This has happened to me 3 times in a year. Thieves are trying to get inside my 4Runner when I park up in the local mountains to go hiking. They also break a lot of windows as evidenced by the telltale signs of broken glass on the ground. For some reason they have not broken my windows. Maybe because of the alarm flashing inside the car.

But they jamb the door lock and try to turn it, probably using a large screwdriver and a wrench. They've never gotten inside as far as I can tell. It destroys the lock cylinder and also causes the unlock motor to signal it's trying to open, which drains the battery in 4 to 8 hours. I have to jump start it in the morning and again after a 9 hour day at work.

I have to fix it again now. It's the only way to keep the battery from draining. I can't be dealing with a dead battery every time I start it.

It's very expensive to fix. The first time it happened they broke both locks. The Toyota dealer wanted over $900 to fix it, providing a new key that wouldn't match the ignition key. My favorite mechanic did both locks and rekeyed them to match the ignition for around $550. Just the one door lock cost me about $400+.

Now I'm looking for a way to deter the thieves by blocking the key opening so they can't get at it to destroy it. Of course. I have to be able to remove the cover or slot plug when I need to use the key, like when the battery is drained.

Has anyone had this happen to them? Does anyone know a way to stop this vandalism? Anyone who has experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

No, I haven't been here for a year or so. I've been busy working and building a new wall project on our old house. Now that that's done, I may get more time to read and reply to the posts here.

In 10 years and 320k miles, I have never used my door lock cylinders. I don't even recall how they are setup, but I would probably weld something over them to prevent tampering. Or... move. I did a decade ago, and although my net worth has suffered, my net happiness is much improved.

Lots Lots of thoughts here:
1. The flashing light on the dash is for the engine immobilizer system, which means you need an authorized key present to start the engine. Little discouragement for someone that wants to break in.
2. Obviously amateurs, kids. A professional thief would have gotten in and left less damage. Don't leave anything in sight. Hide all you have under seats or behind a cargo cover. Break in thieves are crimes of opportunity; remove the opportunity and they will look for easier targets.
3. Toyota makes a Vehicle Intrusion Protection (VIP) system you may want to add to your car (Toyota 4Runner Vip security system, rs3200 plus ecu. Interior - 0819004810 - Genuine Toyota Accessory). The main benefit of this system is that it has a microphone to "hear" someone trying to break the glass, but it will alarm at other loud noises. I don't know if it will alarm with someone jimmying the key lock or not, but may be worth a try. I had one on my 2013 RAV4 and the main annoyance was it would alarm when scraping ice off the windshield.

Could leave your doors unlocked and the 20 in the glove box for the sacrifice. Honestly, most of these people just smash glass and not care about any alarms since you're remote.
Long-term support punishing criminals severely and this stuff will go down.

You'll need the cylinder lock if you have a dead battery. It's the only way to get in and jump start the car. If you camp out for a few days without driving, it's possible to run the battery down by leaving the doors open or running the stereo or lights.
These crimes are happening away from home, in the local mountains. The door lock costs as much as a broken window to fix. And they've never gotten in by trying to jimmy the lock.
Good move on your part. Money can't buy peace of mind but living in the right location can make you happy. Hopefully your net worth will be in selling your home someday. Location, location, location.

Yes, my dad has done this for many years. I try not to leave anything of value in my car.
The local Sherrif is supposedly in charge of crime prevention in the mountains above me. But I never see them patrolling. They won't pursue or arrest a petty crime like break ins and small stuff because it's a misdemeanor and the DA will not prosecute them.
The criminals often cause more expensive damage than they get in coins, cheap sunglasses and small stuff they can steal in a very quick search. The only severe punishment will have to come from people catching these thieves and vandals.
I go hiking and mountain biking in the local mountains often.
I can't afford to become a victim of vandalism every time I go. I'm tempted to lay in wait for a criminal to appear and break into any car. But that's also a crime.

Desert Canyons, I feel your pain. I live in the LA area and know what a crap hole it is. My only advice is to hike someplace else where the trailhead is busier and thieves are discouraged by constant traffic.

@Jeremy556 : my wife and I have the “where should we move” conversation 3 times a week.

Good points all. I try not to leave anything of value in the car at any time.

These are smash and grab crimes. They typically take small stuff they can find in a very quick search because they do it along a very busy mountain highway. They break a $300 window to get $2.00 worth of coins and other stuff. They often overlook much more valuable belongings. People I know have been victimized this way, usually with a broken window, so I know how it goes down.

The link you provided leads to a part that is compatible with 2005 4Runners. I have an alarm that was installed by the dealer when I bought it. I'm not sure what the aftermarket alarm does.

Bah Humbug,

I live in Pasadena. My favorite hikes are up on the nearby Angeles Forest Highway 2. It's a busy highway with plenty of traffic. My last hike was at Colby Canyon, near Switzer Camp. There were a lot of people coming and going. There was also at least 4 or 5 colors of broken glass on the parking area from that many different cars. It keeps happening.

Problem solved. ;)

TM Theft Deterrence System

Shhh! Recently moved to the other end of town….

Has anyone dealt with door locks being pried or jammed to the point of not working?
The Optima Red Top battery has now bit the dust, probably due to the number of times it's been recharged from zero. With the lock busted the battery trickles to dead and then has to recharge.
I'm really hoping someone has solved this problem and can provide a solution. I'm thinking of a metal cap over the cylinder lock, held in place by the little plastic body part that surrounds the lock cylinder which sits behind the door handle.
Maybe a plastic part inserted into the cap?
Any solutions would be welcome.

I feel your pain, but remember this. If you "theft proof" one area of your vehicle, the average thief will just move on to the next way to get in - and possibly cause even more expensive damage. In your specific instance, you've already noted that the thieves apparently have no problem breaking glass to get in. (Personally, I'd prefer to have my glass broken as opposed to messing up my door locks though. Glass is easier to fix.)

On a related note, I used to work at a large marina where we winter stored a number of pretty large cruisers. We always instructed our customers to take everything valuable out for the winter and leave all the cabin doors open. Why? Because thieves trying to steal things will cause all sorts of more expensive damage busting through cabin doors.

As an old friend of mine in law enforcement once told me, "You can do whatever you want to theft proof something, and the best you can hope for is to deter the amateur thief. If a professional really wants what you have, they have the means to get it no matter what you do."

I hope that helps.

Range Rovers have a key hole but it’s covered by a solid cap so it appears you don’t have one.

On Toyotas, I wonder if you could keep the driver side cylinder but put a cap from the passenger side on it that you could pop off if you needed.


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