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.
Mines been stolen on my Auris Hybrid Estate. Im disabled and need my car. Its annoying that I’m forking out for a cat loc. Why aren’t they on as standard instead of trying to make more money. I’m now seriously put off toyotas. After wanting one for ages. Only had this car since July 20.
Hi Lissyy,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry to hear this.
We have developed and are supplying theft deterrent devices at zero profit such as CatLocs, tilt alarms, bolt caps and component etching to try and protect consumers from further attacks. We are also working with Insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.
If you wish to discuss your situation further, our Customer Relations team are best placed to do so with you.
They can be contacted here and will be able to offer any necessary advice and support: https://www.toyota.co.uk/help-centre/email-us
Again, we are really sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by criminals.
Thanks.
I am considering purchasing a Toyota Rav 4 hybrid age from 2017 to 2020 is this a model that suffers from catalytic converter theft and if so can cat locks be put on it?
Hi Phillippa,
Thanks for getting in touch.
Technically, any car fitted with a catalytic converter is at risk of theft. CatLocs are also only produced for vehicles that are regularly targeted by criminals, and RAV4 is not one of these.
Please contact your nearest Toyota centre for information on other theft prevention options.
Thanks.
All the local Auris’, including ours, were done on Sunday night. Despite loving the car, we’ll be getting shot of ours, as will our family and friends ASAP. These are clearly a crime magnet and I had no idea and now we need to find hundreds of pounds we can ill afford and I’m terrified it’ll simply happen again. Toyota manage to endlessly harass me about upgrading my vehicle yet were unable to communicate this risk to us. The deterrent modification should be offered free of charge.
Hi Natalie,
We’re really sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.
The first step, as with every crime, would be to report this to the Police.
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 have tried to ensure as many of our customers as possible are aware.
We have 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.
The CatLocs and other theft deterrent devices we have developed are also supplied at zero profit to Toyota UK.
Once again, we are truly sorry that you have been the victim of this horrible crime.
Thanks.
Hi,
This is nonsense; I’ve had endless communication from Toyota and none of it has mentioned this. It is completely misleading to say you don’t profit from this crime – surely the constant demand for new parts is lucrative for you? The least you could do is offer the catloc modification for free when your customers have been a victim of crime and already incurred huge expense. I would have been a customer for life, now I will warn others not to go near your vehicles. Your handling of this is incredibly short sighted.
My catalytic converter was stolen on Tuesday morning, I bought my car 2018 and I have never been notified of this issue. Its going to cost me a lot as insurance are playing up. I have been to Toyota garage for many things including winter checks and servicing but I was never informed of cat lock, I think this is all about making money as customers have to continue paying amounts of money. I so disappointed with Toyota.
Hi Alvin,
Thanks for your comment. We’re sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.
We have taken steps to ensure that as many customers as possible are aware, including publishing police advice online, writing to our dealer network and even directly to customers where details were available to do so.
We have 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.
The CatLocs and other theft deterrent devices we have developed to try and protect consumers from further attacks are also supplied at zero profit to Toyota UK, and we are working closely with insurers to try and minimise the impact on customers. However, criminals using high-grade power tools are very hard to completely protect against.
Should you wish to, you can discuss your specific situation in further detail with our Customer Relations team, who can be contacted here: https://www.toyota.co.uk/help-centre/email-us
Thanks.
I bought my Toyota Auris December 2020 and had catalytic converter stolen in January 2021. I had no idea this problem exist and was very angry to find out that it is very common problem for Toyota and no one actually made me aware of it when I was buying the car.
I was offered some extra nonsense such as body work protection or seats protection for extra cost but Catloc was only offered after the crime.
I then contacted Toyota Oxford but instead of helping me they took very protective stance and said they don’t have to make customers aware.
I then contacted Toyota customers relations and I quote “Last year we wrote to our dealer network and requested they contact their customers to make them aware of the rise in this crime, we also published an article on our blog, I am sorry that neither of these communications reached you. You can read our blog post by using the following link: https://blog.toyota.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft-how-to-protect-your-car “.
I then asked why I wasn’t made aware and asked to actively tell customers of the issue before thay buy the car I quote “We are unable to agree to your request to contact all owners of hybrid vehicles. Whilst we understand your upset, we do not accept that Toyota are responsible for this crime. This issue is recognised as a serious organised crime that requires increased law enforcement and changes to the current law.”
I asked why I wasn’t offered the catloc when I was buying the car but didn’t have an answer at all.
Now I am stuck without car for at least 6 week because Toyota approve garage ordered the catalytic converter but said it can take 6 weeks or even more for the converter to arrive but they don’t actually know how long it would take.
