Our Rangers Theft Prone like F- Series? How, and How to Protect?

lazynorse

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News is rife with theft of newer Ford F-150s, 250s. Is this a simple matter of breaking windows and ‘hot wiring’ ignition? I’m ignorant of the technique.

If there’s some special vulnerability, do our Rangers have the same vulnerability? Same draw for dirty thieves?

My Ranger doesn’t fit in my 2 car garage, water heater, furnace and stairs make it too short. I hate ‘the club’ and heard you can cut through the steering wheel with bolt cutters to defeat them.

So, how and why are Fords so theft prone, and are our Rangers less favored or vulnerable? Any secrets to minimizing theft risk?
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Dr. Zaius

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I would wager that the new Fords that were stolen were push button start and no breaking of glass or hotwiring was required.

I did a quick bit of research and the only instances of Ranger theft I found all had push button start.

I don't think that is necessarily a Ranger issue though as push button start vehicles from all manufacturers are frequently targeted since they are relatively easy to spoof with the right equipment.

You can keep the keys in a faraday pouch, but that kind of defeats the convenience of not having to dig your keys out.
 

D Fresh

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Oh you mean the ones that can be bought for 20$ on Amazon?
Perhaps. They'll also need a bit of knowledge with that as well.


My point is that these threads pop up on the regular around here. Next will be a "do I need to protect my catalytic converter?" thread.

And it's likely because the local news stations are running their rotating "don't pay attention to what's really go on, be afraid of this" stories.

I hate to tell you. But if vehicle theft is really a valid concern to you, you shouldn't waste your time trying to stop them. Your efforts are best placed trying to move out of whatever shithole you live in.
 


Surlyman

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Some of its just the news being the news, some of its legit. It’s less so the push button start vehicles, and more so the ones with the “phone as key” capability, that’s how they’re getting the BMW’s and the likes. The key start vehicles today are more or less the same as a push to start, just that a key operates the “button” if that makes sense. There’s no longer a physical ignition switch that it operates.

Also, surprisingly a lot of people actually leave their fobs in these Ford rigs. They like being able to walk up, punch in their code, hit a button and drive. But I highly doubt they’re admitting this when it gets stolen.

I have however, seen the aftermath of an attempt on a ‘17 F150. Recently a friend and I were mountain biking when he got an alert his alarm was triggered and a door was opened. Sadly, we were several miles downhill from the staging area and even with that motivation, took us about an hour to circle back.

When we got back, to our surprise there was no broken glass. They very carefully went slim-jim style in through the window track/dew wipe and worked the linkage. Didn’t take a single thing, including things such as a nice/clean yeti bottle, bike tools, high end sunglasses, and other misc somewhat-valuable items. This is why we suspect what they wanted was the truck.

The cherry on top? When he went to test his locks for function he noted there was no horn-honk. Looked up front to find the horn wires hanging out through the grill. They had reached way back in with some kind of hook and yard’ed the wires off the horn… these guys knew what they were doing and were probably in the vehicle in minutes. Thinking they got in, tried the button, and left.

After looking around, it’s a common theft practice on those trucks. Multiple ways to go about it, but after reading an idea about relocating them we made some brackets and moved his horns to under the hood. Think the ranger horns are in a similar fashion, one of the first things I’m going to look into after delivery.
 

Dereku

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A neighbor of mine had his window smashed and they reached in and grabbed his man purse. Ever since that happened I lower Kevlar and steel cage over the cab. It fits nicely in the bed and only takes 15 min and two people to put on.
Ok pictures are now required to explain your contraption. You must live in a bad area.
 

CATX

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Ok pictures are now required to explain your contraption. You must live in a bad area.
I was joking. About the cage and the neighbors man purse. It was actually my man purse, DeeZee branded. But the cage makes sense. Our DA won't lock up the criminals so might be a good idea to put the cab behind bars.
 

D Fresh

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Also, surprisingly a lot of people actually leave their fobs in these Ford rigs. They like being able to walk up, punch in their code, hit a button and drive. But I highly doubt they’re admitting this when it gets stolen.
Every time I run accross a thread about those silly little keypads I comment with my opinion that they are thief magnets.

It ofentimes upsets the users of such devices. But hopefully it makes them think about it a little more.

The vast majority of vehicle burlaries and thefts are simply targets of opportunity. Don't give them the opportunity and you'll be fine.

There are the odd professionals out there like the guys that tried to get your buddies F-150, or maybe I should say semi-pros. But most aren't nearly that sophisticated.
 

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I have one of these inexpensive motion noise maker...loud as Fk and hard to tell where it's coming from...others have also installed a similar silent version that sends alarm to you so you can grab your shotgun... ?

51G7lQAcg0L._AC_SL1001_.jpg
 

Surlyman

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Every time I run accross a thread about those silly little keypads I comment with my opinion that they are thief magnets.
Can’t say I’ve heard of the securi-code system being used as a entry point for these guys. Surely it’s been done but I don’t think it’s of any real concern. Those with that ability could probably just remotely open and start the vehicle haha. They’ve had the system for four decades now and are on nearly every Ford sold. These guys have selected their target regardless if it has a keypad or not I would think, but who knows.

In the end, any “nice” vehicle is a thief magnet.
 

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Can’t say I’ve heard of the securi-code system being used as a entry point for these guys. Surely it’s been done but I don’t think it’s of any real concern. Those with that ability could probably just remotely open and start the vehicle haha. They’ve had the system for four decades now and are on nearly every Ford sold. These guys have selected their target regardless if it has a keypad or not I would think, but who knows.

In the end, any “nice” vehicle is a thief magnet.
Not necessarily as an entry point. More so as an indication that at a minimum the keys are locked in the vehicle.

Vehicle thefts and burglaries at trailheads can be fairly common around here. If I were a scumbag and saw a person punching in the keycode on a Ford, you might as well have just sent me an invitation.
 

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