The City of Fort Wayne joined a California-based lawsuit against automakers Hyundai and Kia over the ease of which those vehicles are stolen.
Regularly.
And it causes greater police response, dangerous crashes, and increased costs in insurance.
The Hyundai Motor Group is made up of Hyundai America, Kia Corporation, and Kia America.
Court documents say that while other vehicle manufacturers have outfitted their products with immobilizing devices that prevent theft without the keys present, the South Korean company has not done so.
And from roughly 2011 to 2022, Hyundais and Kias have been regularly targeted by car thieves educated on social media on how to do it.
Fort Wayne Police Sgt. Jeremy Webb says criminal groups like “Kia Boys” share their tips on platforms like TikTok.
“You have knowledge of how to take these vehicles that do not have immobilizers on them," Webb said. . In this day and age, that makes it rather easy unfortunately compared to other vehicles.”
In February, the car makers said they would roll out software upgrades to help prevent the thefts.
In May, the companies agreed to settle $200 million worth of claims around the thefts.
