2011-27370. Final Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation.

ACTION:

Publication of 2009 final theft data.

SUMMARY:

This document publishes the final data on thefts of model year (MY) 2009 passenger motor vehicles that occurred in calendar year (CY) 2009. The final 2009 theft data indicated a decrease in the vehicle theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2009. The final theft rate for MY 2009 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2009 is 1.33 thefts per thousand vehicles, a decrease of 21.3 percent from the rate of 1.69 thefts per thousand in 2008. Publication of these data fulfills NHTSA's statutory obligation to periodically obtain accurate and timely theft data and publish the information for review and comment.

DATES:

Effective date: October 24, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Deborah Mazyck, Office of International Policy, Fuel Economy and Consumer Programs, NHTSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Mazyck's telephone number is [phone]. Her fax number is [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NHTSA administers a program for reducing motor vehicle theft. The central feature of this program is the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard, 49 CFR part 541. The standard specifies performance requirements for inscribing and affixing vehicle identification numbers (VINs) onto certain major original equipment and replacement parts of high-theft lines of passenger motor vehicles.

The agency is required by 49 U.S.C. 33104(b)(4) to periodically obtain, from the most reliable source, accurate and timely theft data and publish the data for review and comment. To fulfill this statutory mandate, NHTSA has published theft data annually beginning with MYs 1983/84. Continuing to fulfill the § 33104(b)(4) mandate, this document reports the final theft data for CY 2009, the most recent calendar year for which data are available.

In calculating the 2009 theft rates, NHTSA followed the same procedures it used in calculating the MY 2008 theft rates. (For 2008 theft data calculations, see 76 FR 2598, January 14, 2011). As in all previous reports, NHTSA's data were based on information provided to NHTSA by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NCIC is a government system that receives vehicle theft information from nearly 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the United States. The NCIC data also include reported thefts of self-insured and uninsured vehicles, not all of which are reported to other data sources.

The 2009 theft rate for each vehicle line was calculated by dividing the number of reported thefts of MY 2009 vehicles of that line stolen during calendar year 2009 by the total number of vehicles in that line manufactured for MY 2009, as reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The final 2009 theft data show a decrease in the vehicle theft rate when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2008. The final theft rate for MY 2009 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2009 decreased to 1.33 thefts per thousand vehicles produced, a decrease of 21.3 percent from the rate of 1.69 thefts per thousand vehicles experienced by MY 2008 vehicles in CY 2008. A similar decreasing trend in vehicle thefts was reported in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) 2009 Uniform Crime Report showing a 17% reduction in motor vehicle thefts (automobiles, trucks, buses and other vehicles) from 2008 to 2009.

For MY 2009 vehicles, out of a total of 239 vehicle lines, 11 lines had a theft rate higher than 3.5826 per thousand vehicles, the established median theft rate for MYs 1990/1991. (See 59 FR 12400, March 16, 1994). Of the 11 vehicle lines with a theft rate higher than 3.5826, 11 are passenger car lines, none are multipurpose passenger vehicle lines, and none are light-duty truck lines.

NHTSA's data show that the MY 2009 theft rate reduction is consistent with the general decreasing trend of theft rates over the past 16 years as indicated by Figure 1. The agency attributes this theft rate reduction to the effectiveness of combined measures used by federal agencies, law enforcement, vehicle manufacturers and the insurance industry to help combat vehicle theft.

The agency believes that the theft rate reduction could be the result of several factors including the increased use of standard antitheft devices (i.e., immobilizers), vehicle parts marking, increased and improved prosecution efforts by law enforcement organizations and increased public awareness measures.

On Wednesday, June 22, 2011, NHTSA published the preliminary theft rates for CY 2009 passenger motor vehicles in the Federal Register (76 FR 36486). The agency tentatively ranked each of the MY 2009 vehicle lines in descending order of theft rate. The public was requested to comment on the accuracy of the data and to provide final production figures for individual vehicle lines. The agency used written comments to make the necessary adjustments to its data. As a result of the adjustments, some of the final theft rates and rankings of vehicle lines changed from those published in the June 2011 notice. The agency received written comments from Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) and Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (Mercedes-Benz).

In its comments, VW informed the agency that the production volume for the Volkswagen Eos is incorrect. In response to this comment, the production volume for the Volkswagen Eos has been corrected and the final theft data has been revised accordingly. As a result of the correction, the Volkswagen Eos previously ranked No. 154 with a theft rate of 0.5230 is now ranked No. 155 with a theft rate of 0.5229.

