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.
Apologies for adding in details to a response as I am not able to add a new comment.
I am very much in the same situation. This morning within minutes thieves managed to stoke my cars catalyst converter. Unfortunately within 5 minutes another car was targeted as well. I would have thought that by now Toyota would have come out with a solution as customers like us who have been loyal to companies for years end up paying huge amount for no reason if the company would have introduced some enhanced security to cars. I feel like we have been cheated.
Hi Umang,
We are very sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves. We do offer a Catloc and tilt alarm to help deter thieves, but determined criminals with power tools are very difficult to stop. We are working with various agencies, including the police, to try and stop the sale of stolen catalytic converters to scrap metal companies. We recommend reporting the crime to the police and insurance company, as well as getting in touch with your local Toyota centre to get your vehicle fixed and fitted with deterrent devices.
Thanks
Prius 2. gen. 04-09 owners with stolen cat! There is full system available on ebay or car part dealers for around £180 with gaskets and sensor ,BM Catalysts BM91617H. type approved and comes with warranty ,easy to change DIY. over 1 year on my car ,no problems ,and thieves seem to know it’s worthless in the scrapyard.
The latest in this saga, Direct Line appoint me a garage to take it to get it repaired. They tell me that catalytic converter from toyota has a six week waiting list or they can get an alternative part and fix it. So I agree to that. All sorted. I also contacted Toyota again, in the hope they might contribute or pay for the fitting of an official Cat Lock. They won’t.
Take it to the dealer for its official service (I have a Service Plan) and they tell me the MOT failed as there was emissions from catalytic converter as it had not been properly fitted and they also cannot fit the Cat Lock to this “non-genuine part”. So now I go back to the insurance appointed garage who tell me that is nonsense and they will fit a cat lock that will fit but of course the price is higher than what Toyota dealer would fit. But I have gone with the insurance garage as the alternative is that I have the “non genuine” converter taken out and replaced at £1500 and then £200. But of course I then have to have MOT done at another garage for £50.
THe money and bills just keep mounting for these cars and it is slowly becoming a lemon. I am definitely going back to petrol and not touching Hybtrids or Toyota with a barge pole.
I was told by the Met Police there was a “working party” to target these thieves but because of Covid this is now unlikely to be reactivated.
They dont offer any advice other than the above and apologies. The dealer I bought my car from never ever ever mentioned the thefts.
Can anyone other than Toyota UK confirm (or deny) that the C-HR and Corolla models are not subject to cat theft? As in: not at all?
Background: 4th cat was stolen from underneath my Prius 2 within 10 months and although insurance covers everything, logic dictates I need to ditch the car asap. Tilt alarm and security cams are happily ignored by the thieves.
Signed, a Toyota driver since 2003, who’s about to say goodbye.
My experience mirrors that of David Hodges. My insurers, SAGA, arranged the repair but would not fit a security device for me, I had no say in what type/make of CC would be fitted and had assumed that the repairers would replace lie for like (foolish). I then booked the car in with JEMCA TOYOTA in Croydon to fit a CATLOC. They inspected the car, found that the insurers had not fitted a genuine TOYOTA cat conv and claimed that the CATLOC would would not fit/work properly. I feel that I’ve ben hung out to dry by the Insurers, Repairers and TOYOTA! Their only suggestion was to fit another new CC and the security device total bill for me (not the insurers) would be upwards of £2000. I’ve been a customer of Toyota for 17 years but I can see this rapidly ending without some satisfactory resolution.
Hi Chris,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. We are deeply sorry you have been impacted by this crime and for the distress this may have caused. We appreciate this is a difficult time and please be aware we are working to help all our customers who have been impacted by this. If you would like to discuss your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team directly. You can contact the team here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/
Thanks.
Hi I had my catalytic converter stolen on 1st July. I had no idea this was such a problem and like most people have t had any warning from Toyota!
I’ve had my Cat stolen recently and have been considering buying a lock. However, it sounds like a waste of time and I’ll be better off changing my car. How will this affect the value of my car?
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re really sorry that you have been impacted by this crime.
If you have a PCP agreement with us, you would have been given a guaranteed future value at the time of purchase. It’s hard for us to comment on future used car value as this is very much determined by the market itself, a variety of factors including supply and demand come into play.
Once again, we are sorry your vehicle has been targeted by thieves. We would recommend contacting your nearest Toyota centre to discuss having the car fixed. You can find your nearest dealer’s contact details, here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/forms-v2/forms?tab=pane-dealer
Thanks.