Catalytic converter theft from cars isn’t a new crime, but it has increased significantly in recent times.
Police forces around the UK, including those in West Yorkshire, London and Nottinghamshire, are advising owners of any car fitted with a catalytic converter to take precautions.
Any car fitted with a catalytic converter within the exhaust system could be at risk. In the case of Lexus, we are aware that the second-generation Lexus RX 400h models (2005-2008) and the Lexus CT 200h have been a target for thieves.
Below we’ve gathered the best advice for Lexus owners who may be concerned.
What is a catalytic converter?
The catalytic converter is part of the car’s emissions control system. It cleans up the exhaust gases before they are expelled from the car through the exhaust pipe. Its internal elements react with the gases, breaking them down into less harmful substances and water vapour. All cars sold in Europe since 1993 have had to be fitted with catalytic converter by law.
Why are they a target for thieves?
The police are best placed to offer advice on the motivation behind crimes. But we understand that the recycling value of catalytic converters is the primary attraction to thieves because it contains precious metals such as rhodium, platinum and palladium.
What is Lexus doing to stop its cars being targeted?
In May 2021, Lexus (GB) announced that it would be covertly marking more than 100,000 catalytic converters in order to combat theft. By working with police and Smartwater, catalytic converters can be tagged with an invisible yet traceable marking, meaning that a stolen catalytic converter can be traced to a specific crime, helping police in their attempts to fight the organised gangs responsible. It also raises the risk to all those handling the devices along the criminal chain, from theft to eventual disposal and recycling.
It is free to get the catalytic converter marked, all customers need to do is call their local Toyota or Lexus retailer to arrange a visit.
In addition to this, Lexus has issued 20,000 Smartwater kits to police to support their local anti-catalyst theft initiatives. The company is also working with the AA, Toyota’s roadside partner, so its patrols can point customers to where they can get a free kit.
We have also developed and reduced the price of a ‘Catloc’ device which can deter theft and make it more difficult. Lexus teams in the UK and other countries are urgently exploring new technical possibilities to deter criminals as well.
We are working with the police, as well as talking to government about changes in the law around scrap metal sales that would make it harder for criminals to sell stolen catalysts for cash.
However, these are criminal operations and our scope is therefore limited. A number of police forces are taking action and some forces, such as Nottinghamshire, are also starting awareness campaigns. It is vitally important for anyone who is a victim of this crime to report it to their local police force as quickly as possible.
In the main, it remains older cars that are targeted because advances in efficiency and technology mean the latest generations of Lexus catalytic converters contain vastly lower amounts of precious metals, whilst still doing their job just as well or even better; this means their value for recycling is very low and they are not attractive to thieves.
We’re doing all we can. We’ve shared police guidance with customers, and are seeking technical solutions, although for obvious reasons we would like to refrain from talking about specifics.
We are also working with the police, as well as talking to government about changes in the law around scrap metal sales that would make it harder for criminals to sell stolen catalysts for cash.
However, these are criminal operations and our scope is therefore limited. A number of police forces are taking action and some forces, such as Nottinghamshire, are also starting awareness campaigns. It is vitally important for anyone who is a victim of this crime to report it to their local police force as quickly as possible.
In the main it remains older cars that are targeted because advances in efficiency and technology mean the latest generations of Lexus catalytic converters contain vastly lower amounts of precious metals, whilst still doing their job just as well or even better; this means their value for recycling is very low and they are not attractive to thieves.
How much does it cost to replace a catalytic converter?
Our priority is to do all we can to support Lexus customers who have been the victims of catalytic converter theft.
We have reduced the prices of catalytic converters to a level where Lexus UK does not make any profit from their supply to customers.
Your nearest Lexus centre can advise on exact costs after inspecting your vehicle.
How long will I have to wait for replacement parts?
The rapid rise in this crime is one we could not have envisaged set against many years of low incidence of thefts. It has impacted our ability to source a sufficient quantity of replacement parts, for which we sincerely apologise.
However, we are taking urgent action with our suppliers to secure increased supplies, which we hope will allow us to effectively tackle the supply issue and repair customers’ cars more quickly.
Who can I contact if I’m worried about my Lexus?
If you are worried about potential catalytic converter theft from your Lexus, we recommend you use our locator tool to find your nearest Lexus centre and contact them to discuss the best way to protect your car.
This article was last updated on 14 May 2021, so some of the responses to reader comments below have been superseded by more recent information.
We have had 3 cats stolen from our RX400H within the last 7 months. The car was parked outside our house in Surrey and every time during the early hours of Monday morning. We’ve paid over £800 in our insurance excess. Police are powerless. Lovely car to drive but paying for a complete design failure. What are Lexus going to do? Are catlocs the answer? Or are we throwing good money after bad!
