Two Honda Sedan Models Lead List of Most Stolen Vehicles in Arizona

Two Honda sedan models lead the latest list of vehicles most often stolen in Arizona.

According to the latest annual study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the 1991 Honda Accord and 1995 Honda Civic were ranked as the two most stolen vehicles in the state in 2005 — the most recent statistics available.

The same two cars also lead the national list, according to the crime bureau, which supplies data to insurance companies nationwide.

On Arizona’s 2005 list, the 2004 Dodge Ram pickup came in third, the 1995 Chevrolet CK pickup was fifth and the 1997 Ford F-150 pickup was seventh.

Older vehicles dominate the stolen-vehicle rankings in Arizona and nationally, with a good percentage of these going to illegal chop shops that disassemble them for parts, the crime bureau said.

Pat Elliott, spokeswoman for Allstate Insurance in Phoenix, said the cars most often stolen are an indication of their value for parts.

“Many of these cars are very reliable cars that last a long time, and there’s a market for parts for these cars,” Elliott said. “The 1991 Accord is No. 1 in the country, showing its parts value.”

Auto theft has declined slightly in Arizona during the past four years, from a high of 56,876 in 2002 to 54,905 in 2005, according to the FBI’s 2005 Uniform Crime Report. Only about 62 percent of vehicles stolen in 2005 were ever recovered.

Recently, Phoenix was ranked by the crime bureau as the No. 4 hot spot for auto theft in the nation.

Truck thefts in Arizona and other border states are linked by law enforcement authorities with smuggling, both drugs and human.

“There is a definite element that take these vehicles to Mexico and drive human cargo back with the Arizona plate on it and later dump the vehicle,” Elliott said.