Ram 1500 Radio Theft on Rise in Detroit

By James Chevrette

Detroit police have been reporting a trend we have not seen since the early 1990s: the break and enter theft of car radios.  A group of thieves are particularly targeting the infotainment system in Ram 1500 trucks, reports CarBuzz.

Thieves have figured out it is easier to steal these higher ticket radios than to steal and store the whole truck. The radios can be sold on social media sites such as Craigslist for $200 to $600, said CarBuzz.

The value of a Ram 1500 radio is fairly high at retail.  “To replace the radio in a modern Dodge Ram can cost roughly $2000, depending on the radio,” said Jayson Cook of Columbus Car Audio and Accessories, OH.  Car dealerships charge upwards of $2000-$3000 to replace the OEM radio.

Would be thieves have figured out how easy it is to remove the factory radio. Here is an example of YouTubers, AnthonyJ360, showing the removal of a 2019+ Dodge Ram Infotainment system. He demonstrates the removal in less than two minutes. This is echoed by ipartout studio.

YouTube videos showing how to steal certain Hyundai and Kia models led to high theft rates of these vehicles across the country.

The trend is not limited to infotainment; here is another article on F150 tail lights, $92,000 in lights stolen from 34 Trucks.

See more at CarBuzz

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