Ford Has a Serious Vehicle Theft Problem at its Factories
New vehicles are getting increasingly expensive and profitable for automakers—and more attractive for thieves. Just ask Ford. In the past few days, 13 F-150 Raptor pickups were stolen from the plant’s parking lot in Dearborn, Michigan.
Their combined value was estimated at more than $1 million USD.
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Police managed to track down the stolen trucks, but all of them had suffered important damage or had missing parts, mostly wheels, according to local media.
One suspect has been charged in connection to the theft, but it is unclear if all 13 vehicles were part of the same heist.
Just a bit earlier, six Mustang Shelby GT500 coupes worth several hundred thousand dollars were stolen from Ford’s Flat Rock plant. Apparently, it all happened right under the nose of a security guard and through an open in the middle of the night.
Again, one suspect was taken into custody after leading troopers on a car chase but running out of gas. The five other Shelbys were also recovered, most of them with an empty tank.
It is common practice for automakers to put very little gas in brand new cars that are parked outside their factories and awaiting shipment, preventing potential thieves from getting very far before they have to stop for gas.
Other Mustang Shelby GT500s were stolen from the same Ford plant back in December of last year.
General Motors and Stellantis have also reported thefts at their Michigan facilities in recent months. Authorities are hoping that the arrests will lead to dismantling what is presumably a large organized car theft network in the state.
