The Highway Loss Data Institute recently released theft lossresults for passenger vehicles one to three years old. At the topfor the highest rates of insurance theft claims are the CadillacEscalade, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and the Dodge Ram 1500 quadcab pickup.

These three vehicles have claim rates four to five times theaverage for all automobiles, said HLDI. Overall losses for pickupshave increased sharply since 1999, mainly due to high theft claimsfor the Dodge Ram and Ford F-250/350. Losses for cars and SUVs,however, increased slightly in 2003 and 2004 but declined in 2005.The rate of theft of pickups in 2005 was nearly twice as high asfor cars or SUVs.

According to HLDI, Escalade has topped the list of vehicles mostlikely to have a theft claim for the fourth consecutive year, eventhough this vehicle is equipped with a standard antitheft ignitionimmobilizer. The 2007 Escalades' antitheft systems have beenupgraded. The Lancer Evolution is new this year to the list ofvehicles with the highest theft losses. Investigators say thismodel may be attracting the attention of thieves because its partscan be used to customize standard Lancers.

"The overall results show the Escalade has not only the highestrate of claims but also very expensive claims when they are filed,"said Kim Hazelbaker, HLDI senior vice president. "In fact, almostone-quarter of theft claims for the Escalade are for $40,000 ormore, indicating that thieves often are stealing the whole vehiclesand not just their parts."

Geography has something to do with the theft claims, said HLDI.The Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Sebring, and Plymouth Breeze, forexample, have high losses in the Washington, D.C., area. Lossesalso are high for the 2003 Nissan Maxima and for the Lexus RX 330in areas in and around New York City. HLDI believes the results forthe Maxima and Lexus are associated with their expensive Xenonheadlights.