Catalytic converter theft from cars isn’t a new crime, but it has increased significantly in recent times.
Police forces around the UK, including those in West Yorkshire, London and Suffolk, are advising owners of any car fitted with a catalytic converter to take precautions.
Any car fitted with a catalytic converter could be at risk. 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 cars sold in Europe since 1993 have had to be fitted with 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 in the main, the value of the catalytic converter for recycling is the main attraction to thieves, because they contain precious metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium.
What is Toyota doing to stop its cars being targeted?
In May 2021, Toyota (GB) announced that it would be covertly marking more than 100,000 catalytic converters in order to combat theft. By working with police and Smartwater, catalytic converters can be tagged with an invisible yet traceable marking, meaning 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.
It is free to get the catalytic converter marked, all customers need to do is call their local Toyota or Lexus retailer to arrange a visit.
In addition to this, Toyota has issued 20,000 Smartwater kits to police to support their local anti-catalyst theft initiatives. The company is also working with the AA, Toyota’s roadside partner, so its patrols can point customers to where they can get a free kit.
We have also developed and reduced the price of a ‘Catloc’ device which can deter theft and make it more difficult. Toyota teams in the UK and other countries are urgently exploring new technical possibilities to deter criminals as well.
We are working with the police, as well as talking to government about changes in the law around scrap metal sales that would make it harder for criminals to sell stolen catalysts for cash.
However, these are criminal operations and our scope is therefore limited. A number of police forces are taking action and some forces, such as Nottinghamshire, are also starting awareness campaigns. It is vitally important for anyone who is a victim of this crime to report it to their local police force as quickly as possible.
In the main, it remains older cars that are targeted because advances in efficiency and technology mean the latest generations of Toyota catalytic converters contain vastly lower amounts of precious metals, whilst 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 Catloc 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 catalytic converters ‘unstealable’. A Catloc makes it harder to steal a catalytic converter, slowing thieves down and acting as a deterrent. As mentioned above, we’re doing all we can to seek further technical options for customers.
Is Catloc available for my Toyota?
Catloc devices are available for a growing proportion of our range, but not all. We recommend speaking to your local Toyota centre.
How much does it cost to replace a catalytic converter?
Toyota’s first priority is to do all we can to support our customers who have been victims of crime.
We have moved to reduce the prices of replacement catalytic converters and Catlocs to a level where Toyota GB does not make any profit from supplying them to customers.
Your nearest Toyota centre can advise on exact costs after inspecting your vehicle.
Is it true that there is a long wait for replacement catalytic converter parts for Toyota cars?
The rapid rise in this crime in 2019 is one we could not have envisaged, set against many years of low incidence of catalytic converter theft. This initially impacted our ability to source enough of the parts we needed in some cases, for which we sincerely apologise.
Toyota has restarted production lines in Japan and France that made catalysts for many of the older models targeted in order to supply affected owners, developed a Catloc security device which helps deter theft (and has been granted a “Sold Secure with Gold Status” security ranking) and ensured it makes no profit at all from the sale of replacement catalysts or from Catlocs, providing them at cost.
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 13 May 2021, so some of the responses to reader comments below have been superseded by more recent information.
Catalytic Converter stolen yesterday from outside my house and I was in – saw and heard nothing until I went out to use the car 10 minutes after the act. Have it all on a neighbour’s CCTV – reported to the police – by the evening they said they could do nothing about it and the case was closed!
Had no idea this was a problem but the police certainly don’t seem to want to catch anyone!
Hi Ian,
Thanks for getting in touch and we are extremely sorry to hear you have been targeted by thieves. We appreciate this is an incredibly difficult situation and have emailed you regarding opening a customer relations case on your behalf, in order to discuss this further. Once again we are deeply sorry you have been impacted by this.
Thanks.
Just purchased a 2015 Auris from main dealer at the beginning of August and had the Cat stolen on 27 August. I am amazed that I was not warned by the salesman about this issue as it seems obvious that Toyota has been aware for some time. Surely Toyota sales people should be sharing this with prospective customers. Once the car is fixed I will be asking for a full refund.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are extremely sorry to hear you have been targeted by thieves. We are working hard to support all our customers who have been impacted by this situation and have emailed you regarding opening a customer relations case on your behalf, if you would like to discuss this further.
Once again, we are deeply sorry you have experienced this and would appreciate the opportunity to support you further with our customer relations team.
Thanks.
I bought my Toyota auris estate (2015 plated) from Anold Clark on the 21 of August 2019.On the 27 of August 2019 (6 days later) I got my catalyst converter and lambda sensor removed from the car while I was parked at the morisson supermarket car park in Hunslet Leeds.A Citroen car parked by my car and within 2 minutes my car is jacked up and they remove the catalyst converter and the lambda censor.This happened at 3 o’clock in the afternoon in a very busy car park.
