--- title: "It’s Way Too Easy to Steal a Honda CR-V’s Safety Tech in 2026" date: "2026-02-05" modified: "2026-02-05" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/its-way-too-easy-to-steal-a-honda-cr-vs-safety-tech-in-2026" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Honda News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "CR-V" - "honda" - "suv/crossover" --- # It’s Way Too Easy to Steal a Honda CR-V’s Safety Tech in 2026 ![2023 Honda CR-V front badge]() *\Honda\* Reports of [catalytic converter]() and even [taillight thefts]() are nothing new. But as cars get more complicated, the parts that a thief can yank off and resell turn even bigger profits. Among the latest casualties are the ADAS radar sensors on the front of many modern cars. Some vehicles—particularly Hondas, and most notably the [hot-selling CR-V]()—stash the distance sensors responsible for features like automatic emergency braking and radar cruise control behind the badge up front. All it takes to make off with them is prying loose the clips that hold everything in place. Those sensors are then sold online for a couple hundred dollars. Unfortunately, buying a legitimate one to replace what's been stolen can cost five, 10, or even *20* times that if your dealer's service department is especially greedy, which is a big part of the problem here. ![]() *The Honda Pilot, seen here, and Accord are also prone to radar theft. *Adam Ismail** This growing trend has earned the attention of local law enforcement, particularly in the Baltimore area, where one officer told CBS affiliate *[WUSA9]()* that eight of these had been stolen in the past month alone. The trouble is, there isn't a whole lot you can immediately do to keep your car safe. Unlike catalytic converters, a criminal doesn't have to lift the vehicle to do the job, and sedans and compacts are spared no more than lifted pickups and SUVs. Parking so that your car is facing a wall is a good deterrent, but that's not always possible. And certain models will naturally be more vulnerable than others, because thieves know which are prime candidates, as AutoPacific consumer insights analyst Robby DeGraff points out. "These aren’t just thieves pulling up into your driveway in the middle of the night with a sawzall, making all sorts of ruckus for ten minutes, and then heading to the scrap yard the next morning to offload platinum and palladium," DeGraff told me. "This operation is far more discreet, targeted, and thought-out." DeGraff said that he's unsure how automakers could quickly mitigate this problem. Plenty of cars position their ADAS cameras and associated sensors behind the windshield. That placement is obviously ideal in these circumstances, but it'd take a whole new product cycle or generation for an automaker to relocate all that gear. DeGraff raised the possibility of a "kill stop" that would essentially brick the sensor after it's been detached from the vehicle, but that requires new software. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpVLfc8axFQ Perhaps due to their ease of access and ubiquity, new Hondas are the main target these days. The silver lining, if one could be argued, is that the aftermarket has stepped in to deliver anti-theft systems for the afflicted parts. One, from a company called [Miller CAT](), supports the CR-V, Accord, and Pilot, and places a metal bracket with security hardware behind the sensor, making it much more time-consuming to remove. Another, by [Theft Protection Solutions](), sits between the badge backing and the plate that covers the sensor on CR-Vs. If these thefts become common enough, perhaps Honda could have dealers install a similar item of its own design. Unfortunately, automakers don't tend to react to this stuff [unless they're forced to](). *Got a tip? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()