Ford Can't Stop Thieves From Stealing F-150 Pickups At An Alarming Rate

Jul. 12, 2022 4:31 PM ET by Michael Butler Industry News / 6 Comments

Storage lots are being targeted.

It is an undeniable fact that the global economy is taking serious strain, which trickles down into every facet of our lives, including energy, food, and transport costs. Tie this in with a global supply chain backlog and an ongoing microchip shortage, and you get an automotive market that is feeling some serious pressure. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Ford has been feeling the pinch from all angles. Its second quarter sales figures are worrying to say the least, and now it has another problem on its hands: car thefts, straight from under its nose. Thieves have been targeting the brand's ever-popular range of F-150 pickup trucks, and Dearborn, Michigan locals are starting to feel the fallout.

CarBuzz

CarBuzz

CarBuzz

CarBuzz

American car thefts have been surging over the past few years, and popular models such as the Ford F-150 are being stolen directly from manufacturers across the US. Currently, the F-150 and Ford Super Duty occupy the top two spots on the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)'s list of most stolen vehicles, and things aren't getting any better.

Ford claims that vehicle thefts from its storage lots, situated close to its assembly plants, are being targeted. Recently, 13 Ford F-150 Raptor trucks were stolen from a Dearborn truck plant storage lot. Local news agency TCD Dearborn News has dug a bit deeper and has uncovered a number of similar thefts in past months, where trucks are stolen directly from manufacturer lots. Of the thefts, a common theme has emerged: thieves are targeting high-end trims, such as the off-road-focused Raptor, and the luxurious Platinum.

CarBuzz

CarBuzz

CarBuzz

CarBuzz

Between July 1, 2021 and July 2, 2022, 75 Ford F-150 pickups were stolen in the Dearborn area, and with an average MSRP of around $65,000, the total cost to Ford has been close to $5 million. This is an obvious financial hit for Ford, but Dearborn residents have also been impacted by the string of thefts, with some claiming that their car insurance premiums have been steadily increasing due to the scourge. The seemingly simple solution would be to beef up security, but the truth is that this is a symptom of a much bigger illness affecting American society, and one that will take much more to cure than better car alarms and more cops on the street.