Peugeot’s flagship model, this car has a vulnerability in its starting system. A technical defect that makes it easier to steal in just a few seconds.
It’s a heist that takes place in just a few seconds. A car hidden from view, a door that unlocks quietly and an engine that starts without a key. Gone are the days when thieves would break the window to get into a car. Today, in France, in 70% of cases the vehicle is stolen without visible break-in and a handful of cars seem particularly targeted by thieves.
Among the ten vehicles that disappear most frequently, there are seven French cars, one of which is more easily stolen. Despite fixes, “even today, owners of this model are exposed to technical flaw“, underlines Benoît Leclair, director of Argos, an entity bringing together French insurers.
Why such a vulnerability when this flaw has been known for at least six years? Because in 2022, “after numerous exchanges, Stellantis has improved the security of this model, but only on the new versions leaving the factory. The latter are therefore more difficult to steal, without making them inviolable. On the other hand, the old vehicles have not been modified, which explains why we still observe many thefts today”.
What is the model in question? The second generation Peugeot 3008, and these are therefore models dating from before 2022. Now comes a second question: what is this flaw that the 3008s are victims of?
Everything happens after the intrusion. First, to enter without visible break-in, thieves can use several tools: jammers preventing the door from closing; copying the key signal; remote control hacking; use of a universal key; air cushion, allowing the door to be opened.
Once in the car, the thieves head towards the OBD socket. Often located in the passenger compartment, the OBD socket normally allows a mechanic to access data on the state of the vehicle. But now, the socket is hijacked: “The thieves encode a blank start key by connecting, using a box, directly to the socket”, summarizes the National Gendarmerie in a press release. Thieves can then start the vehicle without a key and sneak away.
Even today Peugeot 3008 are therefore very sensitive to this operating mode. This is why a question remains unanswered: was the Stellantis group too lax in leaving certain Peugeot 3008s without reinforced protection? “This strategy is the norm on the automobile market,” replies Benoît Leclair. “Recalling cars already on the market represents too heavy a bill for manufacturers. In memory, only Land Rover carried out such an operation in the 2010s.”
