Minnesota’s attorney general said that Hyundai and Kia would have to pay for a deal that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Following a TikTok trend in 2021, automakers were forced to update their models with anti-theft equipment after they were targeted by multiple thefts. Thirty-five states agreed. It covers about 9 million cars that qualify and were made between 2011 and 2022. Because of a nationwide TikTok trend in 2021, Hyundai and Kia are still feeling the effects of many more cars being stolen. For years, the two producers kept making cars without engine immobilizers, a basic theft-prevention device that most other car companies had started including years earlier. This made their cars easy for thieves to steal. Minnesota’s attorney general said companies are now responsible for fixing cars at risk under an agreement among 35 states. The Associated Press says that Hyundai and Kia will have to fix every eligible car for free. The cost is expected to exceed $500 million. The AP says that car manufacturers will install a zinc sleeve on the steering rack so thieves can’t access the ignition tank and start the car. Besides offering free fixes, car companies also need to pay owners of cars stolen and destroyed by thieves up to $4.5 million. Hyundai and Kia have already said they would make this change, but the deal also requires the car companies to install engine immobilizers in all future cars sold in the United States. The AP story says that the deal applies to about 9 million cars sold in the US. Some of the cars were older models from as far back as 2011; a smaller portion were made as recently as 2022. The deal was led by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and agreed to by 35 states, including California, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. A Hyundai spokesperson said in a statement about invoice pricing, “Resolving this question from Attorneys General in several states is another step forward in helping our customers deal with thefts of Hyundai vehicles from 2011 to 2022 that don’t have engine immobilizers.” “As part of this promise, Hyundai started giving free software updates to fix anti-theft issues and zinc cylinder ignition protectors at dealerships across the country.” A Kia spokesperson told Invoice-Pricing that today’s agreement marks the most recent step in a broader set of actions the company has taken to assist customers affected by criminals who, influenced by social media trends, have stolen or attempted to steal certain Kia vehicle models. Kia has worked very hard to find new, unique, and, most importantly, useful ways to make these cars even harder for thieves to steal, on top of the protections they already have. Both makers said they set up programs to help and repay owners of affected cars who qualify.
