The biggest car brand in Australia – and the world – has been the target of thefts in recent years, with thieves targeting late-model Toyotas due to a weakness in the vehicle’s systems.
Primarily occurring in Victoria and Queensland, Toyotas have been targeted in organised thefts to then be shipped overseas, mainly to the Middle East.
Thieves have been using specialist tools to access the affected vehicles’ CAN (Controller Area Network) bus port to override vehicle controls and gain access to them, while also disabling the tracking device fitted to relevant models.
Earlier this week, Queensland Police Service announced detectives from Brisbane Criminal Investigation Branches and the Major and Organised Crime Squad Brisbane (MOCSB) disrupted an international-based crime syndicate which had stolen a large number of Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and Prado 250 Series from the state’s capital.
It has been alleged the syndicate stole 60 Toyota vehicles between October 20 and December 1, 2025, with shipping containers holding the stolen vehicles allegedly sent to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Seven men were charged as a result of the Operation Xray Lox bust, but not all of the stolen vehicles could be recovered, while the shipping containers also held disassembled parts.
In response to the recent, highly publicised thefts, Toyota Australia announced today it is “committed to continuously improving vehicle security and has progressively introduced advanced protective measures across its range”.
“As a global automotive leader, Toyota is working to address Australia’s ongoing industry-wide issue of vehicle theft,” the brand said in a media release.
“Organised criminal groups in Australia appear to be importing sophisticated and often costly technologies to facilitate theft, which has resulted in the rise of stolen vehicles being reported across the automotive industry.
“Working closely with Victoria and Queensland Police, Toyota has identified these devices and implemented security enhancements to counter their effectiveness.
“Toyota is committed to continuously improving vehicle security and has progressively introduced advanced protective measures across its range.
“In 2025, Toyota took further steps to enhance security on several models, including the new HiLux, LandCruiser 300 and LandCruiser Prado providing owners with even greater peace of mind.”
Toyota Australia hasn’t detailed what enhanced security changes it made to the aforementioned models to make them more secure, though it has said it is “developing factory-approved genuine accessories, including an additional immobiliser, to combat this issue”.
The carmaker added it “strongly supports the banning of devices used for criminal activities and the regulating of legitimate devices used by locksmiths, mechanics and other automotive professionals”, while saying it is developing a “prioritisation system to help ensure affected customers receive replacement vehicles as quickly as possible”.
It isn’t the only brand to be impacted by thieves targeting its vehicles, with the past 24 months seeing a sharp increase in thefts of VF Holden Commodores.
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