Insurance companies received more than ten times more theft claims from Kia and Hyundai last year than three years earlier, insurance data show.
Thefts of dozens of models began to skyrocket in 2021 after the ease with which they could be stolen – due to a critical design flaw – went viral. Both Korean car manufacturers are related and share technology.
TikTok videos showed cars being stolen and driven indiscriminately by joyriders through major Midwestern cities like Milwaukee, Chicago and Columbus.
The vandals behind the viral carjackings, some of which were as young as 12, called themselves 'Kia Boys'. The trend spread nationwide and caused nightmares for tens of thousands of Kia and Hyundai owners.
In 2022, four teenagers, including a 14-year-old mother, were killed after a stolen Kia Sportage crashed in Buffalo, New York.
Teenage vandals known as the 'Kia Boys' have gone viral online. Pictured are the self-proclaimed Kia Boys in Milwaukee, as they appeared in a popular YouTube video
The primitive method of stealing Kia and Hyundai cars sold in the US is to use the square end of a USB cable to start the car. The USB cable is not used to transfer data
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The two car brands operate as separate companies in the US, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a major stake in Kia. As a result, the models from both share most of their engineering and parts, including locking mechanisms.
According to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), theft claims for Hyundai and Kia were more than eleven times higher than for cars from other manufacturers in the first half of 2023.
In the first half of 2020, about 1.0 in 1,000 insured Hyundais and Kias were reported stolen – about the same as all other manufacturers. But by the first half of 2023, that number had risen to 11.2 per 1,000, the HLDI data showed.
In some states, such as New York, Washington and Delaware, Hyundai and Kia theft claims rose significantly in the first half of last year.
In Maryland, theft claims increased from four per 1,000 insured vehicles in the last half of 2022 to 14 in the first half of 2023.
Between 2011 and 2021, nearly 10 million Kia and Hyundai cars sold in the US were not equipped with immobilizers and could therefore be easily and primitively started using just a flat-head screwdriver and a USB cable.
Once a thief pulls off the plastic steering column trim, they can pull out the ignition cylinder and key and use the end of a USB cable to turn a square tab and start the car. The cable is not used to transfer data.
Since the cars do not have an immobilizer, there is nothing to stop the car from subsequently starting.
In the US, immobilizers are not required by law. However, in Canada they are mandatory. Vice reported that in the US in 2015, only 26 percent of Kias and Hyundais had immobilizers.
This year blacklisting auto insurers like State Farm more than a hundred Kia and Hyundai models and several cities have sued the South Korean automakers.
In May, months after saying they would offer software upgrades for 8.3 million vehicles, Hyundai and Kia agreed to a class-action settlement worth about $200 million.
Columbus attorney Zach Klein said in a statement announcing his lawsuit that the manufacturers had acted negligently and in their own self-interest by not including important anti-theft mechanisms.
“For years, Kia and Hyundai cut corners and sold vehicles they knew were so unsafe they could easily be stolen by a teenager with access to basic tools and a TikTok account,” he said.
Four teenagers were killed after a Kia Sportage they allegedly stole crashed (pictured) in Buffalo, New York
Pictured is a 2019 Hyundai Tucson, one of the popular models sold in the US without an immobilizer, making it easy for thieves to get started
Pictured is a 2015 Kia Forte – another model sold in the US without an immobilizer
“Kia and Hyundai's negligence in pursuing corporate profits is unconscionable. It's time we hold these automakers accountable for defrauding consumers and passing the responsibility for cleaning up the mess they've created to the rest of us.”
In 2021 in Columbus, 67 percent of the stolen vehicles were Hyundais and Kias.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Hyundai spokesperson said the company is taking measures to reduce theft, including making immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced from November 2021.
“Thieves discovered a specific method to bypass the vehicles' security features and subsequently documented and promoted their exploits on TikTok and other social media channels,” they said.
The company also said it had rolled out software upgrades for existing models to deter thieves.