and economy cars, the problem is not Toyota company, the problem is the police in you country , they have lots of videos of the stolen process with the number plate for the thieves van but they did nothing while you pay more tax for better police service.

    Reply

  4. Our catalytic converter was stolen from the bottom of our 2018 Auris yesterday parked in a hospice car park. The people that do this are despicable. Apparently there have been similar thefts in the hospice car park in recent weeks. People visiting sick and dying relatives!

    My wife then waited from 2pm to 10pm for RAC to come and take the car away!

    The blog above and the responses below are very disappointing given that the catlok apparently does little to prevent theft and the tilt alarm doesn’t exist yet. So Toyota, why bother writing this blog and giving these repetitive empty responses?
    You say repeatedly to contact our local dealer and customer service team for advice but presumably if there were any concrete practical steps owners could take you would state them here.
    This is all very frustrating. I don’t know yet what we are going to do as presumably once we get our car fixed it’s probably just a matter of time until it happens again!
    Regards
    Mike

    Reply

    1. Hi Mike,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are incredibly sorry you have been a victim of this crime and we deeply appreciate your concerns over this situation.

      We are doing all we can to help our customers who have been impacted by this crime. We treat all cases on a one by one basis and our Customer Relations team will look at your case and consider offering a courtesy vehicle FOC where Insurance providers will not cover this cost.

      We are also engaging with Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police (OVCU) and the Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police (Jenny Sims) who is also the National Lead for all vehicle crime. All of this will raise the profile of this crime with all police forces and identify issues with current legislation.

      If you would like to discuss your situation further with our customer relations team, you can find their contact details via this link: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/

      Thanks.

      Reply

  5. Could you not offer Toyota Owners a set of bolts with heads to match the locking nuts fitted to wheels. As four bolts are used to retain the catalytic converter, this would mean that thieves would have to spend a much longer time and use an angle grinder to remove the cat box. Not a perfect solution but should be relatively low cost and easy to offer at the owners next service .

    Reply

  6. This standard robotic response to victims of crime and loyal Toyota customers is not far enough and sounds frankly condescending.
    I am also a victim of this insane crime of cat theft which took place right in front of my house.

    @toyota UK you are not doing enough !!
    Please tell something encouraging that says you care I should not sell this car and go to your competitor as I am thinking like many others now.
    Is it even worth having a Toyota car any more if one would always be paranoid every time I park the car day/night in any location. seems nowhere is safe to park a Toyota?
    Seriously loosing faith in owning a Toyota.

    Toyota UK talk is cheap! A robotic response is not saying or doing enough to loyal customers and £1000+ repair bill is not helping and you’re certainly not talking to my insurer.

    Not happy

    thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Nasir,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We’re so sorry you have been a victim of this crime.

      We are engaging with Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police (OVCU) and the Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police (Jenny Sims) who is also the National Lead for all vehicle crime. All of this will raise the profile of this crime with all police forces and identify issues with current scrap metal legislation.

      Toyota Great Britain has also moved to ensure that the cost to customers of replacement catalytic converters supplied and fitted through our approved service centres is as low as possible, and that TGB doesn’t profit from this.

      We treat all cases on a one by one basis and our Customer Relations team will look at a customer’s case and consider offering a courtesy vehicle FOC where insurance providers will not cover this cost. We have developed and are supplying theft deterrent devices at zero profit such as CatLocs, bolt caps and component etching to protect consumers from further attacks. We are also working with insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.

      If you would like to discuss your situation further with our customer relations team, you can find their contact details via this link: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/

      Thanks.

      Reply

  7. Hi Mike, I agree with your points and this type of crime is totally out of control. I I too have an Auris that had the catalytic converter stolen a month ago and I have since had a catloc fitted by my local Toyota dealership. Although I have read reports of converters being stolen even when a catloc was fitted, these still seem to be relatively rare cases and also seem to be from Prius up to 2009. I have as yet not seen a report of a converter being stolen from a gen 2 Auris or gen 3 Prius where a catloc was fitted but maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong places?

    Reply

  8. My mother’s catalytic converter was stolen today in broad daylight in a public car park while we were away for less than an hour. It is disappointing to see thefts soaring with little that we can do as car owners.

