ARLINGTON, Va. -

According to the Highway Loss Data Institute  —  an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — two domestic made units top the list for highest theft rate for passenger vehicles one to three years old, while the institute also cautions pickup owners to protect their property as these units are popular targets.

With all models studied falling in the 2007-2009 years, sitting atop the list is the Cadillac Escalade, with a claim frequency of 10.8, followed by the Ford F-250 crew pickup, coming in at 9.7. The Infiniti G37 and Dodge Charger with a HEMI engine, both at a 7.1 claim frequency, followed closely behind.

The Escalade has ranked worst in overall theft losses in six of the past seven HLDI reports, officials noted, and all four versions of the model top the list of the worst overall losses for theft, with average yearly losses more than seven times the average for all passenger vehicles. 

Moreover, the Escalade EXT four-door four-wheel-drive has the highest theft losses of all, with $146 in theft payments per insured vehicle year. This is more than 10 times the $14 average theft payments per year for all passenger vehicles, officials noted.

Also, the theft claims for Escalades are hefty, as well, with almost one of every four coming in at $40,000 or more.

Though these vehicles are equipped with standard antitheft ignition immobilizers that are supposed to prevent them from being started without a proper key, the problem, Kim Hazelbaker, HLDI senior vice president, says, is that "even though Escalades have the latest immobilizer technology, thieves still can put them on flatbeds and haul them away."

"Sedate family cars and fuel sippers aren’t on the hot list," says Hazelbaker. "Thieves are after chrome, horsepower and HEMIs."

In response, General Motors officials said they are working to make these models harder to steal, noting that Onstar can also play a role in helping to get back a unit that is stolen.

Also, one unit new to the worst overall theft losses list, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, isn’t stolen as often as the other vehicles on the worst list, but claims are expensive when the Z06 does go missing, noted officials.

The average size of an insurance claim payment for this unit is $41,229, compared to $10,118 for a Dodge Charger with a HEMI engine.

The institute also noted that overall theft losses take into account not only the rate at which insurance claims are filed, but also the size of the payments for claims, and “most of the vehicles with the highest overall theft losses are SUVs and large pickups.”

Moving on to highlight the vehicle group with the highest overall theft losses — $82 in theft payments per year — the answer does not come as a surprise after noting the Escalade’s place on the list. Very large luxury SUVS saw the most losses for a vehicle group, falling nearly six times higher than the $14 average for all passenger vehicles.

In second, very large pickups came in at $57 in losses per insured vehicle year.

"In many cases it’s tough to pinpoint exactly why a vehicle becomes a theft target," Hazelbaker says. “Investigators tell us big work trucks like the Ford F-250/350, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and Dodge Ram 2500 are attractive not only because of the vehicles themselves but also because of the tools and cargo they carry."

Also, HLDI research shows that theft losses for pickup trucks climbed steadily between 1999 and 2006 but are now decreasing. That said, officials noted this group still endures losses that are at least twice the rate of cars and SUVS.

Meanwhile, average insurance payments per theft claim have risen the most for pickups.

On the other side of the spectrum, two-door minicars, such as the mini cooper, have the lowest rate of theft losses at $4 per insured vehicle year.

Additionally, one car, in particular, showed the best theft losses for any unit on the road. The Volvo S80 leads with overall losses equal to 4 percent of the average for all passenger vehicles, coming in at 0.8 claim frequency. Next in line are the Saturn VUE and Nissan Murano.

Also, ranking among the top 10 for best theft losses is the Toyota Prius. These vehicles and the remaining left in the top 10 for best theft losses have overall losses less than 15 percent of the average $14. Also, average payments for a theft claim in this segment are less than one-third the average.

Wrapping up with some long-term trends, officials noted that since 1998, “the frequency of theft claims for cars and SUVs has declined, while average insurance payments per claim have increased.”

Moreover, frequencies have dropped the most for SUVs, declining from 4.9 claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years in 1998 to 2.4 in 2008.

GM Works to Make Escalade Tougher to Steal

Addressing the high theft rate among Escalade models, General Motors responded with a few cautionary measures it is taking with the new 2012 versions.

Stressing that it continues to deploy theft deterrent technologies on the Cadillac Escalade to address the high rate of theft, it also noted that the unit has a cryptographic immobilizer system — called PASS Key 3+. Also, since 2010, the Escalade has included a steering column lock system to help prevent other theft conditions, including push away theft.

“We are currently implementing four new pieces of ‘armor’ on Escalade intended to reduce vehicle thefts, particularly those called push away,” said Bill Biondo, GM’s global lead for vehicle theft prevention.

“We are committed to beating the thieves and expect these new theft deterrent systems to greatly reduce the Escalade’s rate of theft and lower its position on HLDI’s list,” he continued.

The new theft deterrent technology for the 2012 Escalade includes:

—A new and more robust steering column lock system that makes it nearly impossible to maneuver the Escalade onto a flatbed tow vehicle.

—An available inclination sensor that sets off an alarm when the system senses a change of the angle of the vehicle, such that would occur with towing, flatbedding or jacking up the vehicle.

—An available shock sensor intended to reduce content theft and push away theft by sounding the alarm when the vehicle is “shocked” such as breaking the glass.

—A new wheel lock system is available to help prevent the theft of Escalade’s wheels and tires.

Additionally, company officials asserted that OnStar is available on Escalade and many other GM models with the capability to locate stolen vehicles, immobilize them to prevent the thief from restarting the vehicle and slow the stolen vehicle once police are on the scene which can help prevent high-speed chases.

“Beyond developing theft deterrent systems and technologies, we continually work with law enforcement agencies across the country to help educate these agencies on our systems but equally important is to learn from them what is actually occurring in the field so we can continue to develop effective theft deterrent solutions for our customers,” concluded Biondo.

 

View the complete list of insurance theft losses for 2007-2009 passenger vehicles below: