Cities accuse Hyundai and Kia of fueling TikTok crime wave

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Several cities across the United States are suing automakers Hyundai and Kia over allegations that their cars are too easy to steal, leading to them being used in a number of crimes.

Mayor Malik Evans announced Monday that Rochester, New York, will become the ninth U.S. city to join a lawsuit seeking to hold automakers accountable for what he described as a steep rise in costs associated with a rash of thefts cars, reaching cities like Buffalo, Cleveland, San Diego and Seattle.

The municipalities, represented by Seattle-based law firm Keller Rohrback, allege automakers have cut corners on a number of vehicles produced between 2011 and 2021 by failing to incorporate a widely deployed technology called engine immobilizer commonly used in push-start or remote-start vehicles. . According to the lawsuit, only 26% of Hyundai and Kia vehicles on US roads in 2015 were equipped with an immobilizer, compared to about 96% of vehicles from all other manufacturers.

“Hyundai and Kia failed to keep up,” the lawsuit alleges.

The decision not to install the immobilizers, they say, had consequences.

After a number of how-to videos appeared on TikTok last summer showing how to wire cars with nothing more than a USB cable, both brands have seen a significant increase in the number of stolen cars across the country.

Rochester has seen an almost 2,400% increase in the number of stolen Hyundais and Kias in the first three months of 2023 alone. From 2021 to 2022, thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in Seattle increased by 363% and 503%, respectively. The closest company, Ford, saw a 60% increase over the same period, according to the lawsuit.

“Hyundai and Kia’s business decisions to reduce costs, and therefore increase profits, by foregoing common anti-theft technology have resulted in a substantial increase in thefts of their vehicles,” the lawsuit alleges.

In a pair of statements to Newsweek, spokespersons for Hyundai and Kia said the lawsuits were “without merit” and that their vehicles met all standards set out in federal law.

In Hyundai’s case, many of the affected vehicles were manufactured before the company made immobilizers mandatory on all its vehicles in 2021 and represented only a relatively small number of its vehicles on the road today. today after customers install upgrades. Even then, they say, there is nothing illegal about them.

“A subset of Hyundai vehicles on the road in the United States today – mostly base or entry-level models – are not equipped with push-button ignitions and anti-theft anti-theft devices,” said Hyundai spokesperson Ira Gabriel told Newsweek. in a report. “It is important to clarify that an ignition interlock is an anti-theft device and these vehicles are fully compliant with federal anti-theft requirements.”

A Kia spokesperson, in a statement sent to Newsweek, said the company has introduced a free and improved security system upgrade for more than 180,000 customers as well as free steering wheel locks for all affected customers. .

Left: New cars produced by South Korean leader Hyundai Motor Co. for export await shipment in the southeastern port city of Ulsan June 20, 2003. Right: A Kia badge on the grille of a new car. Both brands have been hit with lawsuits claiming their cars are too easy to steal. Kim Jae-Hwan//Photo illustration by Newsweek/Getty Images

And in addition to a reimbursement program for steering wheel locks, Hyundai has also rolled out a software upgrade, according to the spokesperson, and introduced a program in partnership with AAA to offer insurance options in most areas. from the States to eligible Hyundai customers.

As the companies work to fix the problems, the lawsuits are asking that the companies be held liable for damages that the vehicles’ lack of anti-theft technology could be blamed for.

In an incident reported by Rochester news station WHEC, a stolen Kia was reportedly found at the scene of a ‘smash-and-grab’ burglary at a local concert venue last week. In Seattle last summer, a stolen Kia was linked to a serious car accident in suburban Renton after its thieves ran a red light in one of nearly 1,000 Hyundai or Kia vehicle thefts. last year.

Both brands of vehicles, according to the litigants, were targeted because the thieves knew the cars were easier to steal than others.

“The defendants’ conduct created a public nuisance that could have been avoided had they simply followed industry standards and installed immobilizers in all of their vehicles,” the lawsuit alleges.

The Seattle class action lawsuit is one of the few lawsuits filed against the companies in recent months. Last year, the two companies were sued for allegedly having certain models with faulty engines that burn too much oil, stall and eventually fail. This case is pending in the Central California District Court.

In December, another lawsuit was filed against the companies alleging Kia was responsible for the wrongful deaths of two teenagers killed in a car crash inspired by the same TikTok trend. According to the lawsuit, Kia knew that its vehicles were being stolen by teenagers, but did not issue a recall notice or “take steps to prevent such thefts.”

“Ignition interlocks have been an industry standard since the late 1990s in automotive manufacturing and design,” Jonathan Michaels, director of MLG Attorneys at Law, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “It is remarkable that Kia has built these cars without an immobilizer, as it advertises its vehicles with world-class technology.”

The companies say they intend to fight the lawsuit.

“Hyundai expects to file motions challenging the validity of the consumer class action and public nuisance cases and will do so within the timelines provided by the court,” Gabriel wrote.

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