Hi MJ,
Thanks for getting in touch. We are incredibly sorry you have been a victim of this crime. Please be aware, we are doing all we can to support our customers who have been impacted by this crime.
We have developed and are supplying theft deterrent devices at zero profit such as CatLocs and component etching to protect consumers from further attacks. We are also working with insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.
Please also be aware, we have engaged with Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police (OVCU) and the Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police (Jenny Sims) who is also the National Lead for all vehicle crime. All of this will raise the profile of this crime with all police forces and identify issues with current legislation.
Once again, we are deeply sorry you have been affected by this. If you would like to discuss your situation further with our customer relations team, you can do so via this link: https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/customer-relations-contact-us?enquiry_type=general
Thanks.
Has anyone had there cat stolen when they had a Catloc and / or side steps fitted to there Lexus?
Yes had a catloc fitted by lexus main dealer still stole my cat in a busy car park whilst I went shopping
Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re really sorry to hear you have been a victim of this crime. Have you been able to have you car fixed? We would recommend contacting your nearest Lexus centre to discuss this further. You can find the contact details for your nearest dealer, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/find-a-centre
Once again we are sorry you have been impacted by this.
Thanks.
Got mine stolen last week. Very upset that l wasn’t warned about this, but even had been aware this still would have happened. Outside a store and it was so fast!
Trouble is my rx400h is so old that it’s a problem weighing up the cost of a replacement. The dealership in Hatfield, (l have been trying to source a replacement from them for sometime now), recommended talking to my insurance but even if you just ask a few questions it gets a mark against your account for an uplift in price and loss of no claims.
I love my car, it’s so comfortable to drive but this has put me off of getting another lexus.
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. We are really sorry you have been impacted by this crime and for the distress this may have caused. We are doing all we can to increase replacement parts production with our suppliers and reduce current backlog as fast as possible. To support our customers who have been impacted by this situation we are also assessing cases on an individual basis and making alternative vehicles available in some cases.
To discuss the specifics of your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team as they are best placed to provide support in any way we can. You can contact them directly, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/customer-relations-contact-us?enquiry_type=general
Please also be aware, we have engaged with Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police (OVCU) and the Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police (Jenny Sims) who is also the National Lead for all vehicle crime. All of this will raise the profile of this crime with all police forces and identify issues with current legislation.
Thanks.
Hi,
I just bought a used Lexus NX from the dealership. Although I have done massive research about catalytic converter security before I brought this car, I still worried about it could be an easy target as SUVs have higher ground clearance, and I can just see the converter underneath. I understand that every hybrid and petrol cars equipped with catalytic converter stand with a risk. Do you recommend your range of SUVs shall install catloc?
Hi Wayne,
Thanks for getting in touch with us and congratulations on your new car. We only provide Catlocs for models deemed most at risk which currently does not include NX. In addition, newer Lexus vehicles are less prone to catalytic converter theft due to the reduced level of precious metal content in catalytic converters on newer models due to improved engine/emissions efficiency.
We appreciate your concerns regarding this crime and you can find further advice in the police advice shared in the above article:
https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/vehicle-crime/vehicle-crime/catalytic-converter-theft-prevention-advice
https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/theft-from-a-vehicle/vehicle-safe-and-sound/
https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/advice/prevention/catalyticconverter
Thanks.
Hi
I have just bought a new NX 2017-18 model.
What I understood from your comment on earlier question from Wayne that Newer NX are less riskier compare to older models?Newer NX is still on target?
Just want to be cautious.
Hi Chirag,
Thanks for getting in touch. We fully appreciate your concerns. Of course, in theory any car with a catalytic converter is at risk of theft. As we mentioned in our previous comment, we are constantly assessing the situation and do only provide Catlocs for models considered most at risk – this currently does not include NX.
Thanks.
Why isn’t Lexus providing catlocks free of charge as their customers are suffering from a design error?
Fitting catalytic converters containing precious metals in a place where they can be easily stolen is not the fault of the customers.
Prospective lexus customers should be warned about this issue and we should stop buying lexus cars until they come up with a solution that will protect us as customers who pay a fortune to buy these cars and end up paying another fortune because of the design error caused by Lexus.
We should take this issue to court as well as warning other lexus buyers of Lexus doesn’t accept to fit catlocks free of charge.
End of discussion
Hi John,
Thanks for getting in touch. Theft of catalytic converters is not a new offence, but it has always been relatively rare, ever since the fitment of catalytic converters was made compulsory on cars. Since-mid 2019 however, this crime has risen sharply. The rise in value of materials they contain could not have been envisaged, and opportunist profit may be the chief reason for the rise in this crime of late. As our hybrid systems have become more effective over time, we have been able to reduce the content of these materials in our newer vehicles, meaning thieves tend to target older models.
