Airbags stolen from 10 Honda Civics in Guelph

Guelph Police say at least 10 airbags were stolen from Honda Civics over the weekend.

On Sunday, shortly after 7 a.m., officers were called to an apartment building near Willow Road and Edinburgh Road North after a resident reported his vehicle had been broken into and the steering wheel airbag was missing.

Police said driver’s door handle had been drilled out and the airbag removed using an unspecified tool.

While investigating that first report, officers were told that five more Honda Civics in the same parking lot had similar damage while another four were targeted in the parking lot of an apartment building on Speedvale Avenue West.

These thefts aren’t unusual in bigger cities like Toronto.

“But for Guelph, as far as I know, these are the first ones that we've seen,” said Scott Tracey, the media relations coordinator for Guelph Police.

It’s too early to determine why these thefts are happening, he added.

“I think it'd be safe to say they're being stolen to be resold. Through what means? I don't know at this time.”

CTV News spoke to one man, at the Speedvale Avenue West building, who said his 2019 Honda Civic was targeted on Sunday.

"I thought: 'Okay, that's weird.' So then right away, I didn't even enter the car. I just went and phoned the police," Rod Pender explained. "I don't know why [they did it]. It puts everybody at an inconvenience.”

According to Pender, a police officer said the way the thieves drilled his door handle out bypassed the alarm system.

“I usually hear everything, but unfortunately, I didn't hear nothing that night. These guys were slick and good.”

Pender added that officers also couldn’t find any fingerprints on his vehicle.

“He said: ‘There's nothing on it.’ It's like they wiped it clean if they did touch it.”

All of the targeted vehicles were 2016 to 2021 Civics.

One insurance broker in Kitchener said that’s not surprising.

“Because the thieves are more likely to be able to sell a stolen airbag if it’s for a very common model of vehicle,” explained Joanna Mendonca, president of Staebler Insurance. “Something like a Honda Civic could be a very common model of vehicle, and may be a bit of an extra target for thieves for that reason.”

Mendonca noted the recent spike in catalytic converter thefts, and now, the rise in stolen vehicles. Missing airbags, however, have not typically been a common insurance claim.

Police said the damage from the thefts is estimated at $6,000.

“One airbag can cost up to $2,000 to replace,” Mendonca said. “It’s something we would consider a high value part. There can also be integral systems built into the airbag that can be effected by its removal. So it can be a costly replacement.”

According to Tracey, a vehicle missing part of its safety equipment could be considered an unsafe vehicle and the driver charged under the Highway Traffic Act.

Because Pender can't drive the vehicle without the airbag, the vehicle is now stuck in the parking lot until it can be towed and a new part installed.

"Then again, I don't know how long it's going to be out of commission just for a stupid… airbag," he said.

According to Mendonca, if the airbag was removed, but the cover was placed back on the wheel, a driver could potentially not know their airbag is missing.

“You might not become aware of the fact that you don’t have an airbag in your vehicle anymore until after an accident. It’s possible that it goes unnoticed.”

Tracey said the best option to stop potential thefts may be something like a steering wheel locking device.

“Which are, of course, intended to prevent the vehicle itself from being stolen,” he explained. “But some of them are designed in a way that would sort of lock into the steering wheel and cover the airbag.”

"I'm going to probably look at one of those club locks or whatever they call them, and I never thought I needed one. I didn't think I needed one,” Pender said. “But I think now going forward I will, because for $50 it could save a lot of aggravation.”

Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.