Which new vehicle now has the highest theft rate?
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From: The Golden State
Which new vehicle now has the highest theft rate?
It's the $53,000++ Cadillac Escalade. 
Even with OnStar & an engine immoblizer, it's still a Cadillac everyone wants.
Top 10 list according to IIHS: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...246/51dav.html
Even with OnStar & an engine immoblizer, it's still a Cadillac everyone wants.
Cadillac Escalade is chosen car of celebrities and thieves
Thu Aug 21, 8:34 AM ET
By Earle Eldridge, USA TODAY
The Cadillac Escalade sport-utility vehicle, the hot vehicle for athletes and entertainers, has become the hot vehicle for car thieves, too. Escalade had the highest theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicles for the 2000 to 2002 model years, according to a report out Thursday by the Highway Loss Data Institute, a research arm of the insurance industry.
Its theft frequency of 10.3 per 1,000 insured vehicles is four times the average for all vehicles.
Escalade, one of the best-selling luxury SUVs, replaced Acura Integra at the top of the list.
Escalade "is a vehicle of choice for a lot of celebrities," says Kim Hazelbaker of the institute. "It has become a pop culture vehicle. And it has an incredible wheel-and-tire package that is popular with thieves."
The $50,000-plus Escalade has been glamorized in rap songs and music videos. And it's the vehicle of choice among professional football and basketball players, who often customize the SUV with thousands of dollars' worth of stereo equipment, DVD players, video games, small TVs and expensive wheels.
Police agencies around the country report sometimes-violent carjackings of Cadillac Escalades.
Thieves don't seem deterred by the Escalade's OnStar system, a vehicle information service that can track a vehicle through satellite and cell phone technology. General Motors says it gets 400 to 500 vehicle tracking requests a month, and most are recovered. It had no numbers on Escalades recovered.
Escalades also have an engine-immobilizer anti-theft device, which requires a key embedded with the proper computer chip to start the engine.
GM blames the theft rate on the Escalade's popularity. "Theft patterns follow the market trends," says Kerry Christopher, a Cadillac spokesman.
Popularity doesn't seem to explain No. 2 and No. 3 on the list Dodge Stratus and Mitsubishi Mirage. Neither vehicle is a big seller. Hazelbaker says Stratus, a four-door sedan that costs about $20,000, may be popular among thieves because it's easy to steal. "Chrysler has been less aggressive with anti-theft devices," he says. "The Stratus may be more popular with the casual thief who is stealing the car for joy riding."
Thu Aug 21, 8:34 AM ET
By Earle Eldridge, USA TODAY
The Cadillac Escalade sport-utility vehicle, the hot vehicle for athletes and entertainers, has become the hot vehicle for car thieves, too. Escalade had the highest theft claims per 1,000 insured vehicles for the 2000 to 2002 model years, according to a report out Thursday by the Highway Loss Data Institute, a research arm of the insurance industry.
Its theft frequency of 10.3 per 1,000 insured vehicles is four times the average for all vehicles.
Escalade, one of the best-selling luxury SUVs, replaced Acura Integra at the top of the list.
Escalade "is a vehicle of choice for a lot of celebrities," says Kim Hazelbaker of the institute. "It has become a pop culture vehicle. And it has an incredible wheel-and-tire package that is popular with thieves."
The $50,000-plus Escalade has been glamorized in rap songs and music videos. And it's the vehicle of choice among professional football and basketball players, who often customize the SUV with thousands of dollars' worth of stereo equipment, DVD players, video games, small TVs and expensive wheels.
Police agencies around the country report sometimes-violent carjackings of Cadillac Escalades.
Thieves don't seem deterred by the Escalade's OnStar system, a vehicle information service that can track a vehicle through satellite and cell phone technology. General Motors says it gets 400 to 500 vehicle tracking requests a month, and most are recovered. It had no numbers on Escalades recovered.
Escalades also have an engine-immobilizer anti-theft device, which requires a key embedded with the proper computer chip to start the engine.
GM blames the theft rate on the Escalade's popularity. "Theft patterns follow the market trends," says Kerry Christopher, a Cadillac spokesman.
Popularity doesn't seem to explain No. 2 and No. 3 on the list Dodge Stratus and Mitsubishi Mirage. Neither vehicle is a big seller. Hazelbaker says Stratus, a four-door sedan that costs about $20,000, may be popular among thieves because it's easy to steal. "Chrysler has been less aggressive with anti-theft devices," he says. "The Stratus may be more popular with the casual thief who is stealing the car for joy riding."
Last edited by guionM; Aug 21, 2003 at 05:21 PM.
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Originally posted by bigdreamZ
Heh, doesn't suprise me. Everyone I see has TVs and dubs. Obviously that is what thieves will go for. I am suprised the integra held in there that long. Who wants to steal an integra
Heh, doesn't suprise me. Everyone I see has TVs and dubs. Obviously that is what thieves will go for. I am suprised the integra held in there that long. Who wants to steal an integra
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From: Texarkana, Tx
Originally posted by crazyjim
Wow, just last year and for many years prior the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord held the two top ranking titles... now they're nowhere on the list.
