- Hundreds of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been stolen this year due to popular videos on social media showing how easy it is to control some models with traditional keys and no engine locks. any.
- The new security suite will be available starting today for $170. It is expected that Hyundai owners will also have to pay for the installation, which can be up to 500 USD. Kia doesn’t offer the same security suite but does offer a free steering wheel lock.
- Many class-action lawsuits have been filed over the matter, which began to spread in Milwaukee late last year.
Hyundai has developed a $170 solution for those who haven’t had their car stolen. Hyundai and Kia vehicles have become a target for car thieves in recent months because doing so is so easy, and thieves are sharing how-to videos on social media. Theft situation is so bad that an average of 6 Hyundai vehicles are stolen every day in Milwaukee alone, according to local news station WTMJ.
The nationwide theft has gotten so bad that Hyundai has finally come up with a solution. There is now a new anti-theft security suite developed by Hyundai in cooperation with Compustar. The kit includes both kill switch and alarm. Hyundai told Automotive News that the kit will be available at all of its 820 U.S. dealers and will take approximately two and a half hours to install. Hyundai is also working on a software fix for this issue.
Software update is also working
Hyundai spokesman Ira Gabriel describes the system as a “smash-proof sensor security kit that targets the intrusion method used by thieves to break into these vehicles.” .” He said customers can pick them up at Hyundai dealers or at authorized Compustar dealers in the United States. He also said Hyundai’s software update “to further secure these targeted vehicles” will be available for some Hyundai vehicles in the first half of 2023, and others will follow. .
According to an attorney who works for one of the many class-action lawsuits against Hyundai over the matter, vehicle owners will have to pay for the installation of the kit, which can be up to $500. Automotive News speak 15 different lawsuits were filed in 14 states. The lawsuits seek monetary damages and ask Hyundai to recall affected models because the automaker did not install an engine immobilizer as standard equipment until November 2021. Over the past decade, Hyundai has offered Stolen car service for Bluelink equipped cars. Connected technology can locate, slow down, or immobilize a stolen vehicle, but it doesn’t make that vehicle any less likely to be stolen in the first place.
Huge spike in car theft
The trend of stealing Kias and Hyundais started in Milwaukee in December 2021 but has spread across the country. A law firm working on one of the class action lawsuits, MLG, reported that the number of thefts of both brands in Charlotte, North Carolina increased by 346 percent, and according to police in Saint Petersburg, Florida, more More than 40% of total car thefts there were Kia and Hyundai models. All Kia vehicles from 2011 to 2021 and Hyundai vehicles from 2015 to 2021 (like the 2016 Accent at the top) are equipped with a standard electric lock that lacks an engine immobilizer that makes them vulnerable to theft. Push-button start is not affected.
Kia does not currently include an anti-theft kit, but is giving away free steering wheel locks to car owners. Hyundai is also offering some free locks. Owners interested in purchasing the new system can visit dealers later today (October 1st) or, Hyundai said, they can contact Hyundai’s Consumer Support line at 800–633 -5151.
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