Your keyless car is broadcasting the signal thieves need to steal it — here’s how to protect yourself

On a recent episode of “The Drive,” my co-host, Karl Brauer, mentioned taking his 2018 Dodge Demon to the dealership and having his car’s key-programming system permanently locked down. The trade-off was significant: If Karl lost his keys, the dealer couldn’t simply program him another one. The car’s Radio Frequency Hub would have to be replaced before new keys could be programmed.

Why would anyone deliberately make his own car that inconvenient?

Fortunately, one of the easiest precautions against relay theft specifically is remarkably low-tech.

Because Karl was worried somebody else might make a key first.

Fob job

Challengers and Chargers, particularly high-performance models such as the Hellcat and Demon, had become notorious theft targets after criminals discovered they could exploit the same electronic system dealers used to program replacement