Can I track my car after its been stolen?

Asked by: Mrs. Lilyan Hessel MD  |  Last update: March 3, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (5 votes)

Locating your vehicle After reporting the vehicle stolen to law enforcement, contact an OnStar Advisor at 1.888. 4ONSTAR (1.888. 466.7827) to begin the process of locating and recovering your vehicle. Built-in GPS technology can help the Advisor find your vehicle and relay its location to the proper authorities.

Can a stolen car be tracked?

There are 5 different ways to track a stolen car: Report the license plate to the police. Check its VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) maintenance log. Find the location using a pre-installed Bluetooth tracking system.

What are the chances of finding your stolen car?

More than 85 percent of stolen vehicles are eventually recovered. Once you've provided information to the police, they can create a report. Make sure to get a copy of the police report as you'll need the info for the next step.

How to check status of stolen vehicle?

Use NICB's Free VINCheck® Service

NICB's VINCheck is a free service provided to the public to assist in determining if a vehicle has been reported as stolen, but not recovered, or has been reported as a salvage vehicle by cooperating NICB member insurance companies.

Does Tracker pay for a stolen car?

Tracker Rescue is specifically designed to help make life a little easier in the unfortunate event of your vehicle being stolen or hijacked, or involved in an accident and being undrivable. Tracker Rescue will provide you with: R3,000 in cash.

Steps to take if your car is stolen

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What is the recovery rate for car track?

With our externally audited stolen vehicle recovery rate of over 90%, you're in safe hands. Cartrack's highly-trained control room works alongside our expert tactical air and ground recovery teams to recover your vehicle in the event of theft or hijacking.

How can I track my vehicle location?

To start tracking a vehicle, you both instantiate a vehicle location provider and initialize a map view with the vehicle ID as described in the following sections.
  1. Instantiate a vehicle location provider.
  2. Initialize the map view.
  3. Listen for vehicle events.
  4. Handle errors.
  5. Remove a vehicle from the location provider.

How to locate a stolen car by VIN?

NICB's VINCheck is a free lookup service provided to the public to assist in determining if a vehicle may have a record of an insurance theft claim, and has not been recovered, or has ever been reported as a salvage vehicle by participating NICB member insurance companies.

Does insurance cover a stolen car?

Car Theft Insurance: When Am I Entitled to Coverage? Downey drivers whose cars are stolen in Califonia will have car theft insurance if they have comprehensive coverage. That should cover you up to the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of your vehicle. If your car is damaged due to a break-in, you'll also be covered.

How do police find stolen cars?

The Police Tracking Computer provides the police officer, via the dispatcher, all pertinent information about the stolen vehicle. The LoJack monitor installed in patrol cars has a strength indicator that tells the officer if he is within one mile of the stolen vehicle, allowing time for back-up help to be called.

How fast can police find a stolen car?

If you report your car as stolen immediately to police, there's a better chance it will be recovered. In fact, according to NICB data, 35% of recovered stolen vehicles are recovered on the same day as the theft, and 45% are recovered within two days.

Where do stolen cars usually end up?

According to the FBI, a car is stolen in the U.S. about once every 40 seconds. Many of them end up at ports like the Port of Baltimore, where they are put on cargo ships headed to West Africa.

What time of day are most cars stolen?

Car thieves tend to steer clear of highly-visible areas, especially if there are security cameras or nosy neighbors around. This is especially important at night between 2 and 5 a.m. Since most people are asleep, that's the most common time for cars to be stolen.

What happens if your car is stolen and they find it?

What happens if my car was stolen and recovered? If your car is stolen, you should file a claim with your insurance company. As long as you have comprehensive coverage, vehicle theft should be covered. If the car is later recovered after the claim has been paid, it's the insurance company's property.

Is it illegal for police to track your car?

One can only install a GPS device with a warrant issued by a magistrate. It is an offense to install, hide or place an electronic tracking device on a motor vehicle without the permission of its owner.

Is there an app to find stolen cars?

TheftPatrol Connected Car App gives you real-time location information nationwide using any PC, tablet or cell phone. You can access our hotline 24/7 and our team of recovery specialists will work with your local police department to recover your car within minutes.

Do I have to pay a deductible if my car is stolen?

You will get paid MINUS your deductible. So if you have a loan on that car, then you would likely owe that deductible amount to your lienholder. But if you own your car free and clear, then there's no one you'd owe that deductible to.

How long does a stolen car investigation take?

The average timeframe for a stolen car insurance claim payout falls within 30-45 days, but several factors can influence this, such as the complexity of the investigation, the availability of the police report, and whether your car is recovered.

Does a car lose value if it was stolen?

As long as a vehicle has a clean title, its resale value shouldn't change purely based on the theft. Depreciation would come from your insurance company and whether it places a salvage title on the car.

Can a dealership track a stolen car?

GPS tracking devices allow dealerships to monitor these vehicles, ensuring they know where each asset is at all times. In cases where vehicles are stolen, dealerships can rapidly recover them thanks to SVR (Stolen Vehicle Recovery) systems.

How to track your car if it is stolen?

We've included every possible way on how to track a stolen car and how to find your lost car with step-by-step guides.
  1. File a “Car Stolen” Report to the Police. ...
  2. Track Stolen Car with VIN Number. ...
  3. Use GPS Device to Track Your Stolen Car. ...
  4. Check Security Camera Footage to Find Your Stolen Car. ...
  5. Contact Your Insurance Company.

Can I report my car stolen if someone stops making payments?

At this point, since he took your property without your consent and has deprived you of both the car and the compensation you are owed, you have valid legal grounds to consider the vehicle stolen and report it as such to law enforcement.

Can I locate my car online?

You should enable the Location service and Find My Phone feature. That way, you can use the Google Find My Device website or iCloud Find Devices to get the car's location. Note: The method cannot work if the device is not powered or connected to the internet.

How do I track my car location by VIN number?

Steps
  1. Find your VIN. ...
  2. Obtain a vehicle history report. ...
  3. Review the report. ...
  4. Search the VINCheck database. ...
  5. Contact the authorities where your vehicle is located.

Is there an app that tracks my car location?

"Find My Car - Car Locator" is an essential app with stunning aesthetics designed to simplify the way you locate your car using features like augmented reality, radar tracking, simple map view and helping you to set timer alerts to avoid parking fine simultaneously.