I blame Toyota why making it so readily available to thieves. Now the car is at a local garage and the parts are not available.
The waiting game continues
The police said they cannot do anything as they cannot recognise the reg of the Citroen and they have closed my case.All I got was a crime number
I feel miserable
Hi Lamin,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are deeply sorry you have been targeted by thieves and for the stress this may have caused. We appreciate this is an incredibly difficult situation and have emailed you regarding opening a customer relations case on your behalf if you would like to discuss this further with our team.
From a manufacturing perspective, this isn’t a design fault. Most vehicles have their Catalytic Converter in a similar place due to the nature of the part. The valuable metals and location of the part make it susceptible to thieves. This is not exclusive to Toyota vehicles and is an industry wide, UK issue.
Once again, we are extremely sorry you have experienced this.
Thanks.
I just had my catalist converter stolen from my Toyata prius plus while attending a hospital appointment with my pregnant wife. Car was parked in the hospital car park, when I returned to the car the security guard was there with some members of the public who had witnessed the theft. It appears that they had stolen the cat converters from three other Toyota hybrid vichels in the car park. The police appears not to car as this seems to happen all the time. I am a firm believer in that “crime does not pay” but I really have to now say in the case of these thieves is does pay because they robbed 3 converters in a space of 10min and if each was sold at £500/£600 each then that’s just under £2k for 10min work, cant say I know many people that earn that sort of money for the hard work that they do.
My insurance company is happy to replace it on the basis I pay £500 excess and then have to wait for the part, which who know how long it will take as there is a back log toyota cat converter dur to the volume of it being stolen. I am disappointed that toyata is not fitting anti theft mechanism on these as standard because of the number of robbery their models.
It appears that everyone gains from such unfortunate situation except for the owner/driver as the cost/loss comes al our expense. Thieves gain from the proceeds of their theft, insurer gains from the excess and increase in the renewal premiums, toyata gains from the sales of new cat converters and this additional “so called” catlock. We the owners lose!!!
I have now decided to have a copy cat converter fitted at a fraction of the cost which I now understand many others are doing in the uk because the thieves dont target these as they are not made from this so called “precious metals”. I recommend others do the same so toyata start listening to what their consumers are saying. A copy new cat converter from most repeatable garage will cost between £450 to £600 depending on the model and works exactly the same.
I really like toyata cars but very disappointed toyata has not done something about this situation, then again maybe if the do it may mean less sales for cat converter parts but in long term I can see this leading to less sales in toyata car sales. Cant blame who choese not to buy toyata!
Hi Muhammad,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are extremely sorry to hear you have been targeted by thieves and for the inconvenience and stress this may have caused.
Toyota has been working very hard to combat this industry wide problem regarding Catalytic converter thefts. As a result, Toyota have developed a Catloc range of accessory which is a bespoke device designed specifically for effected Toyota models with the aim of deterring opportunist thieves and has been available in the Toyota network since January 2019.
The Catloc protects the components at each end of the catalytic converter, it’s made of marine-grade stainless steel and attached with anti-tamper fixings that comes with a marking kit that chemically etches a unique serial number into the catalytic converter. Its quality and effectiveness is reflected in the fact it has been included in the International Security Register, approved by UK police and accredited by Thatcham Research, the official research centre for the motor insurance industry. Toyota is supplying and installing these parts through their network so the Catloc part is readily available to fit. Toyota insurance will fit the Catloc to help prevent the theft and this is a proactive step we are taking to help our customers.
In addition to this, a letter was sent out addressed to all the registered owners of generation 2 Prius stating the rise of this type of crime within the UK. Additionally, we have notified all of our Toyota network within the UK of the problem and advised them to make contact where they feel it is necessary. However, we are still trying to react to this rise of theft in a proactive manner with the development we have no control in.
Once again, we are extremely sorry you have experienced this situation and would recommend contacting our customer relations team whose contact details you can find via this link, if you would like to discuss your case further: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/
Thanks.
My daughter did this (Honda Jazz) a Cat must have these expensive metals otherwise it won’t work and the car will fail the emission test that is in the MOT. A thief under a car will not know or care if it is original or a copy. Possibly a kid just following orders. The police need a sting operation to squash the trade.
Wife and daughter unable to prevent theft of catalytic converter by three people in balaclavas from Toyota Prius Plus parked directly outside house on well lit North London street. Despite always using Toyota main dealers for all servicing and repairs and being signed up for all alerts and the like it is only by visiting this blog post-theft that the issue has come to my attention. It is apparent that Toyota are well aware of the design flaw and well aware that Prius are being targeted yet wholly failed to take any step to bring this to my attention, thereby placing my family in immediate physical danger. Having previously enjoyed ownership of the Prius Plus, it seems the only way forward is to now sell it and replace with a more secure vehicle.
