Vehicles Most Targeted for Catalytic Converter Theft

As many as 153,000 catalytic converters were stolen from vehicles in the U.S. in 2022. Carfax studied the data of millions of service records from insurance claims and auto repair shops. Although the theft of a catalytic converter from the underside of a vehicle is a crime of opportunity, there are some cars that are targeted more than others. Federally mandated in 1975, every non-commercial vehicle is required to have one so theft is a nationwide problem. A catalytic converter reduces emissions and contains three precious metals among its components: platinum, palladium and rhodium. It is these high-value metals that thieves melt down for profit, as they are often worth much more than gold.