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Car theft technology finally got a real answer when Ford introduced Start Inhibit, a built-in immobilizer that stops a stolen key from starting your vehicle. Lorraine Sommerfeld from http://Driving.ca lays out why this matters if you've ever wondered whether your car is an easy target.

The stolen car lists everyone panics over aren't telling the full story, and the model at the top isn't always the one most likely to get taken. Insurance companies are slow to reward safer tech, and some are pushing aftermarket retrieval systems onto owners instead of pressuring manufacturers to fix the problem at the source.

The bigger tension underneath all of it: heated seats, GPS, and even basic modules are increasingly locked behind subscriptions and dealer fees, so owning a car doesn't always mean controlling it. Lorraine makes the case for asking harder questions before signing anything.

Topics: car theft, Ford immobilizer, Start Inhibit, insurance rates, vehicle subscriptions

GUEST: Lorraine Sommerfeld | https://driving.ca/column/lorraine/has-ford-finally-solved-car-theft

Originally aired on 2026-07-20