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.
That sucks Diana, sorry to hear. So, potentially £250 wasted then.
Guys, out of curiosity, what will you be replacing your hybrid cars once you’ve flogged them?
Kia Ceed’ anyone?
Someone attempted to steal my hybrid Auris’s catalytic converter last Tuesday night or Wednesday. I was not told about the problem of theft of catalytic converters from Auris’s when I bought it from a Toyota dealership last April or since. If you know it’s a problem, why aren’t you contacting customers directly? Have you decided to sell all cars, whether new or second hand, with Catlocs as standard?
It seems Toyota is not doing all they can to prevent this crime; it seems you don’t even have a database to warn customers that thieves are targeting their area of the UK.
Hi Derek,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are sorry you have been affected by 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 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.
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.
Thanks.
I sold mine almost a week ago (3 hours after a new cat was installed). Problem solved for me – I’m much less anxious and I sleep better.
Catalytic Converter stolen within 10 minutes in Kensington. Reported it to the Police, after 45 minutes waiting for a reply. The Police were not interested, at even coming out to see the location, obtained a Crime number. I rang Toyota Edgware Road where I bought the second hand car 2018 registration. They just LAUGHED and said “about 250 stolen everyday” – “nothing we can do, go and claim on your insurance” – “Have a good day sir”. THANK YOU VERY MUCH Customer Services MANAGER MS FARAH AHMAD, you were VERY helpful.
Toyota this is appalling, negligent, irresponsible, rude, callous, badly designed car and not respectful of an organisation of your size towards your customers who tomorrow may NOT BE YOUR CUSTOMERS. As soon as I get my car back from the Insurance repairers I will sell it and buy one from a reputable and respectful company who really care about their customers. Apparently the Catalytic convertors for Toyota cars take at least 30 days for delivery to the repairers because of the numbers stolen.
Toyota please do not reply with your standard legally approved, politically correct, “no liability accepted” reply as I am not interested in your lame callous excuses. Your company knows you have a problem but you are doing nothing about it. SELL SELL SELL make profits and stuff the buyers is Toyota’s moto.
Mr Paul Van Der Burgh President and Managing Director of Toyota Europe your company is selling badly designed cars and you are inadvertently funding criminals. Additionally, you are making more money selling Toyota spares, which you very well know will be stolen.
Hi Ranjit,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been impacted by this crime. We would like to help you further with this and will email you directly in order to gain additional details and put you in touch with our customer relations team.
Thanks.
Dear Ranjit, Derek and others who, like me, have suffered not only theft of cat converter from my Auris last weekend, but also the fob off from Toyota. Despite being a long and ‘loyal’ Toyota customer, With a service contract, all my contact details on their website, services and other repairs etc at Toyota garage, being persuasively sold extended warranty etc., no one at any time has given any advice to take steps to protect/secure my car’s catalytic converter. In a blog they indicate cost of a ‘bundle’ offered to replace and secure for £950. Ha ha. Bears no relation to what local branch quote. Toyota, you are taking all of us responsible hybrid car owners for a ride. Disgusting.
Solidarity with other victims!
Penny
Dear Penny, In the USA my brother has a Toyota Prius which has a theft protection grill and rebars on the exhaust pipes to protect the catalytic converter theft, fitted as standard. Of course these cost more money but they are required by USA Vehicle laws. Unfortunately the UK do not have these laws and the matter in the hands of the Police who do not have the authority to make this an official requirement. Of course Toyota is laughing all the way to the bank because they do not spend the extra for this protection. I would suggest you write to the President and Managing Director Mr Paul Van Der Burgh at their Head Office in Surrey with a strong complaint. .
Hi Penny,
Thanks for your message. We’re 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. Regarding pricing, this may vary depending on the extent of the damage to the car.
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 here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/
Thanks.
Hello Andrew, Its the 507m tilt sensor.It is for the Viper and Clifford alarms but works like a charm with the OEM alarm.I bought it from ebay,round the 60 quid mark from UK sites but half that from US ones with postage.Obviously you have to wait a bit longer from the Us.There are some youtube videos on how to fit it…..even I could do it!, Its great to see Toyota now have one also.
Message to Toyota.. The catlock should be given for FREE… you made a mess and now you still want to charge GBP 1,000..that’s ridiculous.. Let’s start a campaign… NO TOYOTA Anymore…so when you reach bankruptcy maybe you learn how to treat your customer
I totally agree with Kres. I am another victim of stolen cat. I am sure there are many thousands more.I believe Toyota should compensate us all, not just apologising with the following message. Mine was stolen on Saturday evening 14 March 2020, nowhere was open, I was stranded miles away from home.
I have never been told of this problem, it cost me one week and £1300 to replace the cat and installation of a cat lock (what good that might be time will tell). Frankly I do not have any confidence that this will NOT happen again, despite registering my Cat lock with the International Security Register (ISR).and sticking labels in my windows to deter thieves (it didn’t stop them steeling in the first place).
I have always taken my car for servicing to Toyota and always promoted the Prius brand to my friends and family (I am not going to do that now!!!!).My wife has bought a year old Lexus 300IS, I believe this problem also is inherent in her car. I reported this to a passing police patrol, they say that this is a common problem and they cant do anything about it. I am thoroughly disappointed with Toyota for not being upfront with their customers about this problem and at least try to fix it.
I must say the car is good, I never had a breakdown or any problems with the vehicle, however I am not going to let this rest. I will write to Toyota head office, and further if required.
Typical apology
“Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been a victim of this crime. 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. We are also working with insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.
In addition, we 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 have tried to ensure as many of our customers as possible are aware.
Please also be aware, we are manufacturing Catlocs for our vehicles deemed most at risk of theft. This currently does not include Corolla.
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.”
Re the reply to Imran’s blog below, which reads: ‘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’.
As I understand it Toyota has the details of all owners on its database. I’ve had my Prius serviced by the same Totoya dealer for years. I’ve heard nothing from either. I only became aware of cat thefts from a press report.
I have to agree that Toyota’s corporate response leaves a great deal to be desired. Does anyone care to comment on what happens after Toyota gets in touch directly with an owner as a result of a blog?
The inconvenience in trying to protect a car while doing routine stuff like shopping or taking the dog for a walk should not be necessary.
And what about the implications for health workers in the current crisis??
Best to all,
(Dr.) David A. Wragg.
Another victim here, some parasites sawed through the connecting pipes for the Cat on my old (2000) Yaris in minutes, a nice old car with low mileage, probably more expensive to replace than the car is worth.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry you have been impacted by this crime. We would recommend contacting our customer relations team, as they are best placed to provide further support at this time. You can contact them directly on 0344 701 6202 or you can email the team here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/email-us
Thanks.