On Your Side: Prius is biggest target for catalytic converter thieves

California ranks number one for catalytic converter thefts, and the vehicle most targeted is the Toyota Prius. That's leading to shortages in replacement parts.

In the city of Los Angeles in 2018, 972 catalytic converters were reported stolen. In 2022, 8,000 catalytic converters were reported stolen. That's a 728-percent increase over five years, according to the Los Angeles Police Dept.

The Los Angeles City Council voted this week to allow police to arrest anyone who has a catalytic converter not connected to a vehicle without having a receipt for it or documentation from an auto repair shop.

This comes as the city experiences its fifth year of rising theft and victims are often waiting months for replacement catalytic converters.

Rodrigo Fortes has had the catalytic converter in his Toyota Prius stolen not just once, but twice.

The second theft happened even after Fortes had his mechanic put a metal plate underneath his car to keep thieves from accessing the converter. Thieves just cut around it.

Video of a catalytic converter being stolen from a Prius in the West Valley last month shows two cars pulling up, and thieves removing the converter in less than two and a half minutes.

Sako Arpajian with Reseda Mufflers is struggling to keep up with the demand for replacement parts.

"A dealer will say six months. I've ordered catalytic converters and it's been more than six months," said Arpajian.

The Prius is the most popular car with thieves because their catalytic converters contain more unused precious metals than standard gasoline-powered vehicles.

"The guy comes in from Toyota all the time to drop off parts and tells me, 'It's a zoo, we have over 50 Priuses just sitting in the lot, they've been sitting for a very long time,'" said Arpajian.

Reseda Mufflers is currently seeing more cars with stolen converters than ever before.

"I get at least one call a day, at least. And that's just us, we're a small shop. Sometimes we get three, four calls," said Arpajian.

Since thieves can get through those steel plates, the muffler shop we went to recommended putting an aftermarket alarm on your car, especially if you have a Prius and park outside. That way if the car is touched or moved, the alarm will go off.