A woman, days away from leaving San Antonio, woke up to find the taillights on her Ford F-150 had been stolen. She has a rant and advice. TikTok creator Clauds (@claudsss650) posted the video with her situation on November 19. She starts the video by saying, "I’m just going to rant for a bit. I currently live in San Antonio, Texas." She explains that she moved there for work from New Braunfels, Texas, and hasn’t enjoyed it nearly as much as she thought. "Just because the crime rate is really high and it just has a different vibe than New Braunfels does," she says. Her latest issue with the city arose just as she was getting ready to pack up her place and move back to New Braunfels. "I woke up this morning to head out to work and saw that my tailgate was down on my F-150," she says. "I had some boxes in there because I’m getting ready to move and I didn’t remember opening the tailgate to get them out." That’s when she noticed her missing taillights. "I’m not talking about little cheap taillights," she says. "These have little sensors in them and the module for the blind spots. Anyway, I started looking at how much it would be to replace. These taillights are like $3,000 to replace in total. Not only that, but they cut the harnesses so I’ve got to do all the wire work. I’ve got to reprogram them. The whole shabang. Just in time for me to get ready to move this weekend." She ends the video with advice for fellow F-150 owners. "You might want to get some special locking screws—because they sell them now [since] thieves want to start stealing stuff," she advises. "You can get a special lock for your tailgate. Because even if you lock your trunk, they can pop out this little lid over the top of your tailgate." Is Vehicle Crime Bad in San Antonio? Statistics show that vehicle thefts are indeed on the rise in the San Antonio area, leading some in the community to label it an ongoing crisis. Not only that, but the city ranked eighth on a list of the worst metro areas in the country when it comes to package theft. KENS5 published an article about an elderly couple who experienced a similar theft earlier this summer with their 2024 Ford F-150. In a statement provided to the news station, Ford said that its standard power tailgate lock should be enabled when the doors are locked. The manufacturer recommends drivers park their vehicles in secure, well-lit areas. If that’s not an option, police recommend installing anti-theft kits that make it harder for thieves to access or remove the taillight screws. In the comments, viewers debated Clauds’ warning about San Antonio and Ford F-150 taillight theft. "You went from a red-run city to a blue-run city," said one viewer. "Try that in a small town." "This happens in New Braunfels, too," argued a second person. "Always lock your tailgate and back your truck up to a wall if [you’re parked] inside your garage," said a third person. "I don’t even think about taking my truck to San Antonio anymore," said another person. "They tried to take my last one in 2018 and stole four of my friend’s Ford F-250s!" Motor1 contacted Clauds via TikTok comments and direct messages. We also contacted Ford via email for comment. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