    My own Toyota had its converter stolen not even a year prior to this, and cost our family nearly £800, which is not insignificant.

    Is there any point in even replacing the converter when the thought of leaving it in an open area makes us now so unwilling to even drive the car at all?

    We are so disappointed that this has happened a second time, and that there appears to be a lack of action or willingness to investigate the problem. It is a shame that thieves are capitalising on what is essentially a design fault and car owners like us and many others are suffering as a consequence.

    The Toyota Prius is an excellent car, but I cannot say at this point that we would recommend it at all to others as there are clear problems that will take some time to solve.

    Reply

    1. Hi Aurelia,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been a victim of this crime. We are doing all we can to support our customers who have been impacted by this crime.

      We treat all cases on a one by one basis and our Customer Relations team will look at your case and consider offering a courtesy vehicle FOC where Insurance providers will not cover this cost.
      We have developed and are supplying theft deterrent devices at zero profit such as CatLocs, bolt caps and component etching to protect consumers from further attacks. We are also working with insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.

      Please also be aware, we are currently engaging with Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police (OVCU) and the Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police (Jenny Sims) who is also the National Lead for all vehicle crime. All of this will raise the profile of this crime with all police forces and identify issues with current legislation.

      If you would like to discuss your situation further with our customer relations team, you can find their contact details via this link:https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/

      Thanks.

      Reply

  9. I’ve read on this blog that Toyota were going to produce a tilt sensor. It would be available in January 2020 and it could be retro fitted to the Prius / Auris and attached to the existing alarm system. Can you tell me if it is now available – and how much it costs?

    Reply

    2. Hello Andrew,If you do a web search you will find a few ways of fitting tilt alarms that work with the standard Toyota alarm.I fitted one myself that works great,The alarm goes off way before the wheel leaves the ground. Mine is an older Gen 3 prius so have no warranty issues.If you wait for Toyota to sort this you will have to wait a long time.
      Another unhappy Toyota customer.

      Reply

      1. Gary – can you give me a website where I can see / buy the necessary tilt sensor. My understanding is that the sensor has to give a 0v pulse for at least 0.8 seconds – for the Toyota alarm to ‘see’ the signal. Many sensors that I’ve looked at either give a shorter pulse or no specification at all. (I’ve a 2010 Gen 3)

  10. Hi,
    The catalyst converter of my Toyota Auris (2014) is stolen couple of nights ago. I have bought it from Toyota dealership in Leeds. It is a shame for Toyota as a big company that :
    1- do not let me know that such a hazard exists for their product.
    2- do not have the part available then I have to be waiting for 1 month to get the part.

    Reply

    1. Hi Mohamad,

      Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been a victim of this crime.

      We have tried to ensure as many of our customers as possible are aware. Toyota published police advice on this crime as soon as it could online, wrote to our dealer network to brief customers and wrote directly to owners of a number of our vehicles where we had details to do so.

      We are doing all we can to minimise 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 are sincerely sorry 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.

      If you would like to discuss your situation further with our customer relations team, you can find their contact details via this link: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/

      Thanks.

      Reply

      1. I have a Toyota RAV4 2930 plate which I’ve had for 9 days and some scum bag stole mine from outside my house in the middle of the night. You don’t supply a cat lock for this model so what can I do to try and deter them from doing it again! They know where I live.

      2. Hi Barbara,

        Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been affected by this crime. We would recommend following Police advice as a preventative measure. You can find more on this using the following links:
        https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/vehicle-crime/vehicle-crime/catalytic-converter-theft-prevention-advice
        https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/theft-from-a-vehicle/vehicle-safe-and-sound/
        https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/advice/prevention/catalyticconverter

        Please also be aware we are currently engaging with Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police (OVCU) and the Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police (Jenny Sims) who is also the National Lead for all vehicle crime. All of this will raise the profile of this crime with all police forces and identify issues with current legislation.

        If you would like to discuss your situation further with our customer relations team, you can find their contact details via this link: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/

        Once again, we are sorry you have been impacted by this.

        Thanks.

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