Ignition Kill Switch?

Any thoughts on the pros / cons of installing an ignition kill switch on a 5th Gen. for theft prevention? Sad to say but I live in a high auto theft city and I’ve had way too many good times / trips in my truck to have it stolen and found under a freeway stripped down and burnt out. Plus new cars and trucks are crazy expensive these days.

 

Following as I would also be interested. I have a kill switch in my Subbie which is nice.

 

We are way beyond the era of hot wiring and smashing ignitions. With the key security on modern vehicles, the most common way vehicles are stolen are dollies, wreckers, and flatbeds. You can add one for your own peace of mind, but it's not going to stop someone who wants your truck.

 

Do it if it gives you piece of mind.
Put a $3 disconnect switch in the wire from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid in some hidden location.
That would deter amateur thieves just wanting to joy ride, but not a pro.

 

Best solution is a alarm with remote notification. At Least you will be immediately notified of someone stealing it.

 

Yeah, as far as I can tell a majority of the thefts around me aren’t from pros. Just opportunists. No flatbeds. And if they were pro there’re a bunch of other 4Rs out on the street as mine is in a gated garage surrounded by nosy neighbors. Fortunately mine isn’t as built out as others, just OEM+. Figure if I put one in I’ll have done everything I could and so it won’t sting as much if it is stolen.

 

I added this as added protection for my 4Runner. A bit pricey but I personally think it's worth it. It is completely plug and play. Only change I made was I used a different type of switch.

https://41twentytwo.com/product/vehicle-kill-switch/

 

Or you can pull out the starter relay every night...but that's just a hassle...

 

I decided to add a kill switch. It's cheap and easy to do so why not. I have a club as well which can be defeated but is just another deterrent. Hoping it will encourage some knucklehead to move on to someone else's ride. I also have an AirTag hidden inside just in case the worse case happens.

 

So does that mean we should not mitigate theft? It is all about making it as difficult as possible, especially when a thief's worst enemy is time.

 

A buddy of mine had his 2012 Charger stolen out of the parking lot at work. Took about 10 minutes.
It had an air tag in it. Cops found it later that day gutted and trashed. Total loss.

I put an airtag in mine... It might be smart to add a kill switch of some kind.

 

Adding a second deadbolt to a door does increase security, but what's the point when the window is right next to it?

My first car was a 1991 Camry. It got stolen so I installed a kill switch for the fuel pump which 100% prevented the theft the next two times it was broken into as evidenced by where they were digging on the opposite side of the ignition switch. Thing is, these aren't 35 year old cars and the security technology has vastly improved, so aside from a relay attack or someone having your key, a kill switch isn't going to be effective.

If this was the third gen forum, I'd be all for it, but it's not. If it makes you feel better than you do you but the majority of theft is either targeted or "random" in the sense they go out looking for an opportunity with the tools to do the job. This won't prevent that and certainly not a starter kill that can be bypassed with a screwdriver in 3 seconds.

 

I suggest taking all four wheels off your 4Runner every time you park, then wrap it in asbestos! Make 'em work for it.

P.S. Move out of Oakland as fast as you can.

 

Just park next to your neighborhood 2011-2021 Hyundai or Kia. Even if they aren’t a key-ignition they’ll probably be busted into first anyway.

 

Air Tag's are an awesome idea. BUT, if you do put them in your ride, put one in an obvious place, like the glove box or center console, and hide one in an odd place, like under the carpet in the cargo area or in the head liner. Next, make sure you DISABLE the built in speaker. That's how you find an air tag, it beeps. There are video's out there how to disable it permanently. It's rather easy.

I recommend air tags for vehicles, around the collars of pets (they run off all the time) and for elderly people. If you have a parent/relative with dementia, you could put an air tag in their purse or wallet to find them!

When it comes to vehicles though, nothing is fool proof. If someone really wants my ride, they'll find a way to steal it. I know it's just metal and glass. It's replaceable....after I pay the insurance deductible that is.

 

YES!!!

 

Ahh yes, the "Kia Boys". That story is legendary, and scary.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XW8iAVwt_Yc

 

Watched that before. Genius.

FWIW I have a K-9 sticker on the rear window and a 110 lb.mastiff. As gentle as can be… Except when she’s in the truck.

 

Bought one, 0 support from them after delivery! POS! If you activate their system and try to start your car, it will not start (crank) as advertised BUT! If you use it as supposed to ie activate their system at night, in the morning you get in your car and desactivate their POS! Now you Try to start your car, well it will crank for 15 seconds before running acting like the engine was flooded. 0 solution from them after about 10 emails sent! Other than oh this is not normal to do so! No s$it! I did already figured that out by my self! Never again will deal with those idiots!

 

I'm interested as well... I recall a 5th gen in Colorado got stolen by someone (follow Colorado Stolen Cars page on Facebook) who was able to read the codes from the Fob somehow. I would feel better having a kill switch put somewhere where I leave it parked for a while

 

I’ve decided to put one in. A basic one that won’t foul things up but still thwart the casual thief. It’s cheap. Figure having layers of security is a good thing like having secondary authentication for your account passwords.
“start sequence 1, 1, 2, red, black, go.”
https://youtu.be/uq5rQlfEcjY?si=IT2kM2y8RAHmLmhg

 

Just trying to understand the issue. So if you activate the kill switch at night, deactivate in the morning, it won't start immediately?

 

Yes, the starter will crank for 15 to 20 seconds before the engine runs.

 

Yes, your key fob can be cloned from a distance. That's why it's good to keep remotes in a Faraday box (lead lined to block RF signals) when stored in the house. I also have a Faraday pouch for the keys when I'm traveling. Just one more deterrent one can use to keep their rig safe. To summarize, I have the following: club, kill switch, AirTag, Faraday box and good insurance.

 

We will have to look in the Faraday Box. If you don't mind me ask (can PM), what method did you use for the killswitch? For my Honda, I cut the line the the fuel pump and wired a rockswitch. I'm looking to do something a bit more cleaning without "splicing" wires, but not sure if there is a way to do this. Thanks

 

Again with the whataboutisms. Unless it is a violent home invasion, many thief's want to avoid detection by breaking windows. Had two attempted break ins via my front door and I reinforced the striker plate.

Never once did they break the window. By your logic I wasted money by installing a reinforced striker plate with better screws. Break my window and you have about 2 seconds until my GSD has a hold of you.

 

The monkey was out of my budget, so I settled for the next best option!

 

How about a shut off/kill switch on fuel pump circuit? A switch that kills power to fuel pump; it's not going anywhere if it don't get gas.
I have not done it, but wouldn't think it would be that hard to find feed wire to pump and just add a hidden switch that cut's power.

 

Couldn’t you just turn off your key from transmitting (hold lock for a few seconds) and do without a faraday?