My Mach-E Was Stolen

[Humblest]

I am naive, but I cannot see a 2021 MME ending up at a chop shop. With so few of these on the road, I doubt that demand is high for parts. It is likely that it will be recovered, perhaps with some damage.

This may not be a popular opinion, and I've skipped several pages of input so I'm sure I'm missing something ... not much that OP can do at this point. The police will do what the police will do. Vehicle theft is a low priority in many places. It sounds from other posts as if it is near impossible for an individual (even the rightful owner) to access tracking info. Perhaps it is more likely to be police and/or insurance company responsibility to work with Ford to get access.

At some point either the vehicle will be recovered or the insurance company will declare it a total loss. There are lessons here for all of us.

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[Logal727]

Pretty sure my mobile hotspot trial lapsed and I didn't renew :/

There's really nothing else that can be done to locate the vehicle? Aside from more traditional measures, I mean.



As far as we're aware only the car was taken.

It's a Space White California Route 1

Tag is Y09YXQ

Should be an easy car to find and a dumb one to steal since there are not a lot of them around here. I’ll keep an eye out.

 

[jdunc87]

This is piss poor security from Ford. It should not be that easy for them to just delete your car from Ford Pass with Key Fob or not… wow

there does need to be potentially some sort of passcode, BUT if theres a fob in the car why would anyone need a code? it would be an annoyance once cars go to second owners.

 

[RonTCat]

This isn’t accurate. The carrier knows, in real-time, near real-time, every time a cellular radio contacts a cell tower and the carrier knows the IMEI of the radio. Ford knows the IMEI of the radio that was installed in your Mustang Mach E. There is nothing technically preventing the carrier from being able to tell that the radio is “currently” connected to cell xyz. Legally is a different question. By the way, for more information about “questionably legal” activities your friendly LEOs engage in to keep tabs on the “bad guys”, check out “stingers” ?

You are correct, the vehicle can be located anytime. Not sure why the OP is not telling law enforcement to contact Ford, or why law enforcement is not contacting Ford. Stolen vehicle locations are given out to authorized law enforcement agencies. Many vehicles are recovered in this manner.

 

[NPVinny]

You are correct, the vehicle can be located anytime. Not sure why the OP is not telling law enforcement to contact Ford, or why law enforcement is not contacting Ford. Stolen vehicle locations are given out to authorized law enforcement agencies. Many vehicles are recovered in this manner.

I can't speak to the latter, but I already told a deputy that they should be able to contact Ford to get the location of the vehicle. But when I mentioned that he started asking questions about what kind of tracking system it uses (like OnStar), or if there's a phone number they can use. I told him it wasn't a system like that but I didn't know how else to explain it to him.

I don't know if I should be calling in and asking for the actual detective working the case since I'm not sure the deputy I talked to works with car thefts or what, or if I should still try to get back in touch with that deputy and still try to explain things again.

It's just all super frustrating.

 

[Nklem]

I am sure you have a claim with your insurance. They will not wait for recovery and you must assume it
it's in pieces or wrecked by now. Are you getting another? Keep us posted on the insurance timeline and replacement.

So sorry this happened. It must be frustrating to have a car stolen. Especially with so much tech in the car.

 

[Chuck]

Unless someone was shot or killed, the police won't give 2 cents in most states.. Had someone drive their car through my neighbors house. Sheriff asked if anyone was injured, since no one was, they told the home owner its a misdemeanor and someone will call them within the next week or two... Its what insurance is for, house gets driven into, fixed by insurance not the police. Car gets stolen, fix by your insurance not the police. However, I absolutely would not let them know you left the key in the car... Heck It might be in your best interest for them not to recover the car.

As far as everyone locking their keys in their car and using 7/8-9/0.. Yes, the fob will not allow the car to open. However, I've had my kid lock me inside my car. I was able to use the remote from inside and push the unlock, and then start the car. So one could assume that a person could just troll around popular jogging/swimming areas looking for MMEs and just break the window and drive off. Not sure if the alarm would stop it, I'm not breaking my window to test ?

I know its too late now, but here in CA, and I'd assume other states, they have S.W.A.T. From my understanding all Ford dealerships in SoCal install S.W.A.T when the car hits the lot because of Mexico. Its basically a LoJack tracking and recovering system. Think Ford charges like $800 bucks for the hardware, then there is a yearly subscription.

Really sucks though, hopefully you had gap and your insurance takes care of you.

I've bought many cars in SoCal, including my Mach E, and have never heard of S.W.A.T. I'm sure they would have mentioned it if they could collect $800 from me annually.

 

[Kabish]

I've bought many cars in SoCal, including my Mach E, and have never heard of S.W.A.T. I'm sure they would have mentioned it if they could collect $800 from me annually.

