Quick, check your vehicle, does it still have a catalytic converter attached?

Like the rest of the nation right now, Sioux Falls is experiencing a rash of catalytic converter theft.

Officer Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department told Dakota News Now, on Monday (September 19) alone, the PD received reports of 10 separate cases of catalytic converters being stolen.

According to Dakota News Now, in a few of the cases, the vehicles had not been driving for some time, making it extremely difficult to know when the catalytic converters were taken.

If you're not a motorhead or gearhead type, simply put, a catalytic converter is part of your vehicle's exhaust system. It contains a catalyst for converting pollutant gases into less harmful ones.

The folks at Carfax say thieves find this device attractive to steal because they contain precious metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium whose price has skyrocketed lately due to limited resources and disruptions in supply chains.

Your car, truck, or SUV will sound obnoxiously loud when the device has been removed. And if it has been stolen, you're not going to like what you'll have to pay to get it fixed. Without warranty coverage, Carfax says you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to get your converter replaced.

According to Carfax, here in the Midwest, catalytic converters are being stolen most frequently from a various range of model year Ford F-Series trucks, Chrysler 200's, the Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Avengers, Honda CR-Vs, Chevrolet Silverado pickups, Toyota Camrys, and Honda Accords.

Dakota News Now reports, up to this point, the catalytic converter theft has not been concentrated in one particular area of Sioux Falls.

At this time, police are in the process of investigating and do not know if all the cases are somehow related.

Source: Dakota News Now/ Carfax