ST. LOUIS — Automakers whose vehicles have been targeted by thieves inspired by social media challenges confirm to the 5 On Your Side I-Team that they are testing software upgrades that could stop their cars from being stolen and intend to provide them to drivers at no cost.
Both automakers are the focus of a class-action lawsuit claiming the vehicles were defective because certain models built before 2020 did not have an immobilizing device that would prevent the car from starting if keys were not near the vehicle.
In separate statements provided Monday, both Kia and Hyundai Motor America now say they are working on solutions.
A Kia spokesperson wrote that the company is testing “enhanced security software designed to restrict operation of the vehicle’s ignition system.”
A spokesperson for Hyundai Motor America echoed those remarks, promising “an upcoming software upgrade to prevent the mode of theft popularized on social media.”
In the City of St. Louis, police reported a 1,300% increase in Kia and Hyundai thefts from 2021 to 2022, as videos were published on social media that showed thieves how to break in and force the car to start within a matter of seconds.
The city threatened to sue the automakers last fall. However, spokesman Nick Dunne told the I-Team in January that there were no further developments to report since Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office sent a letter demanding the automakers recall their vehicles or face the city in court.
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Other cities have seen similar spikes in thefts. Officials in Columbus, Ohio, and Seattle either have filed paperwork to take legal action or announced plans to do so in recent months.
The spike in thefts also led insurance companies to deny coverage of Hyundais or Kias.
Progressive and State Farm confirmed to 5 On Your Side that it would not insure the vehicles anymore.
Progressive sent a release late last month which read in part, “Due to the theft risk that some Hyundai and Kia vehicles present, in many cases it makes these vehicles difficult to insure.”
Representatives from neither Kia nor Hyundai would say when those security upgrades would be ready for the general public but did say that some customers had already been contacted.
Previously, the automakers said they had sent car clubs to police departments for distribution or offered security kits for a charge at local dealerships.
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