So, I am very unhappy about toyota stance and therefore this was my first and last toyota.
I had my Cat stolen on my 2020 Prius Plus 2 weeks ago that I only got in July last year. This is my first Toyota in 46 years of driving and this will also be my last. This is a Motability car and being disabled I need this to get around. It was off the road for a week as well as costing me £100 excess charge on my insurance claim. I have fitted an anti theft device at more cost to myself. Had I know it was this easy to steal a major component I would never have got this in the first place.
Hi Steven,
We’re very sorry to hear that you have been a victim of this crime.
We have tried to make sure as many customers as possible are aware through publishing police advice online, writing to our dealer networks and even directly to customers where possible.
We are also working with Insurers to minimise the impact on consumers as well as developing these theft deterrent devices to try and protect consumers, but criminals are using high-grade power tools that are very difficult to completely protect against.
We’re really glad to hear that you’re back on the road, and we are truly sorry that your vehicle has been targeted by criminals.
Thanks.
Within the next couple of weeks l should be collecting a new model Corolla 1600. I’ve today heard from my local residence association how serious currently the threat of theft of the catalytic converter is. My Toyota supplier hasn’t mentioned the extent of the risk at all can you explain please what effective steps l can take to deal with eradicating this please ?
Regards, Barry
Hi Barry,
Thanks for your comment, and congratulations on your new Corolla!
We do not produce a CatLoc for the Corolla. This is because, whilst any car containing a catalytic converter is in theory at risk of theft, we have taken action to reduce the precious metal content in our newer hybrids, therefore making them less attractive to thieves. CatLocs are also only produced for vehicles that are regularly targeted by criminals, and Corolla is not one of these.
Please contact your nearest Toyota centre for information on other theft prevention options.
Thanks.
Hi
Our new RAV4 hybrid (bought June 2020) was targeted last Sunday night by a gang who drove up to the house and threatened us with a baseball bat as we tried to prevent them. The car was off-road on our drive but it didn’t deter the thieves. We’ve been told no cat lock is available. So can you tell me if there are plans to produce them for RAV4s and is Toyota liaising with the police to address this epidemic of cat theft?
Hi Gerard, thanks for your comment.
We’re really sorry to hear this and do hope that you are safe and well after this encounter. We are continuously liaising with local authorities and others in the automotive industry regarding this crime and we take the issue very seriously. We know how hard our customers work to obtain their vehicles and it saddens us that these brazen thieves are taking advantage of this. It sounds like you are already in touch with the police and your local Toyota Centre who will be able to get your RAV4 back up and running.
Are you able to confirm, please, why no CatLoc exists for the new Corolla? Last week I was told that you had recently developed one, which I arranged to have fitted to the new vehicle (having suffered the theft of a catcon from my existing Auris), only to be informed yesterday that it wasn’t an issue because the weakness had been designed out of the 2 litre variant, i.e., it’s now sited in the engine well. What is the truth of the matter?
Hi Jem,
We only produce Catloc for vehicles that are targeted by thieves. Auris is one of them, but Corolla is not, due to the reduced levels of precious metals inside. For newer models, the reduction is up to 84%! Thanks.
This is extremely annoying, the catalytic converter was stolen from my Auris Hybrid on 16th Feb 2021 late evening. I didn’t even realize until 18th evening while trying to drive my car.
While reporting it to police and insurance company, they told me it is such a quick easy job for thieves, especially from Toyota veichles – literally five minutes. It was only after mine got stolen, I came to know there are so many similar cases already. It is now in such a high demand that no more spares are available in Toyota UK stock. They now need to be ordered from Japan.
I was totally unaware of this, and neither did my Toyota dealer warn or inform me about this vulnerability. Now, I am without my car and don’t know when will this get delivered and sorted. My Toyota dealer does not have any ETA either.
It is so frustrating.
Hi Gautam,
We are very sorry to hear your vehicle has been targeted by thieves. Tecnically, any vehicle fitted with a catallytic converter is vulnerable to determined criminals using power tools. Thieves seem to be attracted to older Toyota Hybrid vehicles due to the higher content of precious metals, intended to make the engine’s exhaust emissions cleaner. We are doing all we can to secure supply of replacement parts and hope you are back on the road as soon as possible. Thanks.
I bought Toyota Auris last year 2020, three weeks after the catalyst converter was stolen and I was very disappointed.
Now I want to buy Toyota Prius 2017, is this Prius with Catalyst converter?
Hi Albert,
Any car with a combustion engine has a catalytic converter, including the 2017 Prius.
Thanks