Slight increase in Kia thefts locally, sharp spike nationally

Thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles are rapidly rising across the country, with a slight uptick reported in Greenwood.

Earlier this year, Hyundai and Kia unveiled software that was designed to thwart an epidemic of thefts of their vehicles, caused by a security flaw that was exposed on TikTok and other social media sites. However, thieves are driving off with the vehicles at alarming rates nationwide.

Last week, Indianapolis police reported a nearly 364% increase in Kia thefts from 2022 to 2023. There was an about 178% increase in Hyundai thefts, according to news reports.

Locally, the problem has not manifested itself in the same way as it has in Indianapolis. Among the three larger departments in Johnson County, the Greenwood Police Department was the only agency to report seeing any Kia and Hyundai thefts.

Since January 2022, GPD has received reports of 10 Kia’s and one Hyundai being stolen. Eight of those reports, all Kia’s, were made this year, said Matt Fillenwarth, assistant chief of police.

While Greenwood has seen an increase in theft reports, both the Franklin Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office have not.

Still, both Franklin police and the sheriff’s office hope it doesn’t become more of a problem here.

“I’m not seeing it as an issue in Johnson County. … Hopefully, we don’t,” Sheriff Duane Burgess said.

Law enforcement is aware of the issue as several different groups have put it on their radar. The National Insurance Crime Bureau has sent out notices about the thefts, encouraging people to use a steering wheel lock if they have one of the affected car models. Hyundai and Kia have put out free software updates to help address to fix the security flaw. These fixes update the theft alarm software to extend the length of the alarm sound from 30 seconds to one minute, and require the key to be in the ignition switch to turn the vehicle on.

The problem still persists though, making roughly 9 million vehicles relatively easy targets for thieves across the United States.

Thefts are increasing, in part, because of videos on TikTok and other websites, sometimes dubbed as the “Kia Challenge.” These videos illustrate how to start and steal Kia and Hyundai models — using only a screwdriver and a USB cable — and have allowed the thefts to spread across the nation since late 2021, the Associated Press reported.

As of Feb. 14, the social media challenge has resulted in at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

The affected cars, many of them bargain-priced models from the 2011 to early 2022 model years, were not equipped with a theft immobilizer. These devices have a computer chip in the key that must be recognized by another chip in the steering column before the engines will start.

Most automakers have had the chips for years, but Hyundai and Kia have lagged behind the industry as a whole in installing them on many models, thereby allowing thieves to exploit the security gap.

Last September, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that the theft of these vehicles now rivaled muscle cars and luxury SUVs as top targets. In model year 2000, immobilizers were already standard on 62% of models from other manufacturers. But in the 2015 model year, while immobilizers were standard on 96% of other manufacturers’ models, only 26% of Hyundai and Kia models had them as a standard, according to the institute.

Officials from both Hyundai and Kia have said they’re accelerating their distribution of the software.

Kia has notified all eligible owners and lessees — over three million vehicles, of the software update — and of the more than three million Kia vehicles that are eligible for the fix, close to 500,000 customers have received the upgrade, the company said in a statement to the Daily Journal.

The automaker has also launched a dedicated website where eligible owners can learn more about how to receive the free upgrade: ksupport.kiausa.com/ConsumerAffairs/SWLD

A Hyundai spokesperson told the Associated Press in May that they reached 6,000 installations a day for the software upgrade. They have also launched a dedicated website: HyundaiAntiTheft.com, a toll-free number: 888-498-0390 and digital advertising to generate awareness of the software upgrade, help customers determine their eligibility and schedule an appointment at their local Hyundai dealership, company spokesperson Ira Gabriel told the Daily Journal via email.

The automaker has also tried to remove from social media the instructional videos that show how to steal the cars. However, as new videos surface, there have been additional waves of thefts, the Associated Press reported.

Some of the vehicles can’t be fixed with software, but both Hyundai and Kia say they’ll pay for anti-theft devices for those owners. Hyundai and Kia reached a $200 million settlement in May for the automakers’ failure to install basic security measures.

The companies have also been working since last November to provide steering wheel locks to law enforcement agencies for the affected vehicles. These tools lock steering wheels in place, making it impossible to steal a car.

Steering wheel locks might be a pain for drivers to use, but they are a deterrent. Even if a driver’s car has been updated, it does not mean that their car won’t be targeted, said Major Damian Katt, investigations division commander at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

“Visually, you can’t tell there’s been a software update. Someone can still try to hot-wire it,” he said. “But if there’s a steering wheel lock, a lock makes the vehicle not an easy target.”

Vehicle thefts will always take place, and people will go through the cars looking for valuable items. This is why it’s important for drivers to make sure their car is secure and locked, Burgess said.

Most importantly, people shouldn’t leave their valuables, or guns in the car. People should install cameras and lighting at their home so that they can see their cars at all times, he said.

“You have to think ahead, think like a criminal, to prevent having your vehicle stolen,” Burgess said.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

AFFECTED MODELS

Here’s a list of vehicles covered by software upgrades from Kia and Hyundai.

Hyundai:

• 2018-2022 Accent
• 2011-2022 Elantra
• 2013-2020 Elantra GT
• 2018-2022 Kona
• 2013-2022 Santa Fe
• 2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport
• 2019 Santa Fe XL
• 2011-2019 Sonata
• 2011-2022 Tucson
• 2012-2017 and 2019-2021 Veloster
• 2020-2021 Venue
• 2013-2014 Genesis Coupe
• 2020-2021 Palisade

Kia:

• 2011-2022 Sportage
• 2011-2020 Optima
• 2011-2022 Sorento
• 2011-2021 Forte
• 2020-2022 Soul
• 2012-2021 Rio
• 2011-2021 Sedona
• 2021-2022 Seltos
• 2021-2022 K5

Kia officials also say they began adding immobilizers in the factory in 2021, so few 2022 model year vehicles were built without them.

Source: Hyundai and Kia

 

PREVENTING THEFT

Here’s some tips from the National Insurance Crime Bureau on how to help prevent vehicle thefts:

• Park in well-lit areas
• Close and lock all windows and doors when you park
• Hide valuables out of sight, such as in the glove box or trunk
• Do not leave your keys in your vehicle.
• Do not leave the area while your vehicle is running.
• If the vehicle is stolen, call law enforcement and your insurer immediately because reporting a vehicle as soon as possible after it is stolen increases the chance of recovery.