But is this really enough?
Dodge muscle car theft has become so bad lately that the automaker has released a software upgrade designed to thwart criminals looking to swipe your ride. This comes hot on the heels of thieves stealing two Dodge Durango Hellcats from the factory, along with the many, many Dodges stolen across the nation, some even in broad daylight.
Still not convinced Dodge muscle car thefts are a problem? Watch this video right here and you will.
As we’ve shown in surveillance videos of Dodge muscle cars being stolen, thieves seem to have no serious problems with boosting them. This new upgrade allows the owner to use their four-digit security code to limit the engine speed to idle and cut output to just 3 horsepower, which is supposed to keep criminals from stealing the car.
According to Tim Kuniskis, Dodge CEO at Stellantis, this upgrade can be installed on 2015 and newer Dodge muscle cars. This is supposed to be a “double verification security system” which is also called dual authentication, a measure used to secure many online accounts today against hacking attempts. It would prevent thieves from capturing the radio signal emitted by a car’s key fob, a common way criminals boost modern vehicles with keyless ignition systems. In the official press release, Stellantis calls it “second-level vehicle security encryption” which runs through the Uconnect 4C system.
No doubt, Dodge has been dealing with an increasingly tarnished image with theft of its high-powered muscle cars seemingly getting only more popular. We’ve been covering this trend long before other sites since it hits our niche of the market particularly hard. And we’ll keep giving coverage to the trend, which hopefully will taper off.
This sounds like a nice idea, but only time will tell if it will work. Plus, you have to take your car to a Dodge dealership to have it installed, which should be a quick process. For now, the only cars which qualify for the upgrade are 2015 through 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT or Charger SRT models equipped with 392-cu.-in. HEMI V8 or supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engines, as well as owners of 2019-2021 Scat Packs equipped with 392-cu.-in HEMI V8 engines.
The software upgrade likely won’t be ready until sometime in the second quarter of 2021. In other words, you’ll have to hang tight for a few months.
We’ve reached out to Stellantis for further information about this new technology and hopefully will have an update soon.
Update - Stellantis has gotten back to us with more information about this new feature, which they say is being repurposed from the valet feature. Owners will input the 4-digit code on the infotainment touchscreen, not through a connected smartphone. The automaker declined to disclose anything about what kind of encryption the technology uses, saying it's "proprietary information." And while the company says it will be notifying vehicle owners directly, it encourages anyone who believes their vehicle qualifies for the upgrade to reach out to their local dealership to confirm that. We'll know soon enough how well this move works.
