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Cities throughout the nation are suing Kia and Hyundai for failing to put in fundamental anti-theft expertise, with a subsequent large surge of stolen vehicles burdening police departments, based on lawsuits filed in current months.
Because the starting of the yr, Seattle, Baltimore, Cleveland, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Columbus have all sued Kia and Hyundai, that are owned by the identical dad or mum firm, for promoting vehicles with out engine immobilizers, a expertise that has served as a significant contributor to the plummeting price of stolen autos within the U.S. As the remainder of the trade adopted immobilizers, Kia and Hyundai didn’t, with solely 26 % of their vehicles together with them in 2015, in comparison with 96 % for different producers.
With out the immobilizers, the vehicles are trivially simple to steal, requiring only a USB cable. A viral Youtube and Tiktok pattern instructed folks the best way to steal the vehicles. Kia and Hyundai vehicles manufactured with out the immobilizers between 2015 and 2020, particularly lower-end fashions just like the Accent, Rio, and Sportage, are particularly weak. A lawsuit filed by dozens of insurance coverage corporations in opposition to Kia and Hyundai allege the shortage of immobilizers violated federal rules.
The surge in Kia and Hyundai thefts in cities across the nation has been staggering and it reveals no signal of abating. In a lawsuit filed final week, the Metropolis of Chicago stated that in 2022, greater than 8,800 Kia and Hyundai autos have been stolen within the metropolis, which accounts for 41 % of all of Chicago’s automobile thefts, regardless of Kia and Hyundai making up simply seven % of the town’s autos. In a press launch asserting the lawsuit, the town stated it’s getting even worse in 2023, with Kias and Hyundais making up greater than half of all stolen vehicles within the metropolis this yr.
Chicago is hardly alone. In Seattle, thefts of Hyundais and Kias in July 2022 elevated 620 % over the prior yr. In Baltimore, Hyundai and Kia thefts doubled from 2021 to 2022, and the town’s lawsuit stated it expects thefts in 2023 to double once more as a result of extra Hyundais and Kias had already been stolen by way of Could of 2023 than in all of 2022. In Cleveland, there have been 475 thefts of Hyundais and Kias in December 2022 alone and a 622 % improve in January 2023 from a yr prior. And in New York Metropolis, 977 Hyundais and Kias have been stolen within the first 4 months of 2023, a 660 % improve in comparison with the identical time interval in 2022.
However none of those cities can match what occurred in Milwaukee, largely credited because the epicenter of the “Kia Boyz” or “Kia Boys” social media pattern. By June 2021, based on the identical textual content utilized in every of the cities’ lawsuits, the theft of Hyundais and Kias turned a veritable crime spree, rising 2,500 % from a yr prior. A mean of 16 Kias and Hyundais have been being stolen every day.
The story is identical even in cities that haven’t but sued. In St. Petersburg, Florida, 41 % of the autos stolen are Kias and Hyundais with out immobilizers. The same surge in Kia and Hyundai thefts is occurring in Los Angeles, Detroit, Norfolk, Burlington, Portland, Oregon, Charlotte, Omaha, Louisville, and St. Paul.
In statements to Motherboard, Kia spokesperson James Bell stated the lawsuits filed by cities in opposition to the corporate are “with out advantage” and that the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration decided it didn’t violate any rules or security requirements. In June, NHTSA’s appearing affiliate director of enforcement Cem Hatipoglu responded to 18 state attorneys common that requested for a recall of the vehicles by saying, “At the moment, NHTSA has not decided that this situation constitutes both a security defect or noncompliance requiring a recall.” A NHTSA spokesperson advised Motherboard the company has been assembly with Kia and Hyundai concerning the situation however wouldn’t say if it agreed with Kia’s interpretation.
Hyundai spokesperson Ira Gabriel equally stated that every one its autos are “totally compliant with federal anti-theft necessities.” Hyundai and Kia house owners can get steering wheel locks from their native police departments or by way of devoted web sites. Each corporations additionally provide a free software program patch that they are saying removes the specter of theft, which requires visiting a vendor. Bell of Kia says the corporate has distributed greater than 190,000 wheel locks and that 650,000 autos have gotten the software program replace, out of three million whole. Each corporations now embody immobilizers on all their new vehicles.
