Why are escalades so easy to steal

We notice you're using an ad blocker. Please consider allowing Autoblog. Allow Us! Here's how to disable adblocking on our site. Click on the icon for your Adblocker in your browser. A drop down menu will appear. Select the option to run ads for autoblog.

The exact text will differ depending on the actual application you have running. Refresh the Autoblog page you were viewing. Norwich police promote two veteran officers. Federal judge refuses Trump request to block Jan. Let's put America first. Your choices have consequences. Biden: Infrastructure bill will ease economy woes, just wait. Highlights: Fitch 42, East Lyme Fitch senior John Luethy takes care of his teammates.

Watch live: East Lyme at Fitch football. Diversity training underway at The Day. Why are so many Hallmark movies filmed in southeastern Connecticut? Wheels More than a century of Independent Journalism. Support Local News. Gone in 14 seconds: Why is Escalade the easiest vehicle to steal? Something a trained thief can do in about 45 seconds.

The need for an effective Escalade theft deterrent is clear. Once a thief knows how to beat the factory system, they can steal any of them. Most of these systems do nothing to prevent theft. And once the thieves clip the GPS antenna wire, your car disappears from the satellite. Anyone going to steal an Escalade knows this. Preventing the theft in the first place avoids this unnecessary depreciation.

Would a dealer on trade in? But things may not actually be that simple. The curators of all things car culture and of many things not over at Jalopnik dug up an interesting piece on a security flaw or lack thereof as we'll soon see on a number of GM SUVs from a local Detroit ABC affiliate. The problem with these theft-prone Escalades, Yukons and Tahoes?

They can be broken into, pulled out of park, and pushed away--presumably onto trailers awaiting a trip to a chop shop. The question, though isn't whether it's possible to do so--it plainly is. The question is whether this is a security flaw. You see, many of the GM SUVs susceptible to this form of theft lack a steering wheel lock, meaning that once they're in neutral, they can not only be pushed, but steered.

The process can take less than 20 minutes. The steering wheel locks were removed, according to Detroit's WXYZ, when other security systems, including microchipped keys, were put in place, on the premise that the steering lock was no longer necessary. What the authors of both stories miss, however, is that nearly any vehicle can be stolen this way--and many can be stolen even more easily.

All it takes is a two-wheel two dolly, a jack, and the ability to get the wheels in contact with the ground to roll freely--in neutral in an all-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive car, or in any gear, including park, in a front-wheel-drive car.

Moreover, many automatic transmission cars on the market today have a function that allows the transmission to be forced out of park so that it can be towed in just such a manner in the event of an accident that othewise disables the vehicle.