The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile found itself in a pickle after its catalytic converter was stolen in Las Vegas overnight last week.
The iconic hot-dog shaped car was making an overnight stop at the Sonesta Suites Thursday, when the driver awoke Friday to find the car wouldn’t start.
The Wienermobile was towed to a Penske Truck Rental where mechanics made a ‘temporary’ fix, including installing a catalytic converter, that got the vehicle back up and running.
Luckily, the Oscar Mayer team was able to ‘ketchup’ with their schedule and make their first appearance of the weekend with the 27-foot long hot dog on wheels.
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile found itself in a pickle after having its catalytic converter stolen in Las Vegas last week
The Sonesta Suites on Paradise Road in Las Vegas where the Wienermobile was stranded
According to Joseph Rodriguez with Penske Trucks, his team at the West Hacienda Avenue location was able to also seal up the area where the converter had been cut.
Local media outlets report that the Sonesta Suites is looking into the theft at this time.
A representative with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Friday said the department had not received a report of a theft involving the vehicle.
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The Wienermobile was able to get back on the road and make its multiple planned stops Saturday and Sunday, officials said
It is expected to take a couple of months for a permanent replacement catalytic converter to come in.
The Las Vegas incident comes amid a rise in catalytic converter thefts.
Between 2019 and 2022, the number of thefts increased by more than 1,200 percent, according to data compiled by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The iconic hot-dog shaped vehicle was making an overnight stop at the Sonesta Suites in Las Vegas Thursday when the vehicle’s driver awoke Friday to find the car wouldn’t start
Catalytic converters are required by the Clean Air Act and are used to reduce toxic emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles.
The car parts have become the target of thefts due to the rising price of the valuable metals they contain.
According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, the market value for metals like rhodium, platinum, and palladium have increased greatly over the past several years.
Catalytic converters can be easily stolen from unattended vehicles and sold, and the vehicle parts are practically untraceable.
