People typically lock their cars when they park them to safeguard personal items and components inside the vehicle. Increasingly, however, criminals are less interested in what’s inside the car than they are in what’s underneath it — the catalytic converter.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau has reported that thefts of catalytic converters jumped by 325% in 2020 compared to 2019. Reported claims rose by more than 11,000 in 2020, and not all claims get reported.
If the catalytic converter on your vehicle is stolen, it can cost you on average up to $2,000 to replace it, and it is illegal to drive your car without one. The resulting gap in your exhaust system also makes the car run poorly until it is fixed. Depending on what type of insurance you have, it may or may not cover the theft. Catalytic Converter Thefts on the Rise