Lexus Car Security
Watchdog investigated reports of an increase of car theft of Lexus and Toyota motors. We reached out to both companies and they told us:
A Toyota and Lexus spokesperson said:
“We take the issue of Toyota and Lexus vehicle theft very seriously. We are continuously developing technical solutions to make our vehicles more secure, to help reduce the risk of theft.
An enhanced security hardware system was introduced in October 2021 on the latest models targeted by criminals. Since which, we have seen a significant drop in thefts of those models.
For older models, we endeavour to create solutions that can offer enhanced protection to our customers. Following significant investments by Toyota GB, in line with that of other vehicle manufacturers, newly developed official Toyota and Lexus security hardware components will very soon be available to fit to those targeted models registered before October 2021. Following communication from Toyota and Lexus in the coming weeks, owners should contact their local dealer to arrange free of charge fitment. Customers can already speak to their local dealer about the fitment of a protective plate to block access to the vehicle’s electronics. This is a nationwide customer care offering.
As a vehicle manufacturer, we can never completely eliminate the risk of vehicle theft. This is an industry-wide issue, concerning all vehicle manufacturers and affecting the most popular models first.
In order to further reduce the theft risk, we regularly collaborate and share information with insurance associations, police and law enforcement authorities, theft prevention experts and other key stakeholders around the world. This enables us to understand new threats and techniques used by thieves and develop more secured systems.
Alongside our efforts, we urge those authorities to focus on reducing the number of thefts.
We would also like to see action taken that leads to the end to the online sale of devices used by criminals to steal cars without using the car keys, as these devices serve no purpose other than a criminal one.”
The ±«Óãtv Watchdog team replied and asked if companies were proactively offering protective plates to customers, inside and outside the M25. A Toyota and Lexus spokesperson said:
“Toyota and Lexus headquarters undertook targeted outbound correspondence to customers. While the bulk of initial plate supply was directed to London, as the area where intelligence showed a concentration of vehicle crime, the protective plates have always been available to any dealer across the UK and were ordered and dispatched as requested. In terms of widespread awareness, we are, of course, bound by GDPR and, as a result, only able to write to customers from whom we have permission to do so.”
