California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined an effort last week to pressure two automakers to make their vehicles more anti-theft. Bonta, along with 22 other attorneys general, filed the letter March 20 with Hyundai Motor North America and Kia Motors America, which share parent company Hyundai Motor Group.
In the letter, officials claim the two companies have left their customers vulnerable to theft by not installing an immobilizer, which prevents a vehicle from starting without its authentic key.
“Hyundai and Kia have chosen to omit a standard safety feature that would help protect owners’ investments, and now their customers are paying the price,” Bonta said in a press release signing his letter announced.
Kia and Hyundai vehicles have been stolen at “alarmingly high rates” since 2021, lawyers said. They said the company allegedly didn’t install anti-theft devices from 2011 to 2022.
The letter comes after a TikTok trend has gained traction in recent months showing how a Kia vehicle can be stolen with just a flathead screwdriver and a USB cable, using the USB port to start the car is used. The tactic went viral, and the thieves became known as the “Kia boys.” Clips recently posted on TikTok tagged “thekiaboyz” show people reporting how their car was attacked or the aftermath of being stolen. The tag has 7 billion views on March 28th.
In a March 20 statement from Kia shared with SFGATE, the company said it was aware of the issue. The company also acknowledged that some car theft cases are “encouraged” on social media.
Bonta’s office also referenced the TikTok trend in its press release, noting that “thefts started to spike across the country” after the clips went viral.
In response to the rise in Kia and Hyundai thefts, Kia said in its statement that it has developed a security software update for certain models that lack the immobilizer system. Bonta and the other 22 attorney generals urged the company to expedite the software installation process.
Kia said the company will be sending customers a notification in the mail over the next few months letting them know when the software update will be available for their car. To date, Kia has contacted more than 1.1 million vehicle owners and plans to contact 2 million owners by the end of March, the company said.
The software upgrade, which the company says some people have already received, is free and takes about an hour to install. However, the attorney general said the software fix will not work for all vehicles and urged automakers to help those individuals.
Kia said it would offer free assistance to drivers unable to install the software. The company also provided 23,000 steering wheel locks for the affected vehicles to 120 law enforcement agencies for distribution across the country, Kia said.
Jessica Perry, a spokeswoman for the Berkeley Police Department, told SFGATE that since December 2022 there has been a “noticeable trend” of Hyundai and Kia thefts in the city. Perry said 38% of vehicle thefts since December have involved Kia or Hyundai vehicles. and added that the target vehicles appeared to be earlier models that did not have an immobilizer.
As of March 26, 116 Kia or Hyundai vehicles have been stolen in Berkeley in 2023, Perry said. The San Francisco Police Department told SFGATE that it is not tracking specific makes and models of stolen vehicles. The Oakland Police Department said the department has no information about Kia and Hyundai thefts that is readily available.
Christopher Nellum, an Oakland resident, told SFGATE that his Kia was stolen from his home in February and ended up being totaled. “It’s just frustrating,” he said. “I don’t know what we would have done differently.”
He added that his insurance company discouraged him from buying another Kia vehicle because the insurance companies were not “thrilled” about insuring the popularly stolen brand.
Bonta’s office also said some insurance companies are no longer covering the vehicles because of the high theft rate. Kia said it is in contact with major insurance companies to update them on the anti-theft devices and try to ensure Kia and Hyundai owners have access to “quality and comprehensive coverage”.
Bonta said the increase in these stolen vehicles poses a public safety threat due to “reckless driving” and “criminal activities” that have resulted in injuries and even deaths. In February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the “kiaboyz” social media challenge had resulted in at least 14 accidents and eight deaths across the country. (NHTSA did not immediately respond to a request from SFGATE for updated numbers.)
“Cars are often one of the biggest purchases a family will ever make,” Bonta said. “Families shouldn’t have to worry about manufacturers making compromises that could jeopardize their purchase.”