Car thieves targeting Toyota hybrids for joyrides and ram-raids

Wednesday, 22 December 2021

New Zealand has run out of ignitions and front quarter windows for the Aqua, Mills Collision Repair Centre owner Shannon Mills says.

Voracious thieves targetting Toyota hybrid hatchbacks have caused a nationwide shortage of spare parts.

Police say thefts of Toyota Aqua or Prius C cars are climbing, and a Hamilton panelbeater says it’s “unbelievable”, and it’s almost impossible to get the parts to fix them.

Joyriders recently took - and damaged – a Hamilton woman’s white 2017 Toyota Aqua twice within four weeks.

A Hamilton woman’s Toyota Aqua was taken twice in a month. She’d only had it back for two days before the second theft.

The woman, who talked to Stuff on the basis of anonymity, said her car was first stolen less than a week after she moved into a flat on Victoria St.

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It was found a few days later, dumped, and with a smashed front quarter window, and the ignition ripped out.

“It was just frustrating. When you finally invest money in something that you think you are going to have for at least 10 years, and it gets taken because people are bored and want to take it for a joyride,” she said.

At least 10 Toyota Aquas were being stolen in Hamilton every day, Mills Collision Repair Centre owner Shannon Mills said.

It took three weeks to fix and, two days after it was returned, it was stolen again from the street outside her flat.

“I feel extremely angry because I’ve paid $1000 in excess for less than five consecutive days of parking outside the front of my house.”

No parts were available to fix it a second time, leaving the woman without a car for Christmas.

“The hardest part is that I planned to visit my mum for Christmas, who I haven’t seen in months, but now I can’t because I have no way to get there. They stole Christmas from me.”

The woman’s flatmate owned a Holden that was parked on the same street and had never been touched.

Mills Collision Repair Centre owner Shannon Mills said at least 10 Toyota Aquas were stolen in Hamilton every day.

“They are not being used for parts. Just for joyriding and thefts,” he said.

The cars were towed to the panelbeaters after being found dumped, banged up, and with no petrol.

“It’s unbelievable. We’ve never seen something like this in this industry before.”

Thieves are going for a small quarter window on front door of the Aqua, as it’s not noticeable when smashed, Mills said.

He said 2021 had been particularly busy, as more and more cars turned up after being stolen and damaged.

The Toyota Aqua was easy to steal because it had a small quarter window near the front wing mirror which was not noticeable when smashed, he said.

Toyota New Zealand had run out of ignitions and front quarter windows for the model, Mills said, and there was a shortage in Japan.

Then, there was a six- to eight-week wait for the parts to be flown into the country.

A police spokeswoman said officers had seen an uptick in Toyota Aqua thefts over the past six months. Nissan Tiidas and Toyota MarkX vehicles also appear to be targeted often.

Mills said demand had driven up prices, and an ignition and window that would previously cost $600 was now about $1800.

Insurance companies were writing the cars off with only a broken window and damaged ignition because it was too hard to source parts, he said.

A police spokeswoman said officers had seen an increase in Toyota Aquas being stolen in the past six months.

Thieves generally used stolen vehicles for joyriding, or to commit other offences like burglaries.

“Anecdotally, these vehicles appear to be frequently targeted, along with Nissan Tiidas and Toyota Mark X vehicles.”

Car review website dogandlemon.com editor Clive Matthew-Wilson said the Aqua was relatively easy to hotwire, which made it an easy target.

“Thanks to social media, once one yobbo works out how to steal a particular car, this information is quickly shared around.”

He said Aqua owners should be cautious parking their cars overnight in poorly lighted or insecure areas.

“Thieves tend to be lazy. They go for the easiest vehicles. So, for example, if you park an Aqua in your driveway, park it under security lights and park another car behind it. That makes it less attractive to thieves.

“About the only good thing about these thefts is that thieves tend to have short attention spans. They’ll probably switch to a different brand of easily-stolen car in the near future.”

Toyota NZ has been approached for comment.

People can protect themselves by; using a steering lock, installing an immobiliser or a car alarm, and by trying to avoid parking on the street.

If parking on the street, people should park in well-lit areas like under street lights and never leave valuables in the vehicle.