Prius owners are dealing with months-long back orders as the car remains one of the most popular mod
- Prius owners have been hit especially hard by the wave of catalytic converter thefts.
- The hybrid cars have a more coveted catalytic converter, which has more precious metals in it.
- The trend has left some Prius owners waiting months for replacements, per The Los Angeles Times.
Prius owners are having to wait months for new catalytic converters as thieves have identified the priciest types of converters, and thefts are ramping up demand for the parts, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Some Prius owners are feeling the pinch of both rising thefts and slow replacements as the car is one of the most popular models for the thefts, according to Car & Driver.
Hybrid cars' catalytic converters require more precious metals, because they do not reach the same temperature as strictly gas combustion engines. It means that the car model has been more targeted than others, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute.
The persisting new reality has left Prius drivers car-less for months on end in one of the congested and car-reliant cities in the world, according to CBS.
In 2023, there has still been a high prevalence of the thefts in Los Angeles, with more thefts by the end of March 2023 compared to the same time in the year prior, per the Times.
And nationwide, since 2018, the National Insurance Crime Bureau has reported that there were close to 1,300 thefts for which an insurance claim was filed, a figure that increased by 325% the following year. By 2020, there were just under 14,500 thefts.
The targeting of Prius models has left some drivers with parts stolen waiting for over six months from dealerships and mechanics for replacements, according to the Times. One dealership employee told the Times that there were thousands of back orders for the parts tailored to Prius models.
Toyota's own $1,800 part for Prius models from before 2011, and a $2,800 converter fitted to those Priuses sold by Magnaflow, are both sold out online, per the Times.
Toyota did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.
Over the last few years, states have acted to pass new laws to quell the uptick in thefts, in attempts to cut out middlemen like unauthorized scrap yards where catalytic converters can be pawned off without a trace, typically for $50 to $250, according to NICB.
There are at least three new laws on the books in the Golden State, including one which requires purchasers to register extra layers of documentation such as the VIN number of the converter's original car, as well as information about the car's make, year, and model, according to CalMatters.
That means that in car-saturated Los Angeles, thieves could soon see jail time for the thefts, and it could be illegal to own one without a form of proof of ownership.
Upwards of 35 states have introduced legislation aiming to stop the rise in thefts, with California accounting for at least 37% of the thefts, according to the DOJ.
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