Can a Prius C be stolen without a key fob?

yes. any car can be stolen without the key/fob.

 

The car can also be driven off if it isn't turned off properly (left running so to speak) even if you walk away with the key. However it won't restart again once turned off.

Bill the Engineer

 

Have they looked at tracks to determine if the car was driven away, or if it was towed away or loaded onto a truck?

 

The immobilizer makes it extremely difficult to start the car without a key or key fob that has the authorized codes. Short of hoisting it onto a flatbed or dolly, it seems pretty unlikely to me that it could have been stolen without a valid code.

Which begs the question: how did they get the code?

All the recent cars use rotating codes, so stealing a code isn't as simple as "listening in" while you lock or unlock your car. They may be able to capture the code that unlocked the car, but once its been successfully used the car won't honor it any more.

The trick that gets used is to "jam" the key fob by emitting interference so that the car can't receive the signal. The key sends a valid code, the scammers capture it, but the car doesn't receive it and so the key never sees the acknowledgement. On the next try the key uses the next valid code, which the car sees and acknowledges.

But there's a bug in the chips that implement the protocol - the car doesn't cancel the code that it didn't receive. So the scammers can use the code they captured once you've walked away from the car.

For that reason I've gotten into the habit of not using the remote on my key to lock the doors - instead I push the "lock" button on the inside of the driver's door as I exit the vehicle. That way there's no radio signals to capture as I'm about to leave the car. I use the remote to unlock the car because I'm about to drive it away from whoever might have listened to the codes.

 

If I wanted to steal a car, I'd probably first disconnect the 12v battery and then haul it away on a flatbed truck or a towing. Then I'd park it somewhere quiet and public for a few days and see if it is recovered. If not, then I'd bring it to where it needed to be (chop shop, shipping container, etc.) so no keyfob needed.

I've also heard of thieves bringing their own hacked ECU to plug in the car so they can drive it easily.
If someone REALLY wants your property (car, etc), they will be able to get it. Unfortunately.

 

There are also amplifiers out there that work by amplifying the signal of your fob which is probably 50 feet away on the counter and making the car think that it's right next to it. This may be how the thief stole the car. To prevent it, you would just need to keep your fob in a Faraday cage of some kind. Easiest is to put your keys in the freezer.

 

Yeah, I just read about that one. When you get out of your car a guy follows you into the coffee shop and sits down close to you. He's got what amounts to a wireless repeater in his pocket that amplifies the signal from the key fob in your pocket and relays it to an accomplice standing next to your car. The accomplice's radio picks up the relayed signal and uses it to unlock your car, start it and drive it away.

Scary stuff. The non-fob keys, the ones that you have to actually put into the ignition and turn to start the car, aren't vulnerable to this kind of hack because they rely on NFC (near-field communications) that only transmit signals for a few inches. A hacker would have to hover suspiciously close to you in order to make this kind of attack work on them (not to mention actually needing a key that would open the door lock and turn the ignition switch).

Seems to me like this "relay attack" against fob key signals could be defeated by having the car measure the response time from the key fob. A relayed signal will always have a longer delay than a fob in the car. Modern electronics are easily capable of measuring the difference between the few nanoseconds it would take an in-car fob's signal to reach the car vs. the dozens required by a relayed signal. That's no solace for existing car owners but could be incorporated into future models.

 

Put the key in a food aluminum foil will prevent this?

I know about a product for credit card to block the scanners but the fob is too big.

 

This will cause moisture condensation on the electronics every time the keys are taken out to use. While the fob should nominally be protected from such abuse, daily cycling will be a severe test of that protection.

 

Agreed - best would be to just get a small metal box like this one and put the keys in it. I personally don't worry about it as I keep my car in the garage at night.

Metal box

 

Any updates on your neighbor's stolen Prius?

 

Watching a Danish show "Follow the Money", there's a car theft: fellow hops into a late model, top-end car (Mercedes, BMW?), plugs an OBD reader in, starts navigating screens, and within a couple of minutes (tension had to build) has it running, is on his way. Not sure if there's any reality to that scenario though.

 

I wonder why people can afford a Benz, Beamer don't have a garage for them? I know some people saying driving a Mercedes and meal is a cup of noodle but ...

This thread made me read a lot from Google and I found out these ways just not sure they work or not:

1. Lock your car buy using the switch at the front doors, not the fob, because no transmission no hack.
2. Wrap you keys with aluminum foil. Remember to stock up a lot of them if you're not handy to make a custom box with layers of foil carefully.
3. Put them in the microwave, DON'T turn it on, is better than the refrigerator.

I used all three of them since last night. And if they still able to steal my car the last way is contacting my insurance company for comprehensive coverage with $250 deductible.

 

I stood right next to the passenger door with key fob in my pocket and my friend at the driver side without a key fob couldn't unlock the driver side door so the Prius C seems to be really picky about the distance in which it can detect the key fob... Can anyone confirm you have to be right next to the door with the fob to unlock it? I can't imagine a thief would want to stand right next to me to get the fob signal then wait until i leave to Jack my car I mean I would be super cautious if a stranger stood next to me for any reason

 

Just because the car requires you to stand right beside the door doesn't necessarily mean that a hacker with a radio repeater has to stand as close to you in order to relay the signal from your fob. The car is deliberately designed to require close proximity, but a repeater would be deliberately designed to work at as great a distance as it can.

 

I'm wondering if she just didn't have an ignition fob to begin with. I have a base model and I don't have one, just regular old locks with an unlocker button on the key, and a keyed ignition. Is that considered a fob? Wife has a Normal Prius and she doesn't even have to use her key anywhere as long as it's close, but for me, It's old school style.

 

I had my Prius 2017 stolen last Wednesday from a parking in front of my apartment. It was a clean job, no windows broken, no forced entry. I had both key fabs in my possession and the night before I made sure that the car was locked. Now I am panicking cause they not only stole the car but the car had the car documents in the glove compartment and a full tank (So more or less 400 miles to go without re fueling). So they know where I live and they can come to retrieve the keys to have a full package, so to speak. And if the police retrieves the car they can steel it again (since apparently is so easy!). What can I do to prevent another theft? Any recommendation is welcome! Can I turn off the key-less feature?

 

ANY car can be stolen.

Most cars these days use RFID technology for the ignition whether it's a 2019 Prius or my dumb old 2006 GMC.
It's hardly emerging technology (1997 is the born-on date) RFID engine immobilizers are fairly easy to defeat once you get inside the car.
Actually getting inside the car is also very easy to do as well, even if it's locked....which even in a crime ridden area happens a lot less than you might think.

Of course.....if you have a skid truck, you can steal any car you want to, and quite brazenly and quickly, since tow trucks are fairly common in urban areas.

 

To introduce an element of confusion one could install a push start button (obviously non-functional) into a Prius C that uses the old fashion key.