Posted on 04/30/2013 8:48:19 AM PDT by KeyLargo
Airbags, Tailgates Are Targets Du Jour for Thieves
Targets of car-component thieves can be as fleeting as Ed Hardy T-shirts and lower-back tattoos; they shift with cultural fixations and advancing technology. So, what car parts are trending for car thieves now?
Of course, there are the classics, like hubcaps and car stereos. A few years back, high intensity discharge headlights enjoyed their day in the sun among street-car enthusiasts and, more recently, marijuana growers. Lately, Honda Fit wheels have become a popular target, as one of Cars.com's own senior editors learned. Airbags and pickup trucks' tailgates are currently making headlines too.
While airbag thefts have been occurring for decades, they've continued to escalate during the years and are a growing concern for car owners, police and insurance companies. According to New York-based consumer-information agency the Insurance Information Institute, more than 75,000 airbags are stolen each year, while the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that related losses top $50 million a year. State Farm estimates the cost of airbag thefts could eventually rise to between $127 million and $253 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.cars.com ...
I’ve thought about experimenting with kevlar air bags to make bullet proofing.
If you have a tonneau cover on your truck bed and can lock it do that as well. I had a flash of someone lifting the cover and staying inside until you get home and in the garage. Then once you go inside they could pop out and have access to you without you realizing they had been back there. Even a couple of folks could get back there. May also help prevent them from lowering the tailgate and stealing it too. Maybe a little paranoid but things are strange out there these days.
Pretty common even twenty years ago to steal tailgates off pick-up trucks at apartment complexes. I lost two until I started bolting them in place. Apparently thieves don’t carry wrenches.
Hope they died overdosing on bad heroin.
Why would airbags and tailgates be popular? I’ve never thought of looking to buy either at a flea market.
Airbags are expensive and remarketable. Tailgates presumably are in demand because they are commonly damaged in collisions, and can be bolted on by any fly-by-night repairman.
The tailgate use may be why I see odd tailgates on the back of pickups.
Learn something everyday.
But, this: Honda Fit wheels
My wife drives an Accord. Is a "honda fit wheel" any wheel that happens to be on a Honda? Or are they talking about aftermarket rims?
It’s a particular model of Honda.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=2013+Honda+Fit&FORM=RESTAB#view=detail&id=79B98BFECFBCCDB9DBFA737FCC5E1A7405871666&selectedIndex=11
It’s illegal in many states for licensed car dealers (new or used) to sell a car w/o an airbag or if it is legal, refuse to do so for fear of later lawsuits. So all those blown airbags have to be replaced.
These days, it’s easy to blow an airbag in a fender bender that doesn’t really damage the drivability of the car or even the cosmetics, but it does screw with the computer and sensors.
And they are expensive. I expect at this point that the theft rate exceeds the accident rate and the black market is now stealing airbags to replace stolen ones, sort of a self created market.
Not only that, front airbags are pretty useless if you are wearing a properly working seat belt.
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