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Toyota Prius owners are calling on Toyota to help them fight cat theft
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By Peter Neilson Aug 10 2020 - 4:18pm

Toyota Prius Owners Are Asking To Have Their Cars Recalled Due To Theft Of Catalytic Converters

If you have been a victim of catalytic converter theft, you know how devastating it can be. Prius owners are now raising their voices to get Toyota to help them out with the issue. Here is what people are saying.
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"The catalytic converter just got stolen from my '07 Prius for the second time in two months — and it took nearly three weeks to get the part in to fix it the first time because this is happening to so many people."

Imagine you as a Prius owner having your catalytic converter stolen not once but twice. Now imagine you have shelled out over $5,000 to get your car back on the road. Now ask yourself, does this seem okay? Your answer is more than likely going to be no. Sadly, this is not the first time, and it will not be the last time we hear this scenario.

Time and again, people all over the world driving Toyota Prius' are being robbed, and getting angry. The issue is now where Prius owners ask for Toyota to do something about it.

Prius Owners Are Asking Toyota To Recall And Repair The Vehicles
"Is there any chance Toyota will confess they screwed up, order a recall and install that $300 protective metal plate that should have been there in the first place? How on earth did they not stamp the VIN on the most valuable and easy-to-steal part in the car?"

Toyota Motor North America Corporate Headquarters

Those are strong words from a Prius owner who had her converter stolen twice. She is furious with the scenario that allows low life thieves to profit off of hard-working people. Now, she and others like her are asking Toyota to do something about it. Their reply? You guessed it; they want what is working, what is working is Cat Security™.

Cat Security Is In Demand By Prius Owners
I have followed this story since the inception of it back in October of 2019. They have done nothing but try to get people to understand the issue at hand and then do something about it.

Now people are taking note of what is working, and they are asking for the product by name. "There is a $225 product called Cat Security. It is a shield that bolts to the bottom of a Prius, which blocks access to the car." writes one Prius owner to another who is seeking to protect their vehicle from theft.

Stolen Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter

What is interesting is this. Prius owners are asking Toyota to take the Cat Security protective shield and install it on their cars. Following the story like I have, I find this bit of information amazing. People do not want a Toyota repair; they want a repair that they know is working.

What People Are Saying About Cat Security
I own two Gen 2 Toyota Prius personally, so you can imagine that when I heard my car was at risk and what the repair bill could be, I lost my cool.

If I had to shell out thousands of dollars to repair my car because someone wanted a quick buck, I would want to hold the manufacturer responsible. That is a cost that should not have to be incurred unless the converter did fail.

Toyota Hybrid Shop only installs Cat Security Shields to help Prius owners

When I learned, I could protect my Prius; I bought shields for both of my cars. I am not the only one that thinks Cat Security™ is a great idea, though. I went and pulled some reviews to see what other people were saying about them too.

One product user writes, "After the cat on our Prius was stolen, we were looking to help secure it. Insurance said to build a garage for the car (we live on a steep slope, a garage would be costly). One of the cops who came out said there were plates available that would help secure the unit. I ordered this device and had our mechanic install it. If someone wants to steal the cat, they'll have to drill out the rivets and somehow undo the security screws."

How about that insurance company telling owners to build an entire garage for their car? That is ludicrous.

Conclusion
I think Toyota Motor Corp does need to step in and help out their owners. This is a raging problem that is impacting people everywhere in the world. The fact that Prius owners are calling on Toyota to make it right is not surprising to me in the least. The most surprising thing is that they are asking for a non-Toyota repair.

My question to Toyota is this: What are you going to do to help these owners, and when are you going to do it? Maybe it is time to start a petition to get the attention of Toyota Motor.

Thank you all for reading. I hope you have a fantastic Monday and your Prius is safe. Until next time! 3 Ways To Help Increase Acceleration On Your Toyota Prius

Watch this Toyota Prius truck with a cute little bed and click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube for daily automotive news analysis.

Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Instructor of Automotive Technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.

