As Ford Authority has covered extensively over the past year or so, the Ford F-150 – which remains America’s most popular pickup – is also a desirable entity among thieves, leading to a number of high profile thefts involving that particular model. Many of these thefts have occurred from Ford-owned storage lots, with numerous pickups being taken directly from those locations – even the brand new Ford F-150 Raptor R, which was separated from its V8 powerplant and wheels. This trend has also struck third-party companies like Roush Enterprises, while some police believe the thefts are inside jobs. Regardless, people keep stealing Ford F-150 pickups, though the latest incident might just take the cake, according to the Detroit Free Press.
It’s unclear just how big this scope truly is, but we can trace its origin back to when $1 million dollars worth of Blue Oval pickups were stolen from the metro Detroit area last year, though currently, police are aware of 14 incidents where Ford F-150 pickups were stolen from storage lots, driven to Phoenix, Arizona, and then sold to unsuspecting buyers.
Interestingly, thieves then used stolen blank vehicle titles to sell those trucks with a clean title and evade detection from law enforcement, though police also note that in some cases, Ford and its partners failed to report the vehicles as stolen for weeks, months, and in some cases, not at all, which further complicates the issue.
In some cases, these trucks have changed hands multiple times since they were sold with these fraudulent titles, but thus far, police have recovered 14 pickups following dealer and auction house raids. The problem is, this leaves people like unsuspecting buyers, title companies, small dealers, and other entities out in the cold, as those vehicles have since been impounded by police.
“Product theft is a sad reality for all manufacturers, including every carmaker, and retailers,” Ford spokesman Ian Thibodeau told the Free Press. “When we become aware of robberies, we promptly report the losses to law enforcement agencies. … In fact, along with unsuspecting people who purchase these vehicles, Ford and other companies are victims here. We can’t respond to your specific questions as several law enforcement agencies are investigating these thefts. Ford is fully cooperating with all authorities involved.”
We’ll have more on this rise in F-150 thefts soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Well, at least they didn’t leave them wide open to theft AFTER they’re in customers hands by decontenting immobilizers like Hyundai Kia.
I feel sorry for HKG owners that were duped.
Wen you buy stuff cheap,you get cheap stuff. Anybody that buy Korean Krap & other foreign crap deserves wat they get
Name one car maker that can match the warranties of Hyundai. NO ONE. I bought my first Hyundai Santa Fe in 2012, and my second in 2017 when the warranty ran out (yes, 5 years, not 3 like most American vehicles. I had one trip to the dealer for a warranty item with the first car. The second one is out of warranty now, but other than a battery, tires, and brakes recently after 6 years, the second one has been flawless too. If all cars were as reliable as my Hyundai, the number of new cars being sold would go down. American car companies used to be known as planned obsolescence vehicles so you would buy another after 3 or 4 years. They have vastly improved in the last 20 years, but at current prices it is necessary because it takes 5 or 6 years to pay for them.
If the deal seems too good to be true then it probably is stolen. I don’t feel sorry for those buyers. Too many people turn a blind eye to theft of any kind. Thieves in our country need to pay a higher price. Brand their forehead with a big X! 10 year minimum sentence for anything over $100. 20 years for vehicle theft!
A serious problem for sure. And lack of the likelihood of getting caught and then prosecuted makes the situation worse and less risky for the perpetrators. As an additional note, these ARE NOT ROBBERIES as the Ford representative indicates. They are thefts, crimes of property. . Robberies, in most areas, are crimes of persons and require a person to be at risk for personal injury or the threat of same. Maybe if that was the case more often they might get more attention and action. And maybe the benefit to the perps would be reduced and the frequency decreased. Probably wishful thinking.
People and businesses that don’t promptly report vehicle thefts should be held civilly liable and – if not already codified – should be codified into all of the states’ motor vehicle codes/statutes. RCS
I thought Fords were hard to steal – are the keys left in the vehicle? Is it the more expensive models?
2005-2007 easiest to steal. Our f250 was.gone in 2 minutes
When will Ford ever release the 1.2 version of Blue Cruise… I purchased my truck in April 2022 and still havent received the update.. I paid for this and don’t want to wait for something that should be already available.