Nearly two dozen state Attorneys General chided the lack of urgency displayed by Hyundai and Kia to resolve a problem with the ignition systems on select sedans that makes them easier to steal.
The 22 officials said the automakers weren’t doing enough to resolve the problem. Starting early last year, there was a sudden surge in the theft of select Hyundai and Kia vehicles. In Chicago alone, more than 7,000 vehicles were stolen, Reuters reported.
In fact, many of the thefts were recorded and shown on TikTok, where young adults were shown using USB plugs to start the vehicles. Only cars using conventional keys are affected. Ultimately, a documentary about the trend, “Kia Boys,” became popular.
“The surge in thefts of these vulnerable vehicles has been truly shocking,” said the letter from 22 states and the District of Columbia led by Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua Kaul.
“More needs to be done so that every current owner can obtain one of these devices at no cost as soon as possible — especially those owners whose cars are not compatible with the software upgrade you recently announced.”
Not doing nothing
Hyundai and Kia launched a major campaign of software upgrades for more than 8 million of those vehicles last month. The move came after some insurance companies declared the affected vehicle uninsurable due to the problem.
But the updates will not be available until June for some of the most popular — and affordable vehicles — now in circulation, according to Hyundai and Kia, which has increased their sales and market share in the U.S. thorough the pandemic as the prices for new vehicles generally have involved.
“Hyundai is committed to ensuring the quality and integrity of our products through continuous improvement and is pleased to provide affected customers with an additional theft deterrent through this software upgrade,” said Randy Parker, CEO, Hyundai Motor America.
“We have prioritized the upgrade’s availability for owners and lessees of our highest selling vehicles and those most targeted by thieves in order for dealers to service them first,” Parker said.
Hyundai will also provide its customers with a window sticker alerting would-be thieves that the vehicle is equipped with anti-theft protection. Hyundai will send the stickers and roll out software updates in a phased approach beginning later this month, with subsequent phases during the next several months.
Both companies have been working with law enforcement agencies to provide more than 26,000 steering wheel locks since November 2022 to 77 law enforcement agencies in 12 states. NHTSA encourages interested vehicle owners to contact local law enforcement to see if a wheel lock is available.
Affected vehicles
Hyundai said its service campaign, however, is aimed upgrading the technology in 4 million vehicles. It began in February with the upgrade rolling out first to more than 1 million model year 2017-2020 Elantra, 2015-2019 Sonata and 2020-2021 Venue vehicles.
The software upgrade is scheduled to be available for the remaining eligible affected vehicles by June 2023. The upgrade will be performed by Hyundai dealers and will take less than one hour for installation, according to Hyundai.
All Hyundai vehicles produced since November 2021 are equipped with an engine immobilizer as standard equipment. Hyundai is also providing free steering wheel locks to law enforcement agencies for distribution to residents who own, or lease affected models.