Let us hope that the Police are planning a “sting operation” to close down the trade that is obviously driving this. Unfortunately people seem to happily attract these people into their areas by leaving scrap metal and domestc appliances out for them to take away – thus allowing them time for studying the cars and properties for later.
So sorry to hear this – and totally agree with your comments. As well as the Prius, the Auris is also being targeted – 2 months down the line and still no predicted date of the replacement cat. I’ve spoken to local press, but this needs to hit the national press as it is clearly now becoming a personal safety issue. I wish you well in sourcing a replacement cat, and like you, I will not be buying a Toyota again (after years of repeat purchases)
Agree, even 19 Reg been targeted. Why they don’t changed the design?
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. This is not a design fault from a Toyota manufacturing perspective. Most vehicles have their Catalytic Converter in a similar place due to the nature of the part. The valuable metals and location of the part make it susceptible to thieves. This is not exclusive to Toyota vehicles and is an industry wide issue.
Thanks.
Hi David,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are extremely sorry you have been a victim of this type of crime and for the stress this may have caused your family. We are working hard to support all our customers who have been impacted by this situation and have emailed you regarding opening a customer relations case on your behalf should you like to discuss this further.
We appreciate this is an incredibly difficult situation and once again we are sorry you have experienced this.
Thanks.
Equally dismayed that owners have not been notified, 2013 Auris HSD Catalytic Converter sawn off at the local park and ride on a Friday in July and fixed nearly 2 months later. I was at work that July weekend without the use of a car, and had spent hours notifying WM police, transport police and car insurance (claimed under my ‘no claim discount’ years). This has compounded my worries returning to work after a prolonged illness. The saga continues, after 2 months in the repair garage the car airconditioning has stopped working and cannot be regassed. More phone calls, another appointment at the dealership garage for air conditioning diagnostics arranged. From the comments here, sounds like yet another phone call to dealership for a Catloc to be fitted, at my own cost. Workplace colleagues have all been told about this new form of theft, they had to know why I kept running late for work and had to cover me. Owning a Toyota is meant to be economical, this year it has certainly not been the case!
Hi there,
Thanks for messaging us. We are so sorry you have been impacted by this situation. We will email you to get further details so we can open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
Thank you for opening the customer relations case and the offer of a Catlock for the discounted price of £250. However, received a phonecall from Vantage Toyota to say that there is no Catlock stock available till December day before fitting. Toyota, please offer a workable solution to your dealerships as sadly I have no choice but to start looking for another car without this design flaw.
After nearly a 2 month wait for a replacement Catalytic Converter I am now told by my Dealership that Toyota cannot give a promise date as they cannot get replacement parts from their Supplier. Not acceptable – while Toyota is not responsible for the thefts they are doing nothing to encourage me to have another Toyota.
I am in the same position. My cat converter was stolen from my Auris Hybrid and since 18 July I have been using a small courtesy car with no sign of any replacement cat converters being available. What are Toyota doing? Why does it take months to get replacement parts, they know about the spate of thefts but do not appear to worry about their customers.
Hi Ricky,
Thank you for contacting us. We are deeply sorry you have been a victim of this crime.
The recent rise in the value of such parts for recycling outside the UK has meant that police forces have seen a very significant rise in these offences in the last few months. This sudden rise is one we could not have envisaged set against many years of low incidents of theft. This has impacted our ability to source enough of the parts we need in some cases, for which we sincerely apologise; but we are taking urgent action to address this with our suppliers.
We have seen a huge rise in demand for parts due to the recent crime wave for Catalytic Converters in certain areas of the UK. We, and our supply chain, are unable to keep up with demand for this essential part. Unfortunately, there is no alternative part available which could be used in repair as a replacement. However, please be aware we are doing everything we can to ensure parts can be found as quickly as possible and working with our European counterparts to make sure this is resolved as quickly as possible.
We will email you directly to get further details so we can open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
I want to really echo disgust at the lack of information from Toyota about this issue. I bought an Auris 8 days ago and it was hit yesterday in broad daylight in a very well populated place. If I had known about this before hand I would never have purchased the car. For me it is now a waste of money given that I can never trust parking it. As soon as it is repaired, when ever that will be I will be selling at a probable loss buying something more reliable. I am utterly disappointed in Toyota for selling this car on without installing the Catlock system to it first or making me aware of the issues.
Hi Pete,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by criminals. We will email you to find out more details and open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
My 64 Auris had the catalytic converter stolen and I called my local Toyota garage Jemca, to see if there was a lock available.They told me that there had been a spate of thefts in the area but i’m very disappointed that none of this was mentioned when i took my car in for it’s MOT and service the week before!!!! I would have happily paid the £250 that was quoted to get the catloc fitted at that time. This is less than the insurance excess that I now need to pay. However, they only mentioned that the tyres could be changed and were trying to push the extended warranty. I think Toyota really need to let their customers know that the car is being targeted and that they can do something to prevent it. It’s failing their duty of care.
