Kias and Hyundais Keep Getting Stolen by the Thousands and Cities Are Suing | A viral Tiktok trend that began in 2021 demonstrated how the companies failed to install a basic anti-theft technology …::A viral Tiktok trend that began in 2021 demonstrated how the companies failed to install a basic anti-theft technology that made them trivially easy to steal.
It’s worth mentioning that this impacts only US vehicles from those brands.
I hope it’s the result of not using the metric system.
No, but it is the result of deregulation. Similar models sold in Canada don’t have this issue because (drumroll please), federal regulations require immobilizers on new cars. Free market at work folks.
But Canada operates as a free market without the issue…sounds more like a US govt with a weak regulator problem.
A free market requires stringent regulation to function humanely and morally. The two are at odds with each other. My final sentence is a critique of neoliberalism, an ideology in which regulation is reduced and power is given to corporate entities and away from regulators. It’s been impossible to escape in politics since Thatcher and Reagan, and leads to some of the worst aspects of today’s society that we havr to suffer. One of which is the poor people who bought a car assuming it’d be safe, just to find that the companies saved a quick buck to their loss. I hope the people win these lawsuits, but I doubt the justice system has the teeth (or willingness) to prosecute this negligence as it should be.
I said this above, and more needs to be said. Insurance companies have raised the rates of basic, liability only, for a salvage title car, by more than 70% increase in the last 3 years. $440/6mo > $770/6mo.
This is an attack on all motorists in a way I’ve never seen, and a further attack on new car owners who are unwittingly being sold these cars by car dealerships.
Financially attacking everyone for two car models that have been designed to be targets of “model”, and to allow children to make a mess of their futures. What leverage can we possibly have against this exploitation?
Can you link any additional information regarding that ? I just got my Hyundai stolen in the EU (from 2019) and last week apparently another one was stolen in the same area.
Are you sure? This stuff is happening in Australia too. Something about the key hole size being the exact size as a USB-A cable.
Here it says that this should not be possible in Australia due to the immobilizers.
https://www.drive.com.au/news/us-kia-and-hyundai-thefts-what-it-means-for-australia/
Maybe some thieves believe all KIAs and Hyundays are targets and eventually some are stolen due to other factors.
Car thefts are up here anyway, but a lot of it is break and enters where they just get into your house to grab the keys.
There is a diagnostic USB port in the steering column of the car, they are plugging a cable into that then the car just starts without the key.
Immobilizers are required here in Australia so it’s not that, I think it just inspired a bunch of kids to go steal cars in other ways.
And only the key operated ones. Push to start are not affected.
“Push to start” may stop someone driving off in the car, but they are still targets.
Thieves smash the windows, hop in, see the lack of key startup, then hop out. You still will end making a call to the police or insurance company.
Having “Hyundai” or “Kia” anywhere on the car makes them a target of thieves, even with push to start.
More needs to be said. Insurance companies have raised the rates of basic, liability only, for a salvage title car, by more than 70% increase in the last 3 years. $440/6mo > $770/6mo.
This is an attack on all motorists in a way I’ve never seen. Financially attacking everyone for two car models that have been designed to be targets of “model”, and to allow children to make a mess of their futures.
What leverage can we possibly have against this exploitation?
the companies failed to install a basic anti-theft technology
Failed to install or weighed the cost of not installing it and kept the profit?
Was it a requirement by law? Obviously not as this seems to be an America thing. So why not change the laws and mandate antithetical devices in cats
Technically no, but standards do dictate that measures to prevent unauthorized use be present so I imagine those legal battles will be around that second part, especially with immobilizers being practically standard for every other manufacturer. Changing the laws will be a tough part, we can’t even get reasonable automotive lighting laws on the books or enforced.
This is a law in Canada and to my knowledge these kinds of thefts aren’t happening here. This should be an easy fix.
I also have to wonder how much it was fueled by the silicone shortage, omitting electronics in order to get a car out the door, as other manufacturers did (albeit in a smarter way, so not that any of this stuff exempts Hyundai/kia from criticism)
I was one of the victims. My Hyundai Elantra was stolen. Smashed out the back window and ripped out the ignition to steal it. My insurance company has totaled the vehicle and paid me the value of the car. They totaled it because the thieves colored all over the seats and ceiling of the vehicle and the repair shop can’t get replacement parts. I’ve started car shopping and I’ll be damned if I buy another Hyundai at this point. Even though I’m seeing them for $3-5k cheaper than comparable sedans.
