SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Editor's Note: The video above first aired on June 27, 2023.
Kia and Hyundai owners who haven't quite gotten around to having new anti-theft software installed in their vehicles have an opportunity to do so this weekend.
The automakers are bringing mobile software upgrade service centers to multiple locations across the Twin Cities this weekend. Kia will do installations and upgrades at Canterbury Park in Shakopee this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10-12, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Kia says it is working with local law enforcement to help drive the installation of new anti-theft software in qualifying vehicles at no cost.
Hyundai will do its software upgrades Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11, in the parking lot of the old Kmart building at 10 W. Lake St. in Minneapolis from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hyundai techs will be in St. Paul both Sunday and Monday, Nov. 12 and 13, operating from the Allianz Arena shopping center parking lot from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Upgraded software is designed to make it more difficult to use methods made popular on social media to steal Kia and Hyundai cars and SUVs by restricting the operation of a vehicle's ignition system when someone tries to break in and start a locked vehicle without a key.
Kia says specially trained technicians will be on-site to install and complete the upgrade, which so far has been installed in over 800,000 vehicles across the country. The process should be completed in about 30 minutes. No appointment is necessary.
The mobile events are intended to complement Kia and Hyundai’s network of dealerships in the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul area, which can also provide software upgrades.
To find out if your vehicle qualifies for an anti-theft software upgrade, log on to the Kia support website or the Hyundai site and enter your VIN number.
Social media posts showing how to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles are blamed for skyrocketing auto theft rates across the country. Many of those who are stealing them are juveniles, some not even of driving age. Minnesota is among a number of states that urged the automakers to issue a recall to improve standard anti-theft equipment and have launched investigations into Kia and Hyundai's response to the problem.
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