Stealing Toyota Prius Batteries Is Now A Thing

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
How is this not the easiest crime in the world to solve? Cops check to see who is selling Prius batteries (Craigslist, etc.), which shops are buying them, follow up leads, dig around a bit and make a few arrests.

A quick search of the SF-Bay Area Craigslist shows battery packs going for anywhere between $700 and $1,300, but that’s just for the hardware – repair shops are charging between $3,000 and up to $7,000 depending on the damage and the source of the parts.
 
All they need to do is serialize the batteries at Toyota manufacturing plant. Then, each and every battery can be traced back to its origin/vehicle. Without some type of unique identification embedded into the batteries, law enforcement cannot successfully prosecute people for selling batteries on CL because there's not definitive proof that it was stolen.
 
They are being stolen then shipped overseas to Mainland China.It's pretty much like the old chop shops and grand theft rings back in the 80's and 90's in the Bay Area where luxury cars were being stolen then shipped to China in shipping containers.
Unless the Fed / FBI gets involved SFPD wont solve it. They will sit on their asses and ignore the issue. Unless someone in their family has their shit yanked then SFPD will do something about it :| .
 
or option b, battery somehow dies, owner of car doesn't want to spend $2500 for a replacement, a hammer through the back window, and rip out the old one then whammo a $500 deductible later and battery and window replaced!
 
Chicago just put new laws down for buying used catalytic converters. SF should do the same for batteries. If they were to run a report of totaled Prius models against the number of incoming batteries, it's pretty clear they were stolen. Maybe require proof of VIN/title with each sale? There has to be a VIN barcode somewhere on the battery.
 
Also, Toyota could secure the batteries to the vehicle a little better. Maybe they could install a locking mechanism that requires the ignition key. That, or use a special tool/key that only authorized dealers have access to. Nothing is 100% theft proof, but it would deter the smash and grab thefts a little...
 
They are trying to get enough batteries so it can transform into Eva.

tumblr_mmmakuRdb11rcapfio1_1280.jpg
 
There has to be a VIN barcode somewhere on the battery.

Nope. When I read about this earlier this week I went home and opened up the trunk of my wifes prius and installed some tamper bolts. No VIN on these, which is stupid. It could be coded into the firmware on the battery.
 
or option b, battery somehow dies, owner of car doesn't want to spend $2500 for a replacement, a hammer through the back window, and rip out the old one then whammo a $500 deductible later and battery and window replaced!

:eek: Damn, I never thought of that. :eek:
 
Chicago just put new laws down for buying used catalytic converters. SF should do the same for batteries.
Look at a map of the area, SF makes a law so you can't buy used batteries (or whatever), no problem. someone sets up shop in Daly City or Oakland or any number of other cities within a close enough driving distance (or near a BART station since obviously their car won't drive any further) and San Francisco laws no longer apply!
 
Can't really blame Toyota on this one. This isn't any different than (ass mentioned), stealing airbags, stereos ir other parts that thieves want.

At least , though they seem to be messing up some wiring, the damage to the rest of the vehicle looks minimal and fairly easily fixable compared to the dash board messes I've seen for stolen stereos etc...

It sucks that thieves can't keep the mitts off. Thank got for issuance though.. $7000-$9000 is a huge repair bill for a prius...
 
At least , though they seem to be messing up some wiring, the damage to the rest of the vehicle looks minimal and fairly easily fixable compared to the dash board messes I've seen for stolen stereos etc...

Except this will likely cause the insurance rates on Hybrids to increase. The insurance on my Camry Hybrid was higher than the standard 4 cyl Camry, mainly due to the battery and the extra expense of repairs if it's in an accident.

The batteries usually last for well over 100K, but some of these Prius have been around for over 10 years, so they are starting to see the occasional battery failure. At that age, replacing the battery at the dealership is close to what the car is getting worth. Better solution is a used or a rebuilt battery (it's usually just 1 or 2 cells that go bad) and then sell the car within a year so you don't have to deal with a failed battery again.
 
Maybe it's the repair shops behind this. It seems like they're getting pretty good business out of this situation.
 
Back
Top