Rumours are spreading across the internet that claim a new trending crime amongst carjackers is to insert a small coin into the handle of the passenger door when the owner is not with car which according to the rumour will prevent the central locking of the car to function correctly the next time the owner uses it.
Coin in car door handle.
In other words the computer is fooled into thinking that the door is ajar.
So if a penny or coin were thick enough to unlatch the door handle you d receive a door ajar dashboard alert.
Then when you re ready to lock your car the coin will keep the latch from locking properly leaving it open for thieves.
Last updated on january 11th 2016.
Some analysts state that this action disables the central locking mechanism of the vehicle.
Then they wait for the car owner to show up and follow the owner home.
The coin is slipped between the handle and the door.
Thus crafty thieves place a coin then lay in wait to follow the victim to wherever they are going.
The original article claims that car thieves have discovered that wedging a penny or nickel in the passenger door handle will prevent the car from being locked.
Coins in car door theft warning there has been no rash of car or property thefts due to nickels or pennies jammed in door handles and car experts say that warnings about them are implausible.
The thief jams a coin into the door handle on the car s passenger side.
They can just wait until you come home from work blissfully unaware that the coin is still lodged in the car door and steal your car when you go inside for the night.
The way the sensors work can vary.
The thief doesn t even have to follow you anywhere.
Modern cars have separate door latch sensors for each door so you d immediately know if the sensor s circuit weren t completed.
Completely unaware of what has just taken place.
If you ve had your car for a little while you probably don t think too much about your car door handle until one day you grab the door handle to get in and it feels off you can t quite place it but it just doesn t feel right the handle seems to operate but it s as though the door is still locked.
When the owner tries to lock the car the mechanism fails because the passenger door handle is jammed which gives the thief the ability to enter the car through the unlocked door.