ALBANY (AP) -- While car thefts have plummeted in New York, a federal class-action lawsuit claiming an upstate auto dealer's former anti-theft program was misleading and nearly useless is moving ahead. The program was similar to those still sold by some other dealers.
New state crime data show motor vehicle thefts dropped from just more than 51,000 in 2001 to about 20,000 last year, similar to the national trend credited largely to technology making new cars harder to steal and stolen vehicles easier for police to find.
The suit against Fuccillo Automotive Group seeks to recover the $295 "Auto Theft Security Discount Guarantee" Heidi Seekamp got with her Hyundai Elantra in 2007 and similar payments by others.
The company says the window-etched identification numbers help deter theft, though they've discontinued the program.
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