Recently, the Highway Data Loss Institute released its list of the top 10 and least 10 stolen vehicles for this year and the Cadillac Escalade got the undesirable distinction of most stolen vehicle (the Volvo S80 was the least stolen, by the way).
Well an investigative report has been released which now looks closer at why and how Escalades are such an easy target for car theives. And their findings show that it’s not just the Escalade which is easy to steal, all full-size SUV’s from GM have the same problem. As such, insuring a full-size GM SUV will cost you an arm and a leg and your genitals. To give you an idea, on average, most insurance companies spend about $146 per year per vehicle for teft claims. But for the Escalade, the average is a whopping $11,934 per theft claim. If you are stupid enough to like an Escalade enough to buy one, then I’m glad the permiums are so high because you get what you deserve.
So, how do theives do it? Well, apparently it’s extraordinarily easy to break the metal pin that locks the steering column in place while in park. One good yank of the column-mounted gear shift, and voila. Once that’s done, the lack of a steering wheel lock enables the thief to move the steering wheel when the vehicle isn’t even turned on. And if that weren’t enough, the alarm system apparently does not go off when the window is smashed in. Well done, GM. Well done.
So once all of that is completed you can then maneouver the Escalde onto a flatbed or hook it up to a tow truck and away you go. Or, you can push the Escalade into a more dark and deserted area while you strip the Escalade for costly parts.
So now that you know how to do it, uhhh, don’t.
[WXYZ Action News]
