Vehicle hold stolen from Ford holds a lot, and wWhen the authorities are sometimes able to recover the vehicle, the thieves often escape, especially in the case of multiple vehicles. Then there are times when no one knows what’s going on. The Detroit free press details how 14 Ford F-150s were stolen from a holding lot, sold thousands of miles away and stayed under the radar thanks empty car title already stolen 16 years ago.
At the end of 2022, 14 Ford F-150 pickup trucks with a total value of more than $1 million were stolen from a Ford lot in Detroit. No one knows any details about exactly how the trucks were stolen; an investigation revealed that the site lacked video surveillance, recorded multiple vehicles on the keyed lot and most obviously included the fact that Ford never reports stolen trucks. The press freedom was able to look at gas receipts and tolls showing that the trucks were running across the country in Phoenix. Things got a little wilder: the trucks were sold using empty car names stolen from Georgia in 2007. free of charge outlining how the whole thing went downhill.
A thief takes a vehicle from a parking lot managed by Ford or the automaker’s partners and drives it to the Phoenix metro area. Someone then submits a stolen Georgia title filled with Ford vehicle information and receives a new title from an actual title company. The vehicle then has clear legitimacy to enter the consumer pipeline through sales to various auto dealers or individuals. In several incidents that Free Press reviewed, the car changed hands four times before being discovered stolen.
Police tracked down all 14 trucks and alerted Ford of the theft, but the company knew nothing. like no anti-tThe weight system will tell the company which trucks have been stolen. Worse still, agents, title companies, and customers who thought they were making legitimate deals became the target of raids or police investigations.
Cascio Motors of Scottsdale, Arizona, was raided by authorities on December 23 looking for four of the F-150s they had purchased for $65,000 each. The dealership’s co-owner, Addison Brown, was furious and even took out his anger on Ford.
“I should have locked the car and installed security cameras. How can Ford get rid of keyless vans by 2023? Why don’t they have better security? I ran out of $300,000 and my truck was impounded. As you read through the police reports, you can see that the case was reversed. Ford did not initially report the truck as stolen. And when people asked questions, Ford didn’t respond,” she speaks.
Others are also dealing with the aftermath of the thefts. The owner of a title company in Phoenix has instructed his employees not to name any F-150 ’22 or ’23 for safety; Two Ford dealers are currently embroiled in lawsuits over two of the trucks they purchased, among others.
Ford’s response to all of this? It happens to everyone, and the company is the victim as well as those affected.
“Product theft is a sad reality for all manufacturers, including every automaker and retailer,” a spokesperson said. Freedom of the Press.
You can watch the rest of the wild theft story This.
