Police Are Fixing Ford's Taillight Theft Problem

University Park Police have replaced screws on more than 120 Ford pickups, and none have been reported as stolen.

2023 Ford F-150

Photo by: Ford

Anthony Alaniz

By: Anthony Alaniz

Feb 25, 2025 at 10:40am ET

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Thieves are stealing Ford F-Series taillights at an alarming rate, especially in Texas. Earlier this month, police arrested three people in connection with a string of thefts targeting 34 victims that totaled $92,000 in stolen property. Police in one Texas town have found a solution, and it's offering free installs for owners.

The University Park Police Department will replace the OEM taillight screws with different screws that don’t fit the tools the thieves are using —and they have been doing so since 2021. The People Newspapers reported yesterday that the department has already replaced screws on more than 120 Ford trucks, none of which have had their taillights reported as stolen.

Jase Schellinger, a University Park Police Department detective, told the publication that the rudimentary fix works. According to the paper’s crime reports, thieves stole a half-dozen taillights over a week in mid-January, the first in the city since 2022.

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It makes sense that such a simple fix like this could work. These are crimes of opportunity, with thieves likely targeting easily accessible pickups. Even a small deterrent, like swapping screws for ones with different heads, could be enough to scare a criminal away who doesn’t want to rummage around a toolbox for the correct bit.

That might not prevent someone from trying to steal the taillights, but it would be far easier as an owner to replace stripped-out screws than to pay $4,500 for new lights, which contain expensive sensors the thieves are after. Some victims have had to pay over $6,000 for replacement taillights, like one F-350 owner last month.

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