I’ve been told that there is a 10 week wait for genuine parts as the catloc can only be fitted to a genuine Toyota catalytic converter. We are out of pocket and the premium will go up too. I’m also worried that the car will be targeted again and again and may need to sell it. Also if you do get the catloc added you need to let your insurance know as they consider it an accessory.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are sorry to hear you have been a victim of this crime. Earlier this year we posted guidance online for customers, including police advice and wrote to all our dealers asking them to direct customers to this information.
We have also introduced, at a reduced price, a “Catloc” device, which can help to deter theft and we are taking further action to ensure the price of fitting a replacement catalytic converter at a Toyota approved service centre is minimised.
We have seen a huge rise in demand for parts due to the recent crime wave for catalytic converters in certain areas of the UK. We, and our supply chain, are unable to keep up with demand for this essential part. Unfortunately, there is no alternative part available which could be used in repair as a replacement. However, please be aware we are doing everything we can to ensure parts can be found as quickly as possible and working with our European counterparts to make sure this is resolved as quickly as possible.
We will email you directly to get more details to put you in touch with our customer relations team.
Thanks.
Hi Tony,
Thanks for getting in touch and we are deeply sorry you have been targeted by thieves. Unfortunately, due to unforecasted demand from the recent crime wave for Catalytic Converters we, and our supply chain, are unable to keep up with demand. As a result, we do not know when parts will become available and cannot provide an accurate ETA. However, please be aware we are doing everything we can to ensure parts can be found as quickly as possible and working with our European counterparts to make sure this is resolved as quickly as possible.
Once again, we are extremely sorry to hear you have been impacted by this situation. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact our customer relations team whose contact details you can find via this link: https://www.toyota.co.uk/contact-us/
Thanks.
Just got cat converter stolen from my Toyota Prius (09 plate) this morning when parked the car in a “secured” underground car park. It’s costing a fortune to replace, and given the age of the car, going through insurance is not an option as it will likely write off the car completely. Toyota service centre said there were 11 cars waiting for this part at their service centre alone, and no estimate time for the parts to arrive. What a shame, just did a major service with Toyota service centre 2 weeks ago but no one told me my car was at high risk of such crime.
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for informing us of your situation. We are extremely sorry you have been targeted by thieves. We will email you directly to get further details so we can open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
So, I’ve had my catalytic converter expertly sawn off from my gen 2 Prius. I had no idea that this was a ‘thing’ until I googled it after the RAC man told me they were worth lots in scrap value. I certainly have not had a letter as Toyota are claiming they have sent out in some if their replies. I have been the registered owner of it for 9 years and have not moved house. Toyota are well aware of the problem as they wouldn’t have bothered producing the lock if it was the same as all other cats. It is truly frightening the manner in which these thieves are targeting Prius’s, and it is surely a matter of time before someone gets injured. At the very least Toyota should recall all the gen 2’s and 3’s to fit a catlock for free. However, I would imagine that further damage will be fine to the car while the scumbags try and force it off. I will have to pay £450 excess to have this done on my insurance, and then obviously the premiums will go up. I will be changing my car for a different make as soon as it’s done. Although I’m hearing that I’ll probably have a long wait because so many are being stolen, Toyota have run out of parts. Sounds like a win win situation for Toyota to me. Very upset. Very angry. Very frightened.
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are very sorry to hear you have been a victim of opportunist theft. We understand how distressing this situation must be for you. We will email you to get more details to open a customer relations case on your behalf.
Thanks.
I have just bought a used Yaris from Jemca Toyota. Having been a victim of catalytic converter theft on my Prius (broad daylight, outside my office window and threatened with a metal bar when I tried to intervene. All on an HD CCTV and case closed by the police in a few hours). I have specifically asked the Jemca rep about anything being done about the problem. I was told that I have to park my car securely. Yeah, very helpful… He went on trying to sell me all sort of financial and decorative add-ons but not a word about the Toyota approved Catloc. My emails to that effect are being ignored. Toyota may not be unique as a manufacture to have this problem but the inadequate response is also not unique. Where is an offer to help secure their cars by upgrading car alarm to a Thatcham category 1 unit with a shock and tilt sensor? Where is that offer of catalytic converter locks? For God’s sake, where is a thick metal plate over the catalytic converter with security bolts that makes it not impossible but harder to get to the converter? That plate would NOT interfere with converter’s ventilation. I’ve been offered one to be installed at a local garage and went into great details on how they would fix it and how the ventilation would work. It is NOT a problem of an impossible solution. This is a problem of NOT wanting to deal with it!!!
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are so sorry this has happened, and can’t imagine what you have been through. We hope you are okay. We will email you directly to get more details to open a case on your behalf with our customer relations team.
Thanks.