2011 Ford Escape (Ford)
According to a new report the Ford Escape often lives up to its name, with a little help.
The compact crossover was named the most-stolen utility vehicle in the latest National Insurance Crime Bureau survey of thefts among 2009-2011 model year vehicles reported stolen between Jan. 1, 2008, and June 30, 2012.
Of the 19,961 late model vehicles ripped off nationwide during that period, 1,014 of them were Ford Escapes. The Chevrolet Tahoe, Toyota Rav4, Ford Edge and Dodge Journey rounded out the top five.
Broken down by class, compact CUVs like the Escape were the most popular overall among thieves, followed by mid-size and large SUVs.
The most stolen vehicles by state, 3,003 were reported in California, with Texas and New York not far behind, but the region surrounding New York City was the worst metropolitan area with 2,438 thefts.
Looking for a place to park your new SUV without having to worry about it? You might want to move to Vermont or Maine, where there were only eight thefts each were reported during the period of the study.