Automobiles maintain getting stolen from Ford holding tons, and while authorities are generally capable of get well the automobiles, the thieves usually get away, particularly in cases with a number of automobiles. Then there are occasions the place nobody is aware of something about what’s occurring. The Detroit Free Press particulars how 14 Ford F-150s had been stolen from a holding lot, offered 1000’s of miles away and stayed beneath the radar due to clean automobile titles that had been stolen 16 years in the past.

In late 2022, 14 Ford F-150 pickups totaling over $1 million had been stolen from a Ford holding lot in Detroit. Nobody is aware of any particulars of precisely how the vans had been stolen; an investigation discovered the positioning lacked video surveillance, famous a number of automobiles on the lot with keys in them and most manifestly, included the truth that Ford by no means reported the vans stolen. The Free Press was capable of assessment fuel and toll receipts that confirmed that the vans wound up throughout the nation in Phoenix. Issues get a bit extra wild: the vans had been offered utilizing clean automobile titles stolen from Georgia in 2007. Freep outlined simply how the entire thing went down.

A thief takes a automobile from a holding lot, that are managed by Ford or the automaker’s companions, and drives it to the Phoenix metro space. Then somebody submits a stolen Georgia title stuffed out with the Ford automobile info and will get a brand new title from an precise title firm. Then the automobile has the obvious legitimacy to enter the buyer pipeline by way of gross sales to numerous automotive sellers or people. In some incidents the Free Press reviewed, the automobile had modified palms 4 instances previous to being found as stolen.

Police had been capable of monitor down all 14 vans and alerted Ford to the thefts, however the firm was clueless, as there was no anti-theft system that will have let the corporate know the vans had been stolen. Worse but, sellers, title firms and clients who thought that that they had completed respectable transactions discovered themselves the targets of raids or police investigations.

Cascio Motors in Scottsdale, Arizona, was raided on December 23 by authorities in search of 4 of the F-150s that they had bought for $65,000 a pop. Co-owner of the dealership, Addison Brown, is pissed and even directed some anger at Ford.

“I’m speculated to lock up my vehicles and have safety cameras. How can Ford go away vans out with keys in them in 2023? Why don’t they’ve higher safety? I’m out $300,000 and my vans have been impounded. If you learn by way of the police stories, you possibly can see that this case was labored backwards. Ford didn’t initially report vans stolen. And when individuals ask questions, Ford is nonresponsive,” she mentioned.

Others are coping with the fallout of the thefts as nicely. The proprietor of a title firm in Phoenix instructed his employees to not title any ‘22 or ‘23 F-150s to play it protected; two Ford sellers are at present locked in lawsuits over two of the vans they bought, amongst others.

Ford’s response to all of this? It occurs to everybody, and the corporate is a sufferer simply as a lot because the individuals who have been affected.

“Product theft is a tragic actuality for all producers, together with each carmaker, and retailers,” a spokesperson informed The Free Press.

You’ll be able to try the remainder of the wild theft story right here.