Hyundai, Kia sued over cars that are too easy to steal

South Korean Hyundai and Kia were sued for the vulnerability of cars to theft, and lawsuits were filed by the authorities of Baltimore, Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Diego and Seattle, and later New York joined them, Motor.ru reports

According to the plaintiffs, from 2011 to 2022, the automakers did not install immobilisers on most of the vehicles sold, which turned them into targets for hijackers. The situation was aggravated by videos in TikTok: the challenge was about how to steal a Korean car in a few steps without an anti-theft device and with an ignition lock designed for a physical key.

Last year, the number of Hyundai and Kia hijackings in New York doubled, and a surge was registered from January-April, 2023: 997 cars were stolen (148 were stolen during the same period last year).

The plaintiffs are demanding damages from Korean companies. The requested amount is not disclosed. Hyundai and Kia responded by recalling their efforts to combat thefts, calling the lawsuit ‘baseless’.

The manufacturers tried to solve the problem by making immobilisers standard for all cars in November 2021. In addition, they have made changes to the software and released an anti-theft kit, which should reduce the risk of theft. However, the latter is not free: it costs $170 (without an installation price).