Disable runner by pulling fuse?

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum, previous member of Tacoma world. Just got my 4 runner in May.

Hoping to prevent relay theft of my new truck

I just recently learned how to disable the smart key fob, but this doesn't help to protect the OBD. Looked at getting OBD saver but looks like they don't deliver to Canada. Found one call sherlock but looks cheap

Was hoping someone knows how to disable my runner by pulling fuse from within the truck?
Just need a fuse number please, there are two listed for the fuel but not sure which one to pull

much appreciated

 

Welcome!

 

I have never heard of a relay theft. Why would someone want to steal a relay? If you are worry about your vehicle being stolen then put in a kill switch of 2. I would be more worried about your Cat being stolen.

 

The odds of your vehicle being stolen are very small, unless you leave your key fob near your vehicle....or IN your vehicle. (gotta love push button start)

I'd either install a kill switch, which is all over Youtube, or just buy a steering wheel lock...like a Club. The thieves would have to saw through your aluminum steering wheel to get the Club off, which takes time most auto thieves aren't willing to spend.

Here in AZ, most vehicle burglars look for unlocked vehicles to rummage through....or they hang out at day care centers or gyms & wait for females to show up. If you get out of your vehicle without your purse, they know it's inside. They'll bust a window to get in that circumstance and yank your purse.

As another poster said, in this day and age, you're far more likely to have your catalytic converter stolen.

 

Maybe dumb question but would a dealer install a kill switch and or install a plate to prevent the the catalytic converter theft? I am not too handy of guy and I would hate to screw something up and mess with warranty.

My buddy had his Chevy truck stolen this year and with the shortage of cars/economy I am guessing theft may increase? Seems like a good idea to install these items.

 

I "think" he's talking about that thing where if they can get close enough to your key fob, they can use a type of repeater to act as your key fob to unlock and start the vehicle from a distance. Kind of like if you hang your keys right next to your front door, then theoretically the crook could relay the key fob signal from standing just outside your front door. Something like that anyways.

 

I actually watched a video where a guy had his truck stolen this way (keyless fob).

You could probably do a search on YouTube and find it.

Apparently his insurance and the police said they wouldn't even bother trying to recover the truck because professional car thieves would have it already secured in a shipping container to sell overseas.

The moral of the story was to place your key fob in a faraday container when not in use.

 

I had a Ram that had the original uconnect software.... thieves were able to break in, by hacking the software then driving around neighborhoods hitting unlock on the app and waiting for which cars/trucks lit up

 

Hey guys a relay theft is when the key fob signal is stolen from within your house, they can get the signal up to 300-500 feet No need for faraday box, u can actually turn the signal off by holding lock button on fob and pressing unlock twice (not a lot of Toyota owners know this) https://youtu.be/ia_XnZHbAeU…check out how to disable signal

problem is if they have skim Jim they can have access to obd and make new key anyway

lexus, 4 runners, tundra, Tacoma’s being hit hard

Thefts in my area are out of control, my dealership had 3 recently taken in one month. Just east of me in Ottawa are getting hit hardest, vehicles r taken to Montreal and shipped over seas. Cat is next on my to do list

I’m not sure if dealer will install kill switch, I asked them already if they can relocate obd but told me it will void warranty, any new wiring will void it, thinking that could also be the case for kill switch.

Want to pull fuse for now until I can get this obd protector…

 

What about disconnecting batteries when parked for extended periods. Seems like a thief would not think of it or take time to screw with it.

Messed with computers I am sure but is that serious ?

 

Generally, people put a kill switch in-line with the fuel pump. You can get heavy duty 20A toggle switches that don't need to have a relay for that circuit. On a 3rd gen, the fuel pump wire runs under the driver side door sill, so people tap into it there. Probably similar for 5th gen.

Or pull the fuel pump relay instead. When you want the car immobile.

The idea is if the thief gets it to crank, it'll never fire up. Then it becomes confusing and the perp bails.

Most cars are stolen by tow truck...so there's no escaping that.

 

Looking at the wiring diagram for my 2018 I’ll make a guess that you could pull a fuse in the engine compartment fuse box, the 10A one labeled INJ. This supplies power to Ignition, Engine Control, Electronically controlled transmission, Cruise Control, Combination Meter.

If you’re concerned with the OBD port maybe pull the fuse in the interior driver side fuse box, the 7.5A one labeled OBD.

This is just a guess, and your 2021 probably has some fusing differences. You’d really need to get the wiring diagrams from the Toyota TIS system to verify.

 

I had similar concerns and here are the conclusions I came to, so couple of things;

1) Heard too many inconsistent accounts about faraday pouches. Better solution is to simply disable your keys before going to bed. You will want to also disable your spare fob and leave it disabled. Your main key you may want to disable anytime the vehicle will be unattended for any extended period of time.



2) 2020+ models have built-in vehicle locator linked to the Toyota app. A few Tacoma and Lexus owners were able to have the police intercept and recover the vehicles thanks to this app. After the first year it's a $9.95/month service. Your call on whether that is worth it but it would help you immediately call the police and tell them where the truck is the moment you know it's stolen.

 

I pulled this from the other site.

 

How is it that the truck itself can only read the fob from 2 feet away, but someone else can read it from 500 feet away?

 

The thief's Fob is like 15 feet of antenna. Not kidding.

It's a large, thick rope like thing that they hold over your front door. Then they fold it up and throw it in the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxzm_6SYBFo

 

So, they're not 500 feet away.

