A coalition of 22 U.S. state attorneys general asked Hyundai Motor (005380. KS) and Kia Corp (000270. KS) on Monday to do more to solve the millions of theft-prone U.S. automobiles.
Earlier this month, the Korean manufacturers announced they would provide software updates for 8.3 million American cars to reduce the number of car thefts, which have been on the rise due to a technique made famous on TikTok and other social media platforms.
The states and the District of Columbia, led by Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua Kaul, charged that the automakers had not done enough to combat the alarming theft rate. They urged them to speed up the software upgrade implementation and offer free alternative protective measures to owners whose vehicles cannot support the software upgrade.
According to the letter, the increase in thefts of these susceptible automobiles has been genuinely startling. “More has to be done so that every current owner may have one of these devices for free as soon as possible, especially those owners whose cars couldn’t run the software update you recently announced,” the letter reads.
According to the letter, approximately 7,000 Hyundai and Kia automobiles were stolen in Chicago in 2022, which accounted for 10% of Kia and 7% of Hyundai vehicles registered in the city.
Attorney General of Minnesota Keith Ellison said earlier this month that he had opened a civil inquiry into the sale of automobiles by Kia and Hyundai to Minnesotans that lacked industry-required anti-theft systems and was looking for records and sworn answers.
Ellison said that in Minneapolis in 2022, thefts of Kia and Hyundai cars were connected to 5 killings and 265 car accidents.
Nationally popular TikTok videos demonstrate how to steal automobiles without push-button ignitions and disable anti-theft equipment. In February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA) announced that this had caused at least 14 documented collisions and eight fatalities.
According to the automakers and NHTSA, the free upgrade will be available for 3.8 million Hyundai and 4.5 million Kia vehicles. In addition, Hyundai said the update applies to several cars with U.S. model years 2011 through 2022.
Many Hyundai and Kia automobiles lack electronic immobilizers, which stop break-ins and ignition bypasses. However, after 2015, almost all automobiles produced by other manufacturers came standard with the function.
Hyundai will also give consumers a window sticker warning potential thieves that the car has anti-theft features.
Since November 2021, an engine immobilizer has been a standard feature on all Hyundai automobiles.
