You might have thought that a Ford lot in Dearborn is a pretty secure place to store brand-new trucks fresh from the production line, but you’d be wrong. So far this month, 15 gleaming trucks have been swiped from Ford facilities in Dearborn – following 22 trucks that went missing in July.
According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, the trucks were stolen from lots where new cars are stored before being shipped out to dealers across the country. The report found that 15 new Ford F-150 and Raptor pickup trucks were taken from the lots, including ten that were stolen in a single night. The site reports:
Fifteen Ford F-150 pickups and high-performance Raptor trucks vanished from Dearborn holding lots within the first eight days of August — 10 of them stolen on Thursday alone.
A month earlier, Ford Motor Co. reported 22 F-150 trucks had gone missing from Dearborn holding lots, mostly Raptor models, according to police data obtained by the Detroit Free Press through the state Freedom of Information Act.
The spate of thefts so far this year means that the Blue Oval is on track to surpass the number of vehicles stolen from its facilities in 2022. Previously, 14 trucks were swiped, uncovering shortcomings at the facilities including a lack of video surveillance, multiple vehicles being left with keys inside, and the fact that Ford never reported the trucks stolen.
So far this year, the Free Press reports that Ford has lost $6 million worth of trucks due to theft at its facilities. Prices for a 2023 Raptor start at $76,775, while the 2023 Ford F-150 ranges from $33,695 to $84,910.
F-150 trucks make up the majority of the vehicles being stolen from Ford’s lots, but it isn’t just trucks that are being swiped. According to the Free Press, Ford reported thefts of 85 pickups so far this year, as well as the loss of four Mustangs and three “non-Ford vehicles parked on-site.”