We have tried to ensure as many of our customers as possible are aware. Toyota published police advice on this crime as soon as it could online, wrote to our dealer network to brief customers and wrote directly to owners of a number of our vehicles where we had details to do so.
To support customers who have been impacted, we treat all cases on a one by one basis and our Customer Relations team will look at the case and consider offering a courtesy vehicle FOC where Insurance providers will not cover this cost. We have developed and are supplying theft deterrent devices at zero profit such as CatLocs, tilt alarms, bolt caps and component etching to protect consumers from further attacks. We are also working with Insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.
We have also engaged with Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police (OVCU) and the Assistant Chief Constable of Cheshire Police (Jenny Sims) who is also the National Lead for all vehicle crime. All of this will raise the profile of this crime with all police forces and identify issues with current legislation.
Thanks.
Just to let you know my story. My RX 400h cat was stolen mid-October last year. Initially my insurance company refused to pay up as the wanted to write off the car. When I pointed out that Lexus was offering a new cat for £750 fitted, they relented. I got in touch with Lexus customer relations then and they took up my case. That happened early January by which time a cat lock for the RX had been designed which Lexus fitted for free. The lock was a disaster. My previously quiet Lexus now sounded like an ancient diesel tax with a loose exhaust. Lexus was made immediately aware and promised to rectify. Then Covid!! I lived with this noise since then but with regular updated from Lexus. I then planned to go on holiday to France with the car. I told Lexus and they confirmed a revised catloc was now available. Lexus pulled out all the stops and it was fitted the day before we left. Result bliss!! All power to Jack at Lexus Customer Relations Amazing service and on a 12 year old car.
Hi Martin,
Thanks for getting in touch.
We’re very sorry to hear that you’ve been affected by this crime and for any distress that this may have caused.
However, we are thrilled that Jack was able to sort this issue for you, and we’ll be sure to pass your glowing feedback on to him.
We hope that you had a lovely time in France.
Thanks.
Hi Martin, we had the same catlock, the rattling one and were told by Lexus that they would get in contact with us when the improved catlock was available. They never did and unfortunately we had our catalytic converters stolen again in July 2020. The scumbag took all of 2 minutes to cut through the useless thing. Basically the catlock for the RX400h is useless. My insurers repair gurus` DLG, were awesome, said the catlock was rubbish and instead retro fitted the catlock for the newer RX models, which is a proper piece of hardware, solid steel plate covering the whole converter. If you have this then great but if you’ve been given a silver band with a useless cable welded to the chassis them I’m afraid your converter is in major trouble. Good luck as this is the 3rd time in 9 months; 1st, no catlock, 2nd useless 350 quid one and now an actual good catlock free of charge on insurance.
Hi Colin,
Thanks for getting in touch with us. We’re really sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.
We’re working hard to support all customers who have been victims of this crime and are constantly monitoring the situation.
Would you like us to put you in touch with our customer relations team directly?
Once again, we are so sorry that you’ve been affected by this.
Thanks.
Yes, the Mark 2 version is the solid steel plate so all good.
Had my cat stolen from my driveway in July. My insurance company have informed me that they have recently put the RX400h on a ‘do not insure’ list. So now I’m in a situation where I can’t insure my car going forwards and will be hard pushed to find an insurance company that will. I’m going to have difficulty selling a car that somebody else is going to have trouble insuring. Such a shame for a car that is otherwise in great shape.
Hi Olly,
Thanks for your comment. We’re sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.
We’re working hard to support all customers who have been victims of this crime and are constantly monitoring the situation.
We have developed and are supplying theft deterrent devices at zero profit such as CatLocs and component etching to protect consumers from further attacks. We are also working with insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.
If you would like to discuss your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team as they are best placed to provide support in any way we can. You can contact them directly, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/customer-relations-contact-us?enquiry_type=general
Thanks.
Just has my cat stolen from car 1 hour ago outside my driveway, I confronted them, they swung a bat at me, then they ran in to car and sped off. I was too late, it had been clean cut. I refuse to contact insurer as I know what financial effect this will have on my premiums. Shouldn’t there be a replacement CAT offered to all lexus rx 400h cat theft victims which are similar to the newer models which have less valuable metals in them?
What is the quickest way to resolve this issue, and advice please? I’m in shock.
Thanks
Hi Chris,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re extremely sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.
We have developed and are supplying theft deterrent devices at zero profit such as CatLocs, tilt alarms, bolt caps and component etching to protect consumers from further attacks. We are also working with Insurers to minimise the impact on consumers.
To discuss the specifics of your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team as they are best placed to provide support in any way we can.
You can contact them directly, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/customer-relations-contact-us?enquiry_type=general
Once again, we are sorry for the distress this has caused.
