How To Protect Your Ford From Car Thieves
Ford is not only one of the most popular cars on the road today, they are also one of the oldest vehicle brands in the world. Beaten only by Peugeot, Fiat and Vauxhall, Ford has been a driving force in the automotive world since the first Model T rolled out of their factory in Michigan in 1908.
Sadly, it’s not just the general public who find Ford cars so desirable.
The number of Ford cars stolen has increased by nearly a third since 2021, from 14.88 stolen per 1000 registered to 27.15 in 2022. Ford continued to be the most stolen car in many areas of the UK, including the West Midlands.
Ford Fiesta thefts increased 53% in 2022, according to government data. The Fiesta is not only Britain’s most popular car, it is also the most stolen, with the Ford Focus in third.
In addition, according to DVLA statistics, Fiesta thefts increased to 5,979 reported stolen in 2022, compared to 3,909 in 2021. In reality, one Fiesta was stolen, on average, every 88 minutes!
With the number of luxury cars on our roads, like Range Rovers, Porsche, Lexus and the like, you might find the rise in the theft of Ford cars odd, but there’s more to car theft than stealing sports cars and premium SUVs to order.
Many of the Ford cars being stolen are taken to back-street, often illegal garages, known as ‘chop shops’, where they are cut up and sold for parts on the black market. Given how many Fords are currently on the roads, there’s always a huge market for parts for these cars which keeps the thieves very busy.
If you have a Ford car, then keeping it secure is going to be your top priority, but how do you do that? Let’s take a look.
WHAT MAKES FORD CARS SO POPULAR WITH CAR THIEVES?
One of the reasons Ford cars are stolen with such regularity coincides with the increases in both the technology within them and the tools thieves use to steal cars. As more and more cars adopted keyless entry, the opportunities arose for thieves with the right gadgetry to circumvent it.
Keyless entry, sometimes known as a relay attack, involves thieves hijacking the short-wave radio signals that are emitted from your key fob and received by the car to unlock or start the ignition.
Under normal circumstances, you would use the keyless entry to gain access to your car, either automatically when in range of the vehicle or by pressing a button on the fob itself. Once the reciever in the car recognises the signal, the car opens allowing you to drive away.
Thieves will use the same technique, but have their own technology that can mimic that signal. They will assume most people keep their keys next to their front door so will stand near it with a amplifier that can hijack the signal from your fob, with an accomplice next to your car with a receiver.
Once the car recognises that it’s the correct signal (which it is), it will unlock the vehicle, allowing thieves to open the car and drive it away, often without you even realising it.
CAN YOU ‘A FORD’ NOT TO BUY A TRACKER?
One way to get a step ahead of the thieves is to make sure your car, Ford or otherwise, is fitted with a tracking device. We have a wealth of options available in our store to suit every budget and every need, but when it comes to Ford cars, these are the ones we’d recommend.
Let’s start with the Locate from Tracker. Tracker are one of the UKs leading stolen vehicle and recovery specialists and have been making fantastic security systems for over 25 years, their Locate system is no exception. It’s both fully featured and offers great value for money.
As the Tracker combines GSM, GPS and VHF frequencies, you will get an alert should any attempt to jam the signal be detected. As well as the most common range of alerts and notifications you’d expect, this device is connected to the UK Police force who will alerted to the location if the vehicle is stolen.
The other device, which is also from Tracker, is their S5 Plus. This system also utilises VHF technology to help protect and locate your car, but being a Cat 5 rated device, it also comes with Driver ID tags.
These incredible pieces of tech are, as the name suggests, small tags that arm and disarm the vehicle when they’re in close proximity to the vehicle. When you leave the vehicle’s area, the system will arm and only disarm when you return. Without them, the car simply won’t start.
These are just two of the fantastic range of trackers we have available on our site. If you need any help to protect your Ford or any other make for that matter, we’re here to help.
⚬ It’s not just Ford cars that thieves love to steal, the Ford Transit regularly makes the list of most stolen vehicles. Check out our van trackers here.
⚬ Don’t make it any easier than it needs to be for thieves, protect your vehicle today.
⚬ Let Infiniti Tracking help you find the perfect tracker for you that suits your vehicle, your circumstances and your budget.
When you’re ready to order, call our dedicated team who are available for you to speak to between 9 am – 6 pm, Monday to Friday, on 0330 043 3993. We can install your tracker at your home, office and any location on the mainland UK. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
