Date: January 18, 2013 Regarding: Pick

Date: January 18, 2013
Regarding: Pick-Up Truck Tailgate Theft Claims (2006 - 3Q 2012)
Prepared By: Anna Kotsovos, Senior Tactical Analyst
This ForeCASTSM report analyzes pick-up truck tailgate theft claims identified in ISO ClaimSearch from
January 1, 2006 to September 30, 2012 in order to identify any trends or patterns that may exist within the
data.
Executive Summary
There were 1,343 claims identified involving reported thefts of pick-up truck tailgates, herein “tailgate(s)”,
submitted to ISO ClaimSearch from January 1, 2006 to September 30, 2012. Two (2) claims were submitted as
Questionable Claim referrals (QCs) for possible vehicle owner involvement. Of the total claims, 1,215 claims,
or 90%, were associated to Personal Automobile policies (PAPP); 128 claims, or 10%, were associated to
Commercial Automobile (CAPP) policies.
There were 45 different states identified as loss states in the tailgate theft claims. Texas was the loss state with
the most tailgate theft claims in ISO ClaimSearch with 451, or 34%, of the total claims. Houston, TX was
identified in 96¹ of the 451 claims. California was the loss state in 272 claims, and Arizona was the loss state in
125 claims. Together, these three states represented 63% of the total claims.
There were 203 different vehicles identified in the claims. The 2008 Ford F250 was identified in 70, or 5%, of
the total claims. The 2010 Ford F150 was identified in 48 claims, and the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado was
identified in 39 claims. The oldest vehicle identified in a claim was a 1985 Ford F150. The newest vehicles
identified included 2012 models of Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC and Toyota pick-up trucks.
An Overview of Tailgate Thefts
A tailgate is defined as, “A hinged board or closure at the rear of a vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, that can be
lowered during loading and unloading.”² Tailgates can be easily damaged and dented from rear-end collisions,
as well as from hauling heavy loads. Replacement tailgates are in high demand and can be purchased from
dealers and auto part stores. A tailgate that is outfitted with a backup camera and other electronics can cost
approximately $3,600 to replace. A standard tailgate averages approximately $1,200.³ Stolen tailgates can end
up on sites such as Ebay and Craigslist for resale. Other tailgates end up at scrap dealers as the rising cost of
metal has made it lucrative to sell these parts there. In addition, tailgates can be stolen quickly and without the
use of complicated tools. Tailgates are being stolen from private vehicles, commercial vehicles, and even
vehicles parked on dealership lots.
1
There were 38 claims identified with a loss state of Texas, however, no loss city was listed. Therefore, the actual number of claims
identified with Houston as a loss city could be higher.
2
The Free Dictionary, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tailgate.
3
Pickup Tailgate Thefts Growing, Carbusinesstoday.com, May 26, 2011, http://carbusinesstoday.com/pickup-tailgate-thefts-growing/
Tailgate Thefts from Pick-Up Trucks
January 18, 2013
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A tailgate can consist of various styles as there are numerous after-market offerrings for replacing the Original
Equipment Manufacture (OEM) part. Several examples can be seen below:
Standard OEM Tailgate
Louvered Tailgate
Vented Tailgate
Standard OEM Tailgate with Backup Camera (circled in yellow)
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard
became effective on April 24, 1986, and can be found as part of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in 49
CFR Part 541.4 The standard puts forth which 12 groups of vehicle parts (if present) must have an identifying
number affixed or inscribed on them. These include:
1. Engine
2. Transmission
3. Front fenders (left and right)
4. Hood
5. Front doors (left and right)
6. Rear doors (left and right)
7. Sliding or cargo door(s)
8. Bumpers (front and rear)
9. Rear quarter panels (left and right) (for passenger vehicles)
10. Side assemblies (left and right) (for multi-purpose vehicles)
11. Pickup box and/or cargo box (light duty trucks)
12. Rear door(s) (both doors in case of double doors), decklid, tailgate, or hatchback (whichever is present)
Of note, some vehicle lines are exempted from the requirements of 49 CFR Part 541. These vehicle lines, and
the affected vehicle models, can be found in the NHTSA Federal Register current as of January 12, 2012.
The extent of the impact of tailgate thefts to consumers, and the auto and insurance industries is not known.
Many thefts are likely not being reported as some vehicle owners avoid reporting the thefts to avoid paying
deductibles and higher insurance rates.5 However, based on the analysis of claims submitted to ISO
ClaimSearch, the data indicates an increasing trend of tailgate thefts in the United States.