In its comments, Mercedes-Benz informed the agency that the production volume for the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class was incorrect. The production volume for the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class has been corrected and the final theft data has been revised accordingly. As a result of this correction, the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class previously ranked No. 41 with a theft rate of 1.9589 is now ranked No. 10 with a theft rate of 3.9124.

Mercedes-Benz also informed the agency that its CLS-Class vehicle line was not listed in the agency's June 2011 publication of preliminary data. NHTSA is correcting the final theft data to include the thefts and production volume for the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class. As a result of this correction, the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, previously not listed, is ranked No. 76 with a theft rate of 1.3065.

As a result of changes in the theft ranking, reanalysis of the theft rate data revealed that the number of vehicle lines reported with a theft rate higher than 3.5826 was incorrect. The publication of preliminary theft data for CY 2009 erroneously reported that there were 10 passenger cars, no multipurpose passenger vehicle lines and no light-duty truck lines with theft rates higher than 3.5826. NHTSA is correcting the final theft data to reflect that 11 passenger car lines, no multipurpose passenger vehicle lines, and no light truck lines had a theft rate higher than 3.5826.

The following list represents NHTSA's final calculation of theft rates for all 2009 passenger motor vehicle lines. This list is intended to inform the public of calendar year 2009 motor vehicle thefts of model year 2009 vehicles and does not have any effect on the obligations of regulated parties under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 331, Theft Prevention.

Final Report of Theft Rates for Model Year 2009 Passenger Motor Vehicles Stolen in Calendar Year 2009

