With all the attention Charger and Challenger thefts have been getting on You Tube and elsewhere, Stellantis has come up with what they call an RF hub module lockout. Basically, it is a software patch that keeps anyone from creating a new key fob for the car. Here in South Florida, the police have recently busted a gang that was breaking a window, using a laptop to access the hub and then creating new key fobs and driving away. According to police, the person they busted had a briefcase full of red Hellcat/Trackhawk key fobs with him. Only downside is even the owner can't get a new key made without replacing the hub and a lot of red tape. I just got back from the dealer. They created a new red key spare for me (now I have three) and then did the lockout. I have a 2023, so the patch was free. I had to pay for the key, but they gave me a $50 discount. I was the first one at this dealer to ask for this, and I had to give him a copy of the Stellantis TSB, but they had no problem doing it. If I had been out of warranty, the charge would have only been about $49. Hope my experience helps others.
Not exactly new news. And Dodge never made good on the promise to make this Key Programming Lockdown fix available for trim levels R/T and below. https://www.dodgegarage.com/news/ar...nces-three-new-theft-protection-measures.html
The club devices (most of which are quickly defeated on steering wheels) are quite effectively used on foot pedals (gas, brake and clutch)! And there are other anti theft foot pedal products available.
Looks like I have Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story" (for those of you old enough to remember that!) to my hub lockout post. As I mentioned, I had my hubs locked on both my 2023 Challenger Hellcat and 2020 Jeep Trackhawk in 2023. Well, against my better judgment, I took my Trackhawk to the Miami International Airport at the beginning of November and parked it in the deck for a week. The vehicle I was planning to take had a flat tire. When I came out of the terminal, I found the passenger window was cracked, the interior trim on the right side of the trans tunnel was pulled open, and the horn wires were pulled out of the horns. Apparently the thieves thought they had it in the bag, but they couldn't clone a new key so they left it there. After $1,500 and two trips to the shop and arguments with the insurance company, it is all back together. At least I still have my vehicle! The lockout is well worth it for those of us with Challengers and other similar vehicles.
Clubs, steering column locks and brake pedal locks are ineffective. Read the following: THE CLUB - A thief can use a hacksaw to cut through the vehicle's plastic steering wheel and remove the club. Also, a thief can spray freon into the locking mechanism of The Club, hit the now frozen lock with a hammer, and shatter it like glass, enabling him to remove it. . In addition, there is a device called the Club Buster which will break The Club and AutoLock devices in 60 seconds. The Club Buster is intended for locksmiths, tow truck operators, and auto repossession professionals, but any thief can buy it over the Internet for about $89. STEERING COLUMN COLLARS - All a thief has to do is reach below the dash, pry the ignition switch off the topside of the steering column post, exposing a rod. Then, he can pull the rod upward, allowing the vehicle to start. BRAKE PEDAL LOCKS - A thief can defeat this by hitting the side of the pedal lock just below the brake with a small sledgehammer, denting the floorboard until it slips to the side and can be removed. I highly recommend the "old school" Ravelco anti-theft device. Ravelco Anti Theft Device
