Ford’s latest anti-theft measure stops thieves from starting your car

Vehicle thefts are a growing problem in Canada, spurring automakers like Ford to introduce new features to help deter theft.

Ontario’s Halton Regional Police reported some 1,402 vehicles stolen in 2024, up from 765 in 2021. Toronto Police Service’s auto theft dashboard reported 7,363 vehicles stolen in 2025. While down from a peak of 12,592 in 2023, it’s still a significant increase from pre-COVID levels.

And those are just two areas — spread that out over the rest of the province, or even nationally, and it’s clear how large a problem auto theft has become.

Police offer several tips to help protect vehicles, like parking in a garage or well-lit area, and using security cameras. But Ford has some other ideas to help protect vehicles, such as preventing thieves from even turning your car on.

MobileSyrup recently joined Ford at its Oakville, Ont. assembly plant to learn about three features the company offers on some of its newest vehicles to protect them from theft: Start Inhibit, Theft Alerts, and Stolen Vehicle Services. All of these are part of the Ford Security Package, which Ford includes for free for one year, and then charges $9.99/mo after that.

A tap on your phone stops your Ford from starting

The highlight of these is Start Inhibit, a tool that allows people to remotely disable their Ford vehicles’ ability to start. Owners of compatible Ford vehicles can use the Ford app on their smartphone to enable and disable Start Inhibit with a swipe, kinda like the ‘swipe to unlock’ function on most phones.

“I use it on my vehicle every night,” said Matthew Drennan-Scace, communications manager at Ford Canada, in an interview with MobileSyrup. “It ensures that when I get up in the morning, even if someone had managed to get hold of my key fob, or managed to clone a key fob, they’re not driving away with my vehicle.”

And it’s not just Ford — MobileSyrup spoke with Guelph Police Staff Sgt. Dustan Howe, who thinks that Start Inhibit will be “very helpful” for Canadians.

“I think that using that feature would really help prevent vehicle thefts,” Howe said.

While enabled, Start Inhibit prevents a vehicle from starting, even with an authorized key fob. That means even if a thief nabs your keys, they still can’t go anywhere — especially helpful since Howe noted that’s one of the main ways thieves steal vehicles. However, Ford also built in a smart bypass mechanism where the Ford app generates a random, six-digit alphanumeric code that drivers can use to start their vehicle while Start Inhibit is enabled.

There is a lockout mechanism as well if the code is entered incorrectly too many times, but Ford was hesitant to share details about that and how the Start Inhibit works in general, as, in Drennan-Scace’s words, “that helps thieves figure out how to work around it.”

Not perfect, but can still help prevent theft

Ford acknowledged that the Start Inhibit feature is powered by a hardware module located somewhere on the vehicle. Theoretically, if thieves found and removed the module, owners would no longer be able to inhibit the vehicle (but this wouldn’t bypass Start Inhibit if it’s already active). Regardless, Drennan-Scace says the module’s location is a “carefully guarded secret.”

“Like any good thief, they’re gonna find ways if you give them enough time… The goal is to make it as hard as possible, as long as possible, to be able to defeat the system,” said Drennan-Scace.

Notably, Start Inhibit won’t stop a vehicle that’s already moving due to safety concerns. Instead, it will activate once a vehicle has stopped and powered down.

Start Inhibit was launched on the 2025 Ford F-150 but was brought to the 2024 model year as well via an over-the-air (OTA) update. Ford then expanded the feature to other vehicle lines for 2026, including Bronco, Expedition, Mustang Mach-E, and Lincoln Navigator.

Theft Alerts keep vehicle owners informed

Along with Start Inhibit, Ford offers suspicious activity alerts through its Ford app, which can notify owners if someone tries to tamper with their vehicle. These alerts include intrusions (such as attempted break-ins or movement inside the cabin when the vehicle is locked), forceful impacts, location changes, or if the doors open for any reason. Owners can choose to toggle off some of the alerts if desired.

It’s a handy way to keep tabs on your vehicle, but it also has applications beyond just theft prevention. Case in point, Ford showed a video promoting Theft Alerts in which a bear attempts to gain access to an F-150 truck.

 

“That was not AI, [the bear] did open that door with his paw, and did break into the F-150,” said Drennan-Scace.

24/7 support for victims

Finally, there’s Stolen Vehicle Services, which is a 24/7 support line for Ford customers who are victims of theft. Drennan-Scace promised no AI and that callers would speak with live agents (though, in a demo of the call-in experience, the voice sounded very artificial).

Along with helping vehicle owners, the agents on the Ford Secure team can also assist law enforcement with vehicle recovery. Vehicle owners will need to verify themselves with the agents, and will also need a police report on file before live agents can assist, though agents can help people file a report with law enforcement if needed.

“It would at least provide some peace of mind for people who have their vehicles stolen,” said Howe. “It would at least provide them assurances that there’s action being taken to try and recover their vehicle.”

Ford positioned these steps as measures to protect against abuse of the system, such as using it to track or stalk people. Live agents can assist law enforcement by sharing information with them about the location of a stolen vehicle or by activating Start Inhibit at the request of law enforcement.

Regardless, the technology could shape how law enforcement handles vehicle theft cases.

“When we know as police that the vehicle is inhibited and it’s not going to start again, it would allow us a little bit of time to at least see if someone came back to the vehicle and get them into custody,” Howe said.

“As criminals have an intent, they’ll find a means to overcome this,” Howe said, “but for now, it’s a really good step and progress towards keeping vehicles from being stolen.”

But for people who don’t have the latest Ford vehicle, Howe says there are other options to prevent theft.

“Target hardening, things that go behind gas pedals, break pedals, and on steering wheels, those still work and those are good alternatives if you’re not driving a newer vehicle.”