	Manufacturer	Make/model (line)	Thefts 2009	Production (Mfr's) 2009	2009 Theft rate (per 1,000 vehicles produced)
1	AUDI	AUDI S8	2	227	8.8106
2	FORD MOTOR CO	SHELBY GT	5	581	8.6059
3	BMW	M5	2	264	7.5758
4	CHRYSLER	DODGE CHARGER	432	66,856	6.4616
5	HONDA	S2000	2	357	5.6022
6	MITSUBISHI	GALANT	152	29,716	5.1151
7	CHRYSLER	300	143	31,287	4.5706
8	NISSAN	INFINITI M35/M45	27	6,243	4.3248
9	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC STS	31	7,239	4.2824
10	MERCEDES-BENZ	CL-CLASS	5	1,278	3.9124
11	CHRYSLER	SEBRING CONVERTIBLE	18	4,827	3.7290
12	CHRYSLER	DODGE AVENGER	107	31,667	3.3789
13	CHRYSLER	SEBRING	65	19,588	3.3184
14	AUDI	AUDI A8	6	1,810	3.3149
15	VOLVO	V70	3	996	3.0120
16	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC G5	60	20,623	2.9094
17	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC G6	281	99,226	2.8319
18	CHRYSLER	DODGE CALIBER	125	44,554	2.8056
19	CHRYSLER	PT CRUISER	69	24,876	2.7738
20	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET IMPALA	499	183,769	2.7154
21	NISSAN	INFINITI FX35	35	13,375	2.6168
22	CHRYSLER	DODGE CHALLENGER	53	20,526	2.5821
23	NISSAN	PATHFINDER	13	5,076	2.5611
24	BMW	M6	1	397	2.5189
25	CHRYSLER	DODGE NITRO	26	10,539	2.4670
26	NISSAN	MAXIMA	141	58,278	2.4194
27	KIA	RONDO	42	17,573	2.3900
28	MAZDA	5	53	22,248	2.3822
29	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET MALIBU	413	176,813	2.3358
30	KIA	SPECTRA	135	60,296	2.2390
31	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET COBALT	312	141,588	2.2036
32	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN AURA	78	35,472	2.1989
33	MERCEDES-BENZ	S-CLASS	22	10,189	2.1592
34	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET HHR	172	80,781	2.1292
35	TOYOTA	SCION TC	57	27,179	2.0972
36	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XF	27	12,953	2.0845
37	MAZDA	3	99	47,569	2.0812
38	FORD MOTOR CO	LINCOLN TOWN CAR	24	11,596	2.0697
39	TOYOTA	AVALON	45	22,030	2.0427
40	NISSAN	350Z	1	503	1.9881
41	VOLVO	C70	8	4,027	1.9866
42	FORD MOTOR CO	MUSTANG	81	41,354	1.9587
43	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC DTS	32	16,566	1.9317
44	MAZDA	6	76	39,504	1.9239
45	MITSUBISHI	ECLIPSE	24	12,760	1.8809
46	NISSAN	ALTIMA	410	228,101	1.7974
47	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY SABLE	11	6,146	1.7898
48	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC CTS	91	50,926	1.7869
49	VOLVO	S60	12	6,837	1.7552
50	TOYOTA	CAMRY/SOLARA	781	447,882	1.7438
51	TOYOTA	COROLLA	632	363,515	1.7386
52	HYUNDAI	SONATA	270	159,775	1.6899
53	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER	22	13,022	1.6894
54	TOYOTA	4RUNNER	13	7,803	1.6660
55	BMW	6	4	2,420	1.6529
56	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET AVEO	94	58,439	1.6085
57	NISSAN	SENTRA	104	65,096	1.5976
58	FORD MOTOR CO	FOCUS	235	148,244	1.5852
59	HYUNDAI	ACCENT	92	59,709	1.5408
60	NISSAN	VERSA	159	104,658	1.5192
61	MAZDA	B SERIES PICKUP	1	660	1.5152
62	CHRYSLER	DODGE JOURNEY	124	82,331	1.5061
63	KIA	RIO	61	41,036	1.4865
64	MERCEDES-BENZ	C-CLASS	86	57,872	1.4860
65	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	23	15,647	1.4699
66	NISSAN	370Z	16	11,024	1.4514
67	NISSAN	XTERRA	19	13,106	1.4497
68	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XKR	1	696	1.4368
69	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS	30	21,102	1.4217
70	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC TORRENT	13	9,403	1.3825
71	FORD MOTOR CO	TAURUS	34	25,094	1.3549
72	CHRYSLER	JEEP COMPASS	14	10,346	1.3532
73	NISSAN	FRONTIER PICKUP	31	23,030	1.3461