Wow, just last year and for many years prior the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord held the two top ranking titles... now they're nowhere on the list.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,712
From: Ontario
Originally posted by cmc
Engine immobilizers do not prevent theft. They make it harder, but they don't prevent it. There's a tool that every tow-truck driver has that can bypass it.
Wanna guess what it is?
Engine immobilizers do not prevent theft. They make it harder, but they don't prevent it. There's a tool that every tow-truck driver has that can bypass it.
Wanna guess what it is?
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,724
From: Hebron, KY
Originally posted by crazyjim
Wow, just last year and for many years prior the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord held the two top ranking titles... now they're nowhere on the list.
Wow, just last year and for many years prior the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord held the two top ranking titles... now they're nowhere on the list.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 681
From: Houston, TX USA
Originally posted by R377
I'm guessing something low tech? Fill us in!
I'm guessing something low tech? Fill us in!
Recently a friend of mine had his Expedition (equipped with PATS--almost/completely impossible to bypass) stolen this way.
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Originally posted by cmc
A tow truck!
Recently a friend of mine had his Expedition (equipped with PATS--almost/completely impossible to bypass) stolen this way.
A tow truck!
Recently a friend of mine had his Expedition (equipped with PATS--almost/completely impossible to bypass) stolen this way.
Can't the owner or Police contact OnStar immediately and track & recover the vehicle? For me this is the only selling point of OnStar, and the only reason I'd even remotely consider an OnStar option.
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From: Houston, TX USA
Originally posted by guionM
Since he knows how it was stolen, I'm guessing he got it (or most of it) back?
Yeah, he got it back. Flip-out video monitor was gone, wheels gone, running boards gone, interior panels ripped up, expensive component speakers punctured, radio, CD changer, subwoofers gone... had to get a Ford tech out there to reset the PATS system (thieves managed to screw up something there) before we could get it started.
Can't the owner or Police contact OnStar immediately and track & recover the vehicle? For me this is the only selling point of OnStar, and the only reason I'd even remotely consider an OnStar option.
Well yeah, except that this is an Expedition (previous generation, solid rear-axle model). No OnStar.
Since he knows how it was stolen, I'm guessing he got it (or most of it) back?
Yeah, he got it back. Flip-out video monitor was gone, wheels gone, running boards gone, interior panels ripped up, expensive component speakers punctured, radio, CD changer, subwoofers gone... had to get a Ford tech out there to reset the PATS system (thieves managed to screw up something there) before we could get it started.
Can't the owner or Police contact OnStar immediately and track & recover the vehicle? For me this is the only selling point of OnStar, and the only reason I'd even remotely consider an OnStar option.
Well yeah, except that this is an Expedition (previous generation, solid rear-axle model). No OnStar.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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From: The Golden State
Originally posted by cmc
Originally posted by guionM
Since he knows how it was stolen, I'm guessing he got it (or most of it) back?
Yeah, he got it back. Flip-out video monitor was gone, wheels gone, running boards gone, interior panels ripped up, expensive component speakers punctured, radio, CD changer, subwoofers gone... had to get a Ford tech out there to reset the PATS system (thieves managed to screw up something there) before we could get it started.
Can't the owner or Police contact OnStar immediately and track & recover the vehicle? For me this is the only selling point of OnStar, and the only reason I'd even remotely consider an OnStar option.
Well yeah, except that this is an Expedition (previous generation, solid rear-axle model). No OnStar.
Originally posted by guionM
Since he knows how it was stolen, I'm guessing he got it (or most of it) back?
Yeah, he got it back. Flip-out video monitor was gone, wheels gone, running boards gone, interior panels ripped up, expensive component speakers punctured, radio, CD changer, subwoofers gone... had to get a Ford tech out there to reset the PATS system (thieves managed to screw up something there) before we could get it started.
Can't the owner or Police contact OnStar immediately and track & recover the vehicle? For me this is the only selling point of OnStar, and the only reason I'd even remotely consider an OnStar option.
Well yeah, except that this is an Expedition (previous generation, solid rear-axle model). No OnStar.
2. I'm still wondering why even with OnStar, Escalades top the theft list.
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From: Houston, TX USA
Originally posted by guionM
1. What's PATS?
Sorry. PATS is Ford's engine immobilizer (Passive Anti-Theft System). I actually like it a lot more than I like the GM Passkey system. Instead of having a resistor in the key it uses a radio transponder that activates when close to the column/ignition switch. No transponder, no fuel or spark.
2. I'm still wondering why even with OnStar, Escalades top the theft list.
They get stolen a lot, but that doesn't mean they don't get found. Probably there's enough time between the actual theft and the discover/reporting of the theft that important items have already been removed and the car's ready to be picked up by its original owner again. (Then again, thieves can use that time to disable the OnStar system somehow.)
1. What's PATS?
Sorry. PATS is Ford's engine immobilizer (Passive Anti-Theft System). I actually like it a lot more than I like the GM Passkey system. Instead of having a resistor in the key it uses a radio transponder that activates when close to the column/ignition switch. No transponder, no fuel or spark.
2. I'm still wondering why even with OnStar, Escalades top the theft list.
They get stolen a lot, but that doesn't mean they don't get found. Probably there's enough time between the actual theft and the discover/reporting of the theft that important items have already been removed and the car's ready to be picked up by its original owner again. (Then again, thieves can use that time to disable the OnStar system somehow.)
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