Toyota Australia has given an update on its measures to combat a recent string of thefts of its LandCruiser 300, LandCruiser Prado and HiLux models, with “an additional immobiliser” coming in the middle of the year.
Speaking with CarExpert, Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing – John Pappas – said while the Japanese brand is actively working on ways to protect customers and their vehicles from thefts, it’s also calling upon legislators and law enforcement for more support.
“We have said we have added protective measures across our range over time, and then we further enhanced security measures on the LandCruiser [300], the HiLux and the [LandCruiser] Prado, and we’re adding an additional immobiliser in the middle of this year.” Mr Pappas said.
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“The thefts are not a Toyota issue only, it’s a total industry-wide issue that involves OEMs, it involves government, it involves industry bodies, police – it’s a total ecosystem of everybody involved,” Mr Pappas continued.
“We’re also seeking support of the government when it comes to trying to, basically legitimise these devices for auto professionals like locksmiths and these types of things, and really trying to ban these for sophisticated syndicates.
“And [we’re] really trying to increase the inspection of the containers that are going through the ports and the level of surveillance that’s happening with those so that’s sort of the latest position on theft.”
The additional immobiliser is the latest measure by the Japanese brand to combat a sharp rise in vehicle thefts, following the steering-wheel lock added to the genuine Toyota parts catalogue for the LandCruiser 300 Series, which was tested by CarExpert alongside aftermarket alternatives.
Police have been investigating links between a string of car thefts in Victoria and Queensland, which targeted the LandCruiser 300 Series, LandCruiser Prado, HiLux and to a lesser extent, its best-selling RAV4 SUV.
Queensland Police Service officers arrested seven alleged thieves in December 2025, who are accused of being part of a crime syndicate that orchestrated the theft of vehicles which were in turn loaded into shipping containers to be traded overseas.
More than 380 charges were laid against the accused, who were alleged to have stolen more than 60 Toyotas – with an estimated value of more than $8 million – over a period of barely six weeks.
Authorities alleged the vehicles were stolen via their CAN bus port, which allows the thieves to take control of the vehicle functions, including disabling Toyota’s vehicle tracking.
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