A new study by data scientists at Carfax found that 153,000 catalytic converters were stolen across the country in 2022. Ford and Chevrolet’s trucks were among the top 10 targets in the southern part of the U.S.
This includes the states of Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, among others.
Linda Stewart, a state senator from Orange County, told News 6 that these thieves are after money.
Stewart said, “It’s a big item.” “That’s why they steal them. It’s worth a lot.”
Platinum, palladium, and rhodium, which are used in exhaust filter devices and are worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars per ounce, are used.
On Monday, rhodium was worth about $7,400 an ounce on the market, while gold was selling for less than $2,000 an ounce.
Last year, 786 converters were stolen in Orange County alone. This is more than twice as many as the 365 devices that were stolen in 2021.
This year, 87 catalytic converters have already been stolen, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The number of stolen catalytic converters in Volusia County went from 12 in 2021 to 45 in 2022, and 10 have already been stolen this year.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said that 40 catalytic converters were stolen in 2021, 99 in 2022, and 21 so far in 2023, as of March 27.
Stewart is a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 30, The Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Act, which was introduced and sponsored by State Sen. Jim Boyd during this legislative session. This bill is meant to stop people from stealing devices.
Stewart said that the bill shows that the times have changed and that the state needs to do something “to stop the thefts.”
Under the proposed law, it would be a second or third-degree felony to sell a fake catalytic converter or one that was stolen.
Editor of Carfax
Chief Patrick Olsen said that the stolen exhaust systems would cost between $2,000 and $4,000.
Olsen said that the stolen devices are sold to professionals who melt down the parts and “recycle the precious metals.”
Carfax says that the Ford F-Series Truck is the most likely to have its catalytic converter stolen in the south. This is followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda Accord, Kia Soul, Ford Econoline, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Expedition, and Toyota Tacoma.
Olsen said, “If they’re well-known models, there are a lot of people to go after.” “There is enough money in it to make these thieves want to steal these cars very badly.”
Experts in cars say that the catalytic converter “filters out and burns up harmful byproducts in the exhaust gases.” Even though the device’s main job is to cut down on harmful emissions, it also makes your car run better.
Olsen said that the thefts happen in “bright daylight,” and his expert was able to take a catalytic converter out of a Nissan Frontier in just 66 seconds.
Police recommend that people who use a parking lot park their cars in a garage or under lights to keep them from being stolen.
Many owners are etching the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the catalytic converters, and others suggest using a black light or UV pens to write the VIN on these devices.