74	VOLVO	S40	9	6,743	1.3347
75	AUDI	AUDI A3	5	3,761	1.3294
76	MERCEDES-BENZ	CLS-CLASS	5	3,827	1.3065
77	FORD MOTOR CO	EDGE	58	44,744	1.2963
78	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK LACROSSE/ALLURE	24	18,532	1.2951
79	TOYOTA	YARIS	93	72,826	1.2770
80	GENERAL MOTORS	GMC ENVOY	7	5,661	1.2365
81	MASERATI	QUATTROPORTE	1	817	1.2240
82	KIA	OPTIMA	43	35,610	1.2075
83	NISSAN	GT-R	3	2,505	1.1976
84	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN VUE	47	39,342	1.1947
85	TOYOTA	LEXUS LS	11	9,418	1.1680
86	CHRYSLER	JEEP LIBERTY	36	31,272	1.1512
87	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK LUCERNE	36	31,751	1.1338
88	KIA	SEDONA VAN	21	18,684	1.1240
89	KIA	AMANTI	1	931	1.0741
90	TOYOTA	LEXUS IS	34	31,875	1.0667
91	TOYOTA	SCION XB	39	37,039	1.0529
92	FORD MOTOR CO	FLEX	44	42,100	1.0451
93	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC VIBE	59	56,730	1.0400
94	MAZDA	RX-8	3	3,000	1.0000
95	VOLKSWAGEN	GOLF/RABBIT/GTI	19	19,005	0.9997
96	AUDI	AUDI R8	1	1,022	0.9785
97	KIA	SORENTO	12	12,435	0.9650
98	AUDI	AUDI S4/S5	3	3,112	0.9640
99	MITSUBISHI	LANCER	37	38,655	0.9572
100	TOYOTA	SIENNA VAN	61	63,797	0.9562
101	KIA	SPORTAGE	34	35,892	0.9473
102	HONDA	ACCORD	297	315,205	0.9422
103	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC G8	24	25,556	0.9391
104	HONDA	ACURA TSX	35	37,306	0.9382
105	FORD MOTOR CO	FUSION	96	103,268	0.9296
106	TOYOTA	MATRIX	54	58,240	0.9272
107	SUZUKI	SX4	23	24,859	0.9252
108	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET EQUINOX	30	32,555	0.9215
109	MERCEDES-BENZ	E-CLASS	17	18,803	0.9041
110	MASERATI	GRANTURISMO	1	1,123	0.8905
111	NISSAN	MURANO	96	108,188	0.8873
112	CHRYSLER	JEEP WRANGLER	58	67,122	0.8641
113	VOLKSWAGEN	JETTA/GLI	97	112,506	0.8622
114	NISSAN	QUEST VAN	7	8,232	0.8503
115	FORD MOTOR CO	LINCOLN MKS	22	26,153	0.8412
116	NISSAN	INFINITI G37	42	50,524	0.8313
117	BMW	M3	3	3,642	0.8237
118	VOLVO	C30	3	3,693	0.8123
119	SUBARU	LEGACY	21	26,278	0.7991
120	SUBARU	IMPREZA	34	42,551	0.7990
121	HYUNDAI	ELANTRA	61	76,637	0.7960
122	MERCEDES-BENZ	SL-CLASS	6	7,559	0.7938
123	TOYOTA	TACOMA PICKUP	92	116,059	0.7927
124	HONDA	CIVIC	218	278,426	0.7830
125	HYUNDAI	GENESIS	15	19,504	0.7691
126	AUDI	AUDI Q5	5	6,531	0.7656
127	FORD MOTOR CO	ESCAPE	113	148,860	0.7591
128	MERCEDES-BENZ	SLK-CLASS	3	3,987	0.7524
129	HYUNDAI	SANTA FE	57	77,857	0.7321
130	MAZDA	CX-9	10	14,024	0.7131
131	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET COLORADO PICKUP	20	28,286	0.7071
132	CHRYSLER	JEEP PATRIOT	23	32,611	0.7053
133	HONDA	ACURA RDX	6	8,690	0.6904
134	FORD MOTOR CO	LINCOLN MKX	8	11,626	0.6881
135	PORSCHE	BOXSTER	1	1,460	0.6849
136	VOLVO	S80	5	7,409	0.6749
137	AUDI	AUDI TT	2	2,989	0.6691
138	NISSAN	INFINITI FX50	1	1,510	0.6623
139	TOYOTA	RAV4	79	119,381	0.6617
140	BMW	7	5	7,613	0.6568
141	TOYOTA	LEXUS RX	42	64,266	0.6535
142	NISSAN	ROGUE	47	73,877	0.6362
143	VOLKSWAGEN	TIGUAN	12	19,076	0.6291
144	PORSCHE	CAYMAN	1	1,591	0.6285
145	TOYOTA	FJ CRUISER	2	3,185	0.6279
146	MAZDA	CX-7	8	12,906	0.6199
147	SUZUKI	VITARA/GRAND VITARA	4	6,476	0.6177
148	AUDI	AUDI A4/A5	27	44,950	0.6007
149	HONDA	ACURA 3.2 TL	20	33,690	0.5936
150	TOYOTA	HIGHLANDER	33	57,166	0.5773
151	FORD MOTOR CO	TAURUS X	3	5,209	0.5759
152	TOYOTA	SCION XD	10	17,587	0.5686
153	MERCEDES-BENZ	SMART FORTWO	8	14,169	0.5646
154	TOYOTA	LEXUS GS	3	5,537	0.5418
155	VOLKSWAGEN	EOS	5	9,562	0.5229
156	BMW	3	44	84,350	0.5216
157	VOLKSWAGEN	PASSAT	16	31,310	0.5110
158	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN SKY	2	4,078	0.4904
159	FORD MOTOR CO	LINCOLN MKZ	8	16,676	0.4797
