Failed theft attempt. I need to educate myself.

Just an fyi, they stole mine without cloning the fob. They pop the door handle and short the electric door lock contacts.

I’ve got a bunch of machines at work that have settings like max transport speed that are controlled by the ECU and my mechanic has a PIN number he enters to change anything to prevent staff from tampering with it. I wonder why Toyota doesn’t implement a similar setup so the ECU can’t be reprogrammed with a new key.

 

Went through this several years ago with our 2017 SR5 4Runner. Crooks were pulling the fob signal from the Tacoma in the garage and trying to boost the 4Runner. I guess they weren't aware the 2017 4Runner was still a keyed ignition.

Steering wheel club, fuel pump and starter fuses pulled, negative battery cable disconnected and a pedal jack. I was tempted to put it on jack stands and pull the wheels, but never did. No way they were getting it unless they were gonna drag it with a tow truck. (The tow truck theft method is actually very common here in AZ.)

This went on for several months until they gave up and stole a neighbors Honda down the street. They also broke into another neighbors truck and stole some firearms.

Later I found out stolen 4Runners were being shipped to Africa. Crazy.

You'd think a BMW or Mercedes would be a high ticket item, but apparently Toyota's are gold.

 

That's another question I have. I know "Keyless" fobs are emitting continuously.
But what about remotes ie are they only transmitting when a button is pressed?

 

Shame on car makers for not protecting the computer. The ease of unauthenticated access to the car computer VIA the ODB port is plain outrageous.

 

High demand/High price for small Toyota SUV and pickups in Africa.

 

Low effort and free - I pull the fuel pump relay when I'm leaving my truck somewhere for a long time like an airport. It will still start and move a couple feet before being completely dead in the water. This saved my 91 GTI years ago when I was teenager working at the mall. Had the cops show up looking for me because my car was left in the middle of an intersection with the ignition punched out.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/oem-glass-breakage-sensor-installation.737526/

I installed one of these over a year ago. Its plug and play into the existing alarm system and sounds the alarm when it detects glass breaking.

 

For a kill switch does anyone know of a good fuse to switch from the interior panel? With so many ECU fuses I'm wondering if one is better or is one bad to use as a kill switch?

 

If you mean deadly force then you're going to have a tough time finding someplace to move to. Even here in Florida, defense of property is an affirmative defense only for non-deadly force.

 

What leads you to believe they wanted to steal your truck? If they smashed a window out, they were likely looking for cash/guns/high value items inside the truck. If they wanted to steal it, and were smart enough to hack your truck down the road with no key, they'd just use that same knowledge to simply unlock your truck, and then steal it. If your truck isn't a good candidate for an easy job, they'd find another, not smash the window out.

With all that being said, if someone does intend to steal your truck, and halfway or fully does it successfully, you don't want it back. You have insurance for a reason.

 

Haha ok let’s work that out shall we. My truck was stolen right when trucks were selling at MSRP + $$$$. Read the fine print on your insurance policy. They aren’t taking responsibility for extraordinary market conditions. Meaning they aren’t paying MSRP +5k to get you back in a truck so you’re out of pocket somewhere along the way. Add to that the fact that there were no trucks like mine anywhere in the market and I was damn happy it was recovered. The damage the thieves did has been repaired and the truck is as good as new. The total damages were $17k and my insurance premiums went only went up 5$.

 

Sound easy when you write it. I got lost in the service manual (11000 pages) with so many fuel pump references. I couldn't spot anything relevant to my uneducated eyes.
The I found this interactive page https://www.startmycar.com/ca/toyota/tacoma/info/fusebox/2021 But I don't understand most of these acronyms.
What would be the magic numbers (center column) to look for?

 

My truck was stolen about two years ago. I would recommend looking up my thread. Also, look up “ghost immobilizer.” It’s the only thing that will stop your vehicle being stolen unless by tow truck. (Which is not a common way of theft these days)

 

Which thread? Link appreciated.

As if you read my mind. I've already located IGLA / GOST II dealers in my area.

 

Holly crap, I missed that $17K. Fast reading your thread, left me with the impression that it had minimal damages.
For the rest I hear you loud and clear. Crazy market prices and no available stock "ensure" lost of money on our end no matter how well we're insured.
God forbid they come back and take it. I'll probably replace my loss with a used Tundra.

By the time I get my truck back, thank you to all your advises and complemented with the researches I did. I will make sure those pricks have to work a little harder to do their sh!t.

 

Stick an airtag somewhere in your car!

 

I just ordered one. Thanks!
How long did it took you to install it?

Oh and with this installed, does it connects rear doors to the built in alarm systems?
(To test it if you don't already know. Have someone sit on the rear seat, lock the truck from the outside, then ask the person to open the rear door from the inside. If the alarm goes. The answer is yes!)

This fellow made a DIY video for it: https://youtu.be/x7keMVmBACA?si=grRF9v00ueYpIy7A

 

100% this. Then if need be, you can relay info to law enforcement.

don’t think you can go hurting someone stealing your truck unless they threaten you. Driving and attempted carjacking? Yes you can defend in certain states. Someone jacking your ride in the driveway? No way you are getting away with any type of attack on them, even though it could be justified.

I like the idea of the kill switch wired up to the clutch pedal, even the brake pedal (need to have brake pressed to start truck). Could be a momentary switch you press when starting or in older cars you would hold a magnet up to a specific spot on the dash and it would complete a circuit to start. I bet it’s extremely rare that someone wants it bad enough to bring a flatbed tow truck.

And don’t leave visible stuff in your truck at night… or stickers on it that are for sound systems, firearms, or other stuff worth $$ which is easy bait.

 

The bottom 2 rows of black blocks:
- one with engine pictogram is the starter relay
-next to it the right (#72) is EFI Main 1 relay
-right above it (#67) is IG2 Main
-#69 is INJ relay.
You can pull one of those before bedtime.

 

The ghost 2 is superior with a remote to bypass the system when needed such as bringing your truck in for maintenance.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/taken-right-out-of-my-driveway.762446/