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Comments

Zacharia Z Gamble wrote on August 11, 2020 - 9:54am
Honestly if it were me and my cats had been stolen twice in a row, I would've asked the mechanic to weld the them in place. Might be easy to drop a cat, but once you have to sawzaw the whole exhaust apart or drop the entire exhaust front to back, it becomes a lot less viable to try and steal someone's cat out of their driveway or parking spot lol
John wrote on September 28, 2020 - 7:58pm
They're a single piece the muffler is attached and then they just saw the cat out of the pipe the feeds into it. Theres no way to wield it on! The only way to stop the theft is to protect the cat with a cage, or plates like this! Also Prius is not the only vehicle being targeted, any SUV or pickup trucks are fair game because their converts while not worth as much are easier to steal and they're selling for a few hundred dollars which is worth it for a theif to spend 3 minutes stealing anyone's catalytic converter!
KEN BUKOWSKI wrote on October 4, 2020 - 6:11pm
I own a 2009 Toyota Prius.On Monday September 28, 2009 the catalytic converter was stolen right in front of my house. The result is a devastating impact to my quality of life, financial well being and peace of mind. .I am a retired senior, and cannot afford to replace it. There was no way I could have prevented this problem. Clearly it is my responsibility to protect my property from the dangers of our world. However,,this problem could have been avoided if Toyota had notified Prius Owners about the issue. Is that too much to ask?
Elaine Hood wrote on October 27, 2020 - 4:28pm
I agree with you, I didn't know about this either. The first and second time my converter was stolen from my front yard, so we started locking it up at the back door in our fence. My husband left for work this morning and must have been followed because as soon as he went inside it was stolen in the parking lot a third time. This makes three times within 4 months and I don't have the money to have it fixed. The insurance company said that this is the last time they would cover it but they are going to drop my insurance because of this. I'm tired of the people who are getting away with this and all Toyota will do os say I'm sorry. Something needs to be done about this soon and they are running out of converters to replace the ones that's being stolen. If there is a petition I'll sign it. Toyota needs to do something about this besides say I'm sorry.
Katrina Fairlee wrote on October 24, 2020 - 2:09pm
they are using sawzaws
gavin wrote on January 19, 2021 - 6:10pm
problem is assholes are cutting them out with sawzals when they are welded
Ecf wrote on August 11, 2020 - 10:12am
I have a 2002 Prius first generation and mine was stolen as well.
jason fry wrote on August 11, 2020 - 10:53am
Pretty stupid sounds like a bunch of stuck up Prius owners just don't wanna have to shell out money for something that's on the market why just Prius owners of anything hold the people stealing it accountable and the people who enforce the laws also the scrapers paying for it
Shelby Mcgee wrote on September 10, 2020 - 3:35am
Sounds like you haven’t experienced having your catalytic converter stolen. Of course hold the people who stole it accountable but don’t make it so damn easy for them to steal.
John wrote on September 28, 2020 - 8:05pm
Exactly! I find it weird that a troll who doesn't own a Prius is on this website being obnoxious about something he knows nothing about! Why read an article about Prius catalytic converter theft if you have contempt for the cars! However Prius is not the only target of catalytic converter theft! They just fetch more money!
Elizabeth Smith wrote on August 11, 2020 - 11:06am
I would like to be part of the petition to get Toyota to install it. Is there an active petition, if not, how do we begin one?
Darryl Martin wrote on August 29, 2020 - 7:03am
Cat stolen twice! We deserve to be heard! 500 dollar deductible each time!
Moco loco wrote on August 11, 2020 - 12:22pm
I just spent 2,800 dollars on my prius cat. This is ridiculous. Toyota should reimbursed us with a legitimate receipt and bring the prices down on this cats..
Phuong vo wrote on August 11, 2020 - 2:00pm
My city makes the places that buy them take down peoples ID if they sell them and they crack down on those things so it doesn't happen too much anymore.
Alan wrote on August 11, 2020 - 2:46pm
Why should Toyota have to pay for what thieves do? When the cars were built, the platinum, palladium, and rhodium inside the cat was not worth nearly what it is now. They used to be worth a few hundred dollars to the refinery. Now they are worth about a thousand. Is it Toyota's fault that the prices of the precious metals went up and caused a trend in theft? No. There should be a security shield from the factory? No other cars have that. A honda accord catalytic converter is worth close to what a Prius cat is worth. Blame the damn thief! Not the manufacturer! Better yet, blame the EPA for forcing the need for such expensive precious metals due to super stringent emissions regulations.
Mike wrote on August 12, 2020 - 11:28am
I think platinum is actually cheaper than it was 15 yesterday ago believe it or not. If this were South Africa someone would wire the hybrid high voltage battery to the cat when it's off and when they go to cut it would get electrocuted. I remember they had a Mercedes years ago with flame throwers underneath I'd someone tried to car jack you. Was probably a parody but still looked cool
