MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Police Department shared a warning for drivers — and a call for accountability for Kia and Hyundai automakers — after a 14-year-old boy was badly injured after crashing a stolen Kia. Authorities said the boy is now on life-support.
Chief Brian O'Hara reports auto thefts in the City of Minneapolis are up 48% this year. O’Hara said this number includes almost all Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
According to MPD, thefts for those vehicles, specifically, are up 893% with 2,166 total this year. Last year, that number was 218.
"These are literally children involved in this," said O'Hara. "There's actually videos on TikTok — TikTok challenges that teach children how to do this."
O'Hara said often, after being stolen, Kia and Hyundai vehicles are used in violent crimes and traffic crashes.
"We know there were five homicides connected specifically to these vehicles. And we know there were two dozen acts of gun violence and dozens more robberies and, well over 200 hit-and-runs involved with these vehicles. But it's important to emphasize that number is 'at least,'" O’Hara said.
O'Hara said both owners and automakers need to be part of the solution.
"Whether that's the use of a steering wheel lock device to prevent these types of thefts," O’Hara said. "And we need more help in helping educate owners of that risk and providing some means to secure their vehicle. It's not good enough to say, 'We're going to change it in the future.'… So many of these kids just don't have the ability to understand the dangers and the finality of death. That's what we're talking about here."
This is an issue in cities all over the country. As a result, class action lawsuits have been filed against Kia and Hyundai.
Kia issued the following response:
Kia is saddened to learn that a juvenile in Minneapolis was found injured this week in a crashed vehicle that was reported as stolen. We remain concerned about the recent trend among youth in some areas, encouraged by social media, to target certain Kia cars with a steel key and “turn-to-start” ignition systems. Such criminal conduct endangers our local communities and violates property rights.
While no car can be made completely theft-proof, Kia continues to make steering wheel locks available to customers through interested local law enforcement agencies, subject to available supply, at no cost to concerned owners of these vehicles.
Kia also continues its efforts to develop additional solutions for vehicles not originally equipped with an immobilizer, including the development and testing of enhanced security software. Kia will soon be making an announcement regarding the availability of software upgrades to owners of affected vehicles.
All 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the year or as a running change, and all Kia vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Kia customers with questions regarding their Kia vehicle should contact the Kia Consumer Assistance Center directly at 1-800-333-4542 (Kia).
Hyundai issued the following response:
We remain concerned about the increase in thefts of certain Hyundai vehicles that have been targeted in a coordinated social media campaign. Currently, Hyundai provides steering wheel locks, as available, to law enforcement agencies in impacted areas. In addition, Hyundai will provide two other options for owners of these earlier model year vehicles targeted by thieves.
- Hyundai has released a glass break sensor security kit that targets the method of entry used by thieves to break into these vehicles. These kits are available for purchase and installation at Hyundai dealerships and Compustar-authorized installers across the country. The MSRP for the kit is $170, and the estimated cost for installation may vary by location.
- Hyundai is also developing a software update to further secure these targeted vehicles. We anticipate that this software update will become available for certain vehicles in the first half of 2023, with updates for other vehicles following thereafter.
Please note that all Hyundai vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Some earlier models, without a push-button ignition, do not have engine immobilizers. In November 2021, engine immobilizers became standard on all Hyundai vehicles produced.
Customers who have questions can contact the Hyundai Customer Care Center at 800-633-5151.
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