Looks like nobody told the bad guys about the recalls.
The city’s car thieves still like Toyotas, with RAV4s, Highlanders and Camrys on an NYPD list of eight models most often snatched by thieves.
Officers on overnight shifts last week were ordered to be extra vigilant concerning those Toyota models, as well as Honda Civics and Accords, Nissan Maximas and two types of vans — Dodge Caravans and Ford Econolines, or E-Series.
The alert came while police battle a surge in car thefts, which were up 19.5 percent in April 2010 (827) over April 2009 (692).
Auto thefts are up 0.8 percent so far this year over 2009.
But while thefts are up, arrests for car theft are down 25.8 percent this year. Cops have busted 253 car thieves in 2010, compared with 341 over the same period last year.
“Professional” car thieves like the models on the NYPD list mostly because they’re in demand for spare parts. Cutting up a car for parts can be twice as profitable as selling the entire car, experts say.
“As popular car models age . . . there’s a big demand for parts that thieves and fences will try to supply with the help of chop shops,” said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.
Ford and Dodge vans have long been targets because their parts can be sold to mechanics fixing dollar vans, a popular commuter option over buses and subways in many neighborhoods, Brown said.
Additional reporting by Bill Sanderson