Hyundai and Kia vehicles are victims of car thefts, and the two companies confirm that engine stabilizers are standard on all 2022 Kia models.
Some cities in several regions have seen a spike in car thefts, with Hyundai and Kia vehicles making up the majority of cars stolen. Hyundai and Kia announced that they would work to address the problem, and Hyundai and Kia said they would work with police departments in different regions, and would distribute free wheel locks in areas that suffer from public car theft.
A Kia spokesperson said that starting in 2022, it will make immobilizers standard on all trim levels on all models. Hyundai told us that all its new cars in all models, without exception, will be equipped with immobilizers. And it will equip its cars with a transponder in the keychain to prevent the car from starting without the correct key.
theft is an increasing problem during Covid times, stressing the dangers of owning a Hyundai or Kia.
In fact, vehicles from these brands accounted for two out of every three cars stolen during the first half of 2021. City officials have called on automakers to fix what they see as defective cars and have threatened to sue them.
Most car thieves are young and most cars stolen are from Kia and HyundaiAccording to official data broadcast by Fox News, the total number of cars stolen in some American cities has increased two and a half times since 2020, and the number of stolen Hyundai and Kia models has doubled 25 times in the first six months of the same year, and police in some cities have reported 10,000 car thefts this year. year, compared to 4,509 last year and 3,487 in 2019. This is the highest number of auto thefts in 11 years.
It is worth noting that thieves manage to break into cars and start the engine without a key. The targeted cars are usually old, do not contain anti-theft devices, and have physical ignition devices that can be bypassed mechanically. And about the type of thieves, some police sources say that many thieves are minors, and they succeed in stealing late-model or completely new Hyundai and Kia cars, and many post about them on social media.
“Kia thieves know they can break the rear window without an alarm, open the door, peel the steering column quickly, and use either a screwdriver or a USB port to start the car,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted an auto repair owner as saying.
Several officials hold auto makers responsible for not installing anti-theft devices such as engine mounts in their products, and some even blame the entire car makers for the increased crime, asking the companies to fix the problem they created. According to several police reports, owners have stated that their cars “can be stolen using a USB cable.” Several US officials have said they are considering suing Kia and Hyundai under the public nuisance laws,” but no lawsuit has yet been filed. Hyundai and Kia spokespeople said the two companies were investigating and cooperating with police.
Hyundai and Kia announce insuring all their cars against auto theft
Hyundai and Kia spokespeople said the company is currently working hard to provide anti-theft locks for Hyundai and Kia owners that don’t feature the immobilizer, a transceiver in the ignition switch that connects to in-vehicle electronic devices to prevent theft. She confirmed that she would distribute those keys through the police.
Hyundai and Kia spokespeople have told several media outlets that every new Hyundai vehicle now has the engine stabilizer as standard, and that all 2022 Kia vehicles throughout the lineup will also have the engine stabilizer as standard equipment. A Kia spokesperson also said: “While we’ve seen the same public statements about the possibility of suing the crime wave, we are not aware of the basis of any legal claims against Kia in America.”
Data on car thefts
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the primary data source for auto thefts reported to insurance companies. A total of 880,595 cars were reported theft, an 11 percent increase from 2019. Increases in theft were reported in 41 states. Interestingly, no Hyundai or Kia model was included in the list of the 10 most stolen cars of 2020.
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