 

I keep my remotes asleep in a Faraday box and it works. I can have both remotes awake in the box and walk right up to my 4runner and it won't unlock. I also installed a dummy OBD connector. Looks just like factory and will power a scanner but not allow communication. It's like a Y cable with a 6 ft extension for the real OBD connector. So unless a theft wants to take my dash apart not a chance in hell their going to find it hack and program a new key.

 

My dog lives in my truck. He's a first class ass - so no problems here. LOL

 

Crazy! In this video (7 min. mark) they don't even need to relay the fob just a diagnostic tool and key programmer and they steal the car within 3 minutes. So I guess it doesn't matter, if they want it they're going to take it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gshyozP-GY8

 

So this is a legitimate issue in Canada. Our border services / customs are apparently non-existent or complicit. At any rate what can you do to safeguard yourself, especially considering the wait time on a new 4Runner is counted in months.

Well, if you have a garage, use it, that shuts this down right there. A lot of people don't have or can't use their garage so here are a few things to keep in mind;

1. All 2020+ 4Runners have OEM GPS locator. You can add your own apple air tag or other tracking system but you do not have to. These OEM trackers have assisted in the recovery of a number of Toyota/Lexus models stolen this way.
2. Relay method does not appear to be the most common way these are stolen these days as the public has wise-up somewhat and use signal blocking materials. All you really have to do is turn off your fob and your spare and you are good. I try to turn my off every night.
3. Cover your VIN. Use a receipt or whatever but just obstruct it. These thieves often scope out the target hours in advance and record the VIN, obstructing it may simply divert them to another target.
4. The OBD lock is a good bet as this is a common method now. I had my dealer install the Sherlock on my 2022. I can't speak for it's quality or durability but it would be a pain to try and break it off in the middle of the night hunched under the steering wheel.
5. Use a steering wheel club. I know what you are thinking but just do it. The police always recommend it and the few I've spoken to say they do not see those with the The Club get stolen, like ever. These thieves are not bringing saws and boltcutters, they just want a quiet and quick score.

So this is my layered approach;
1. Turn off fob (easy, free, anyone can do this)
2. Cover VIN (easy, free, anyone can do this)
3. OBD lock (dealer probably overcharged me at $200 CAD but you don't have a lot of options in North America, I say do it)
4. The Club ($75 CAD, Amazon)
5. The OEM GPS tracker (passive, free for first year of ownership, $9.99/month thereafter for location tracking).

I feel reasonably good with this setup but of course you can go further with an immobilizer, a kill-switch, pulling a fuse, a tire boot, etc all about how much inconvenience you are willing to tolerate day to day. For me I just have to take the club on/off every time I drive or turn in and turn my fobs off before bed. Annoying but what can you do. I very highly doubt anyone will see the club and the covered VIN and proceed to break in and if they do, they can deal with the OBD lock and me calling the police in the morning letting them know my truck is in Montreal and on which street.

 

Surprised to not see anyone recommend a good alarm system with a starter kill. A modest system can be installed for $200-300.

 

Their not going to program anything if they can't find the real OBD port. It looks like it's there but is not in it's normal location. A thief doesn't have the time to figure out what's going on and they move on. You can hide the real port in a lot of places. Took about hour and half to install and would take that long and some disassembly to find it if you don't know where to look. Even longer in the dark. Only thing taking my 4Runner is a flatbed.

https://www.dummyobd.com/shop/toyota-dummy-obd-port-relocation/

 

Man.. guess i should be counting my blessings.
My turd getting broken into or stole, never,... ever crosses my mind. Jeeez..

 

So, where you have the real OBD port located, is it a pain for you to access for your own use like diagnosis, etc.
What do you do when taking it in for dealer service or DMV smog inspections?

 

For obvious reasons I won't say where mine is now located but I can access it easily and it's completely hidden. Lots of places will work you just have to figure out what works for you when you install it. I have a scanner capable of accessing my 4Runner and can vouch that it works. Its not hard to install just route it in the hardest to reach location you can so you have to take things apart to get to it. I bought the relocate kit off of e-bay and am not affiliated with them at all. If you trust your dealer you can show them where it is or just do a little disassembly before hand and put the real port back in it's location. You wouldn't need to remove the whole thing just unplug one end. The original port shows no damage at all unlike some port locks that have you put screws through the connector. So unless your dealer is tearing your dash apart they would never even know. I doubt a smog inspector would care less as long as he/she can do their job.

 

Well it’s been over two years, I still never found the fuse to pull for fuel. My husband said don’t be messing with fuses, might mess up fuel injection something, as u can see we know shit about cars. I ended up buying the obd saver. I sent manufacturer an email (located in Germany) they directed me to a dealership in Ontario that I could purchase one.

just wanted to let u all know of new way they are getting into vehicles ( so much for my obd saver lol)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhRxLoUJuE

Got to find that fuse soon

 

It would be easier, and likely more beneficial to your health overall, to just move.

 

If you have the shifter for 4wd in the orp and pro, couldn’t you just move it between 2 high and 4 high aka tow behind a car mode? Pretty sure you can do that in the 100 Land Cruiser. Car thief starts car but can’t drive it because the transfer case is in neutral.

 

My 2010 manual shows a 25A fuse labeled "EFI" in the fusebox under the hood. Pulling that fuse will prevent the fuel injectors from operating.

Remember your 4Runner is on a 20-year-old platform. The headlights don't have any CANbus wires going to it.