160	AUDI	AUDI A6	2	4,193	0.4770
161	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC SOLSTICE	2	4,202	0.4760
162	HONDA	PILOT	40	84,089	0.4757
163	GENERAL MOTORS	GMC CANYON PICKUP	4	8,614	0.4644
164	HONDA	ACURA MDX	16	34,540	0.4632
165	HYUNDAI	TUCSON	5	11,032	0.4532
166	VOLKSWAGEN	NEW BEETLE	8	18,284	0.4375
167	MAZDA	TRIBUTE	2	4,670	0.4283
168	BMW	5	9	21,963	0.4098
169	HONDA	ODYSSEY VAN	30	73,777	0.4066
170	BMW	1	4	10,189	0.3926
171	FORD MOTOR CO	RANGER PICKUP	19	49,466	0.3841
172	SUBARU	FORESTER	34	88,771	0.3830
173	PORSCHE	911	3	7,929	0.3784
174	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY MILAN	7	18,556	0.3772
175	HONDA	ACURA 3.5 RL	1	2,670	0.3745
176	BMW	X3	2	5,448	0.3671
177	HONDA	ELEMENT	4	11,114	0.3599
178	MITSUBISHI	OUTLANDER	4	11,904	0.3360
179	TOYOTA	PRIUS	27	82,659	0.3266
180	TOYOTA	LEXUS ES	13	42,833	0.3035
181	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	LAND ROVER LR2	1	3,443	0.2904
182	BMW	Z4/M	1	3,637	0.2750
183	TOYOTA	VENZA	15	58,897	0.2547
184	HONDA	FIT	21	83,765	0.2507
185	SUBARU	OUTBACK	9	36,410	0.2472
186	HONDA	CR-V	40	171,943	0.2326
187	FORD MOTOR CO	CROWN VICTORIA	8	36,101	0.2216
188	SAAB	9-3	1	4,593	0.2177
189	NISSAN	CUBE	6	28,243	0.2124
190	KIA	BORREGO	3	14714	0.2039
191	MERCEDES-BENZ	CLK-CLASS	3	15,654	0.1916
192	SUBARU	B9 TRIBECA	1	6,806	0.1469
193	BMW	MINI COOPER	6	51,935	0.1155
194	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY MARINER	2	25,682	0.0779
195	ASTON MARTIN	DB9	0	741	0.0000
196	ASTON MARTIN	VANTAGE	0	582	0.0000
197	AUDI	AUDI S6	0	100	0.0000
198	BENTLEY MOTORS	ARNAGE	0	86	0.0000
199	BENTLEY MOTORS	AZURE	0	66	0.0000
200	BENTLEY MOTORS	BROOKLANDS	0	94	0.0000
201	BENTLEY MOTORS	CONTINENTAL	0	930	0.0000
202	CHRYSLER	DODGE VIPER	0	575	0.0000
203	FERRARI	141	0	109	0.0000
204	FERRARI	430	0	605	0.0000
205	FERRARI	612 SCAGLIETTI	0	29	0.0000
206	FERRARI	CALIFORNIA	0	53	0.0000
207	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC FUNERAL COACH/HEARSE	0	714	0.0000
208	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC LIMOUSINE	0	330	0.0000
209	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC XLR	0	858	0.0000
210	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC G3	0	6,237	0.0000
211	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN ASTRA	0	851	0.0000
212	HYUNDAI	AZERA	0	5,062	0.0000
213	HYUNDAI	VERACRUZ	0	2,188	0.0000
214	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	VANDEN PLAS/SUPER V8	0	326	0.0000
215	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XJ8/XJ8L	0	358	0.0000
216	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XJR	0	11	0.0000
217	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XK	0	903	0.0000
218	LAMBORGHINI	GALLARDO	0	281	0.0000
219	LAMBORGHINI	MURCIELAGO	0	110	0.0000
220	LOTUS	ELISE	0	120	0.0000
221	LOTUS	EXIGE	0	27	0.0000
222	MAZDA	MX-5 MIATA	0	4,293	0.0000
223	MERCEDES-BENZ	MAYBACH 57	0	27	0.0000
224	MERCEDES-BENZ	MAYBACH 62	0	18	0.0000
225	MERCEDES-BENZ	MAYBACH LANDAULET	0	2	0.0000
226	MERCEDES-BENZ	SLR-CLASS	0	69	0.0000
227	MITSUBISHI	ENDEAVOR	0	50	0.0000
228	NISSAN	INFINITI EX35	0	2,169	0.0000
229	ROLLS ROYCE	PHANTOM	0	409	0.0000
230	ROUSH PERFORMANCE	RPP MUSTANG	0	395	0.0000
231	SAAB	9-5	0	732	0.0000
232	SPYKER	C8	0	18	0.0000
233	SUZUKI	EQUATOR PICKUP	0	2,380	0.0000
234	SUZUKI	XL7	0	1,290	0.0000
235	TESLA	ROADSTER	0	900	0.0000
236	TOYOTA	LEXUS SC	0	511	0.0000
237	VOLVO	V50	0	1,913	0.0000
238	VOLVO	XC70	0	4,614	0.0000
239	VOLVO	XC90	0	6,806	0.0000

Issued on: October 18, 2011.

Christopher J. Bonanti,

Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.