The most eye opening part was that my car was spotted at a McDonalds down the road from my work with the smashed window, and the person called the police. An office didn’t arrive to the restaurant for over an hour and the thieves had already driven off. I think the police are overwhelmed with thefts, and the thieves, even if they’re caught, are underage and released with a court date that they aren’t attending. When I was at the impound lot to release the vehicle to the repair shop, two more Hyundais arrived while I was there!
On a positive note, I needed new tires and rear brakes that I’d scheduled to complete after my summer vaca so I can add that money to the down payment.
Police don’t care abkut property crimes against people
Against poor people. If someone smashes a Ferrari, they will be arrested in a matter of minutes.
Even though I’m seeing them for $3-5k cheaper than comparable sedans.
And why do you think the Elantra was $1K cheaper than a Corolla and $3K cheaper than a Jetta? 🤔
It’s such a shame, I had a 2011 Kia Soul that was my favorite car I’ve ever owned (and notably not in the model years with the immobilizer problem). Unfortunately some moron crashed into me earlier this year and totaled it. My first thought was to replace it with another Soul but their reputation is so bad at this point that I had to go with something else. Six months later a Soul that I test drove is still sitting at the same used car dealership. No one will touch them.
I can’t afford to buy new vehicles, so I’m stuck still driving around in my 2004 - but even that car has a factory-installed immobilizer. It’s weird that it’s not considered a standard option on all models for modern vehicles.
I recently shopped auto insurance. There are now policy carriers that refuse to insure Kia and Hyundai for a new policy. It has been one of the very first questions a rep asks so they can figure out if the call needs to be ended right away.
Good to know. Hopefully sticking with my current carrier works…
Just got home to find out my neighbor’s kia was stolen. Managed to get it back and catch the guys. But his steering column is busted now.
I dunno about suing them. Lots of things are easy to steal. If there were a Tik Tok trend of stealing garbage cans, I might make an effort to secure the ones I have, but I wouldn’t sue the garbage can manufacturer for not addressing the possibility of theft if mine were stolen. These cars do have some theft protection, at least to the extent that you can’t accidentally steal them. Car owners should probably do what they can to deter theft, Tik Tok & YouTube should dissuade users from encouraging kids to steal, parents should be more responsible, and (not that it would necessarily help) all cops should stop being bastards
The lawsuit is because those companies have done nothing to fix their issue.
If your phone caught fire if you put it near a magnet, you can’t say “Well phone owners should be more responsible.” And at some point, you have to say, “Why the fuck was this allowed to ship?”
Most cars used to be ridiculously easy to steal, and people dealt with this situation in a variety of ways. Suing the car manufacturers was not one of these methods.
I don’t think your phone analogy is at all comparable. A phone catching fire during what anyone might consider normal use isn’t the same kind of product design issue as a car that is no easier to steal than most cars were for most of the history of cars. The old covertible that I had years ago would have been way easier to steal than these cars, for example, both because of simple wiring and simple access to the car interior.
We can pass the blame for this issue around pretty widely. I don’t think we should just pin all the blame on the car makers
Found the European. In America everything is always someone else’s fault, it says so in the constitution.
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Are the models with immobilizers safe?
Yes, but you might be more likely to be targeted by thieves who don’t know the difference.
Maybe just encourage the cops to do their job? Or at least shoot different people.
They get PAID suspension for not doing their job right…
Slaycation
Right? You wouldn’t know it from the downvotes I’m getting above
And have cops murder a dude? Nah. I’m not trying to get a guy killed because he stole a car.
Because I’m not a disgusting piece of shit who thinks a piece of machinery that gets 100% insurance coverage is worth more than a person’s life.
You know, there’s already like a dozen other comments under mine discussing how nobody today can detect sarcasm online. You’re not helping.
Are you kidding me? We want people summarily executed in the streets because they stole a fucking CAR??
I think they wanted to highlight that first, let’s not shoot exclusively innocent, then let’s not shoot anyone
(ik they didn’t put the /s but remember this reactionary behavior is what keeps us separated)
I made the noob mistake of thinking the sarcasm was sufficiently clear. No, let’s just go with random slaughter instead.
I see sarcasm is still as elusive as ever on the Internet
Waste of time and resources for what amounts to content for a political ad.