Thanks.
Just had my cat stolen for the second time today at work. I had to pay for replacement the first time for my insurance company wanted to write off my car for a £700 replacement. Now I don’t know what to do, for it pointless calling my insurance company.
Hi Gregory,
Thanks for your comment. We’re sorry to hear that your vehicle has been affected by this crime.
We have produced CatLocs for vehicles considered to be most at risk and are supplying these at zero profit to try and protect customers from further attacks, although criminals with high-grade power tools can be very determined.
We have also been working with insurers to minimise the impact of this crime on customers.
If you would like to discuss your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team as they are best placed to offer any necessary support.
You can contact them, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/customer-relations-contact-us?enquiry_type=general
Once again, we are sorry that your vehicle has been targeted by thieves.
Thanks.
Hugely disappointed reading about all the cases only after my catalytic converter was also stolen from my Lexus CT. This happened on my driveway. I have never been aware of this ongoing issue and have never been informed by Lexus about such cases. I also considered to exchange of my Lexus for another model soon however, I am not convinced at the moment I want to continue with a hybrid car anymore for it to be exposed to potential thieves. Not sure why we as customers are not fully informed by local Lexus dealers about this ongoing issue and catlock should have been installed free of charge for prevention. Love my Lexus but sadly will need to consider another car for that purpose.
Hi Agnes,
Thanks for getting in touch. We’re extremely sorry to hear that your car has been targeted by thieves.
We have tried to ensure as many of our customers as possible are aware. We published police advice on this crime as soon as it could online, wrote to our dealer network to brief customers and wrote directly to owners of a number of our vehicles where we had details to do so.
We are supplying CatLocs at zero profit for vehicle models considered most at risk.
Our newer Lexus vehicles are less prone to catalytic converter theft due to the reduced level of precious metal content within the converters.
If you wish to raise your situation further, we would recommend contacting our customer relations team as they are best placed to provide support in any way we can.
You can contact them directly, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/forms/customer-relations-contact-us?enquiry_type=general
Once again, we are sorry for any distress caused by this crime.
Thanks.
Hi Lexus UK.
I am considering purchasing a 2014 MY onwards CT200H and am understandably re-thinking this decision based upon these Lexus cat-theft issues.
In your reply to Agnes´s points above, you state that “Our newer Lexus vehicles are less prone to catalytic converter theft due to …..”
Which models and Model Years are these vehicles, please?
Hi Pete,
Thanks for getting in touch.
Only cars that are being targeted have a cat lock available, which are the RX 400h sold new between 2005 and 2009 and the CT200h.
However, due to the precious metals they contain, any car containing a catalytic converter is in theory at risk of theft.
Thanks.
This article is very disappointing. I wanted to get a Rx but seeing all these comments has really put me off. Why doesn’t Lexus fit the Catloc as standard to all their hybrids? Why should your customers have to pay an additional £250 for it? ☹️
Hi Akua,
Thanks for getting in touch.
We only supply a cat lock for older RX vehicles, as these are the ones being targeted by criminals. The current RX is not.
Thanks.
Hello,
They stole my catalytic converter (CT200H) today and I don’t have money to replace it.
Why didn’t you warn your customers?
Hi Kaya,
Thanks for your comment. We’re sorry to hear that your vehicle has been targeted by criminals.
We published police advice online as soon as we could and have engaged with the Home Office, Local MPs, Met Police and National Lead for vehicle crime (Jenny Sims) to raise the profile of this crime.
We have also produced CatLocs and other theft deterrents for vehicles considered most at risk.
If you would like to discuss your situation further, you can contact our customer relations team, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/concierge-tool/contact-us/
They are best placed to offer support in any way we can.
Thanks.
Lexus is completely ignorant to their customers. They do everything until they pocket our hardly earned money, but then the only response provided is “Please contact us….”. Then they quote an awful lot of money to fix their own fault.
We as customers must take action and warn others to stop them buying Lexus cars in the UK.
My months of saving is gone because of Lexus as they never warned me about such a problem. İt is a design error and Lexus have to call all vulnerable cars back to provide a solution.
Hi Kaya,
Thanks for getting in touch.
We have tried to ensure as many of our customers as possible are aware. We published police advice on this crime as soon as it could online, wrote to our dealer network to brief customers and wrote directly to owners of a number of our vehicles where we had details to do so.
We have produced and are supplying CatLocs at zero profit for vehicles considered most at risk and have engaged with many different organisations in order to try and raise the profile of the crime.
You can contact our customer relations team if you wish to discuss your specific situation further, here: https://www.lexus.co.uk/concierge-tool/contact-us/
We are truly sorry for any distress that has been caused by this crime.
Thanks.