Victoria MORALES wrote on December 17, 2020 - 8:57pm
I have a 2006 Honda Accord. My cat was stolen last week. Guy at muffler shop told me that Honda Accord cats are backordered, and the earliest that they expect to have them in stock is next February. I can buy an aftermarket cc for my Honda, but I need a waiver from state which has a code that the muffler shop needs to be able to install a non-Honda cc. I spoke to a "referee" who told me that all of California is experiencing these thefts. He also said that I will fail a visual inspection at a smog testing facility, however, when I show them my waiver, they will send me to a specific testing station. I dont drive a hybrid, however, if Toyota is being asked to recall the Prius' to install theft protection, then every other carmaker will be asked to do the same. I know my cat is not as expensive as a Hybrid, however, the $1,800 I have to pay is nothing to sneeze at, especially for me, especially now. I'm told that the thieves wont take the aftermarket cats, so that's a relief.
Abhinaba Ray wrote on May 24, 2021 - 8:16pm
If you buy a car and its damaged for some reason because of the design....do you not take it to the dealer for a replacement? similarly its a bad design to have the catalytic converter, an expensive component to be out there easy to cut open. They should have installed an aluminum shield to prevent theft at the very beginning.
Truth Seeyee wrote on August 11, 2020 - 3:16pm
This is a b.s. ad desguised as an article. I blocked all future stories from this website.
Ax1464 wrote on August 11, 2020 - 3:28pm
If thieves steal something from your car, it's the car manufacturer's fault? This is insane. If you're expecting Toyota or any other manufacturer to build a thief-proof vehicle, you are out of your minds.
Osman Sal wrote on August 12, 2020 - 12:39pm
My Prius CC was stolen...Its Toyota's fault for building it so easy to take. People should STOP buying those cars until Toyota takes responsibility and recall all the Toyotas Prius and fix that wrongs business they planned! Everyone who owns a Prius has the right to complaint and correct this issue!
john barnes wrote on August 15, 2020 - 11:19am
if you believe its toyotas problem `you` have thieves in your neighborhood... you`re out of your mind. this actually gave me a good laugh^^ why don`t you sue the wheel manufactuerer if your rims gets stolen while your at it. or the wallet maker if your wallet gets lifted off you
Brian beebee wrote on August 15, 2020 - 12:44pm
"...Its Toyota's fault ..." WRONG! It's you fault for buying the car that can have the cc stolen!
Joe wrote on August 11, 2020 - 3:29pm
I don't see why Toyota should step in and help since it's not a part defect issue. I've been a Toyota tech for 22 years and they do plenty to help out the customers with all kinds of Customer Support Programs when there are defective parts issues involving expensive parts. I just replaced a brake master cylinder and a pump on a 2014 Camry Hybrid and it was covered under a support program. It would have cost the customer at least $2500 parts and labor.
Ayo wrote on September 14, 2020 - 2:53am
If any significant part on a car can be stolen in seconds and a part as valuable as the catalytic converter on a Prius or any vehicle, I'd say that car part is defective. I'm thinking, for sometime Toyota knew how they made the catalytic converters on earlier Prius was a problem and should have notified owners to offer purchase of security devices. Toyota can have their dealership send tons of emails for customers to buy new cars and other stuff. So I think it can be proven that they knew and did absolutely nothing. Is it a crime? Well in some states, it is illegal and an environment health hazard to drive these cars without a catalytic converter. Perhaps, on this basis Toyota can be held liable for what they failed to disclose to Prius owners.
Ray Woodley wrote on August 11, 2020 - 4:17pm
My 12 Volt battery dies if I don't drive for 5 or 6 days .2016 prius 4 touring. Is any one else having this problem ? Is it normal ?
Jay R Audette wrote on August 14, 2020 - 10:29am
It is normal for a battery to die if a vehicle has been sitting for some time as most vehicles still consume power while sitting to maintain internal memories and your radio stations and stuff like that. HOWEVER... a few days is too short. 12 volt car batteries generally have a sub five-year lifespan which is why most manufacturers don't put more than a two or three-year warranty on them. Your 2016 is due for a new one. If you're having strange random electrical system issues, they'll probably straighten out when you change the battery.
Jay R Audette wrote on August 11, 2020 - 7:07pm
It's Toyota's responsibility to deliver a functioning device. If one lives in an area with high crime it is one's own responsibility to protect one's investment. Spend the money, buy the plate, stop whining.
Going Nuts in Texas wrote on August 12, 2020 - 7:26am
To the "one product user". Thanks for giving the instructions on how to remove the catalytic converter shield.
Nick Jolly wrote on August 12, 2020 - 9:59am
Whilst I have every sympathy with the owners suffering theft of their catalytic converters it must be noted it's the result of criminal activity which is nothing to do with Toyota. My question is who's buying these stolen cat's and what are law enforcement doing about it ? Perhaps Toyota could discount the price of the cat protectors as a gesture but they aren't responsible for the thefts.

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