So, Poway does it and the one in National City does it 100% because that is where I bought my F150 and my MME. My MME had just came in the night before I picked it up. The SWAT installer came when I was there looking at the car and tired to install it. The sales guy told him I did not want it, the installer went to the Sales Manager and asked for the car key anyways... Luckily I had it sitting with me at the desk, kind of pissed me off.

Perry Ford also said they did it, along with the dealership up in El Cajon but I can't say they do it off my own person experience buying a car there. I had a negative experience with SWAT on my F150, that is why I was asking about it, I did not want it on the MME.

Seems pretty common to me, at least down in the San Diego area. Maybe its not as common the further north you go. Also the hardware was in the $800 range, I don't know what the annual cost for service was. That annual service went to the SWAT company not to the dealership.

 

[Scrannel]

Am I wrong or is there some resistance to just setting a PIN-to-drive code? Seems pretty straight forward.

 

[Chuck]

So, Poway does it and the one in National City does it 100% because that is where I bought my F150 and my MME. My MME had just came in the night before I picked it up. The SWAT installer came when I was there looking at the car and tired to install it. The sales guy told him I did not want it, the installer went to the Sales Manager and asked for the car key anyways... Luckily I had it sitting with me at the desk, kind of pissed me off.

Perry Ford also said they did it, along with the dealership up in El Cajon but I can't say they do it off my own person experience buying a car there. I had a negative experience with SWAT on my F150, that is why I was asking about it, I did not want it on the MME.

Seems pretty common to me, at least down in the San Diego area. Maybe its not as common the further north you go. Also the hardware was in the $800 range, I don't know what the annual cost for service was. That annual service went to the SWAT company not to the dealership.

I bought my MME from Galpin Ford in Van Nuys. It's the world's largest Ford dealer. If it were a popular thing to do I'm sure they'd be doing it. I've also bought Fords in Thousand Oaks, Ventura and West L.A. None of have every mentioned SWAT. It must be a local San Diego thing.

 

[Chuck]

Although I've never left a key in the car I'm now glad that I haven't had to use the FOB since I got the Mustang in April. It's been all PAAK for me.

 

[0t60-3.5]

Read through 10 pages... no one suggests this, hopefully this could be the ticket?

ALL BEVs need to be charged. Likely charged in public at ChargePoint, Electrify America, etc. They are smart systems. Probably have access to the VIN. If the charging companies can detect the VIN of a stolen vehicle has connected to their network, they could alert authorities. It would be great if they could send a signal to the car to prevent the plug from being released from the car, so the vehicle cannot leave.

Is that the ticket to recovery?

Of course the thieves may have a private, non-networked charger, but this whole smart charging network could be the ticket to finding stolen vehicles. It's not like dumb gas pumps.

I read through all 10 pages --- PAAK, faraday bags, etc., but I think the connection to smart and networked chargers would be the key, so to speak!

 

[MachE1977]

there does need to be potentially some sort of passcode, BUT if theres a fob in the car why would anyone need a code? it would be an annoyance once cars go to second owners.

Not a code. A notification on Ford Pass, asking you if you want to delete the car from your account. Asking you if you want to reset back to factory etc. For second owners it should be as simple as making sure everything is done on the spot when buying the vehicle.

I mean, you have the keypad on the vehicle to give you the convenience of leaving your keys in the car. This shouldn't mean that anyone can break in and automatically take ownership of the car, it doesn't make sense. Like a Tesla, you have to log into your account and remove the vehicle from there and the app, whether you have a key fob or not.

 

[Accord07]

I can't speak to the latter, but I already told a deputy that they should be able to contact Ford to get the location of the vehicle. But when I mentioned that he started asking questions about what kind of tracking system it uses (like OnStar), or if there's a phone number they can use. I told him it wasn't a system like that but I didn't know how else to explain it to him.
...

Didn't you say that you signed up for the AT&T mobile hotspot trial? Under you account you will likely find a "phone number" assigned to your car: log in to your account at myvehicle.att.com, you will see your car listed on the left, with current data plan in the middle, and on the right you will see vehicle brand, country, VIN, and a field labeled "Vehicle Mobile Number". Don't have my MME yet, and the car on my account is of a different make, but it should be similar for MME.

 

[NPVinny]

Didn't you say that you signed up for the AT&T mobile hotspot trial? Under you account you will likely find a "phone number" assigned to your car: log in to your account at myvehicle.att.com, you will see your car listed on the left, with current data plan in the middle, and on the right you will see vehicle brand, country, VIN, and a field labeled "Vehicle Mobile Number". Don't have my MME yet, and the car on my account is of a different make, but it should be similar for MME.

Okay, I was able to log in to that account. What am I supposed to do with this information?

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