4
Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 66 / Tuesday, April 6, 2004 / Rules and Regulations
Tailgate Thefts from Pick-Up Trucks
January 18, 2013
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Tailgate Theft Claims in ISO ClaimSearch
This section of the report analyzes the claims identified in ISO ClaimSearch that indicated the theft of a
tailgate. ISO ClaimSearch is designed to help insurers, self-insurers, law enforcement agencies, and state
fraud bureaus detect and prevent fraud, evaluate risk, and process meritorious claims by providing a central
repository of claims. Insurers and other agencies with access can query ISO Claimsearch to research prior
loss histories, identify claims patterns, and detect suspect claims.
The dataset was compiled by querying for all claims where the loss description included the word “tailgate”; the
loss type included “Theft”, “Partial Theft” or “Vehicle/Boat Theft”, and the claim had an associated vehicle file.
For this report, a claim was determined to be a tailgate theft claim if the loss description for the claim contained
the following key words: “taken”, “stolen”, “stole”, “missing”, “took”, “removed”, “theft”, “gone” and “stripped”.
Loss descriptions that were seen to include almost exclusively unrelated key words were filtered from the data,
as well as claims that contained terms found to result in false positives.
The following graph depicts the number of ISO claims identified associated with a tailgate theft (2006-3Q2012):
5
6
Tailgates Join Hubcaps as Easy Target for Thieves, The Detroit News, March 26, 2011
Projection of thefts for all of 2012 was calculated by taking the average of the first 3 quarters and multiplying by 4.
Tailgate Thefts from Pick-Up Trucks
January 18, 2013
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The following chart depicts the top 5 loss states identified in ISO claims with a tailgate theft (2006-3Q2012):
LOSS STATE
TEXAS
CALIFORNIA
ARIZONA
FLORIDA
NEVADA
NUMER OF CLAIMS
451
272
125
86
36
The following chart depicts the top 5 cities identified in ISO claims with a tailgate theft (2006-3Q2012)7:
LOSS CITY
HOUSTON, TX
SAN ANTONIO, TX
DALLAS, TX
PHOENIX, AZ
FRESNO, CA
NUMBER OF CLAIMS
96
70
51
36
31
The following chart depicts the top 5 vehicles identified in ISO claims with a tailgate theft (2006-3Q2012):
VEHICLE
2008 FORD F250
2010 FORD F150
2007 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
2008 CHEVROLET SILVERADO
2011 FORD F250
NUMBER OF CLAIMS
70
48
39
36
35
Conclusion
There were 1,343 claims identified involving reported thefts of pick-up truck tailgates, submitted to ISO
ClaimSearch from January 1, 2006 to September 30, 2012. Of the total claims, 1,215 claims, or 90%, were
associated to Personal Automobile policies (PAPP); 128 claims, or 10%, were associated to Commercial
Automobile (CAPP) policies.
The top 3 states identified in ISO claims with tailgate thefts are in the south and southwest areas of the United
States bordering Mexico (Texas, California and Arizona). The top 3 vehicles indentified in ISO claims with
tailgate thefts were the 2008 Ford F250, the 2010 Ford F150 and the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado.
Based on a projection estimate of thefts for 2012, the past 3 years (2010, 2011 and 2012) have indicated a
steady increase in the number of tailgate thefts reported to ISO ClaimSearch.
7
There were 171 claims with no loss city listed. The actual loss city totals may be higher.
Tailgate Thefts from Pick-Up Trucks
January 18, 2013
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To protect tailgates from thieves, there are numerous anti-theft tailgate locking devices available. These
devices lock the hinge mechanism, and can be either have a manual or electronic locking component.
Electronic locks lock the tailgate when the rest of the doors are locked. Manual locks require the vehicle owner
use a key to manually lock the component. Examples can be seen in the visual below. In addition, and if
possible, pick-up truck owners can try parking their vehicles in locked garages or backing them up tight against
building walls.8 These precautions may help deter thieves from stealing pick-up truck tailgates.
Lock placed around tailgate hinge.
Lock placed around tailgate hinge.
Electronic lock with view of internal lock component.
8
Protect Your Tailgate Against Tailgate-Jacking, Pickuptrucks.com, October 28, 2011, http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/10/protectyour-tailgate-against-tailgate-jacking.html
Tailgate Thefts from Pick-Up Trucks
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