Hyundai and Kia thefts keep rising in U.S. despite security fix

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NEARLY three months ago, 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.

So far, it hasn’t solved the problem.

Across the country, thieves are still driving off with the vehicles at an alarming rate.

Data from seven US cities gathered by The Associated Press shows that the number of Hyundai and Kia thefts is still growing despite the companies’ efforts to fix the glitch, which makes 8.3 million vehicles relatively easy targets for thieves.

From Minneapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis to New York, Seattle, Atlanta and Grand Rapids, Michigan, police have reported substantial year-over-year increases in Hyundai and Kia theft reports through April.

An eighth city, Denver, which was hit early by the theft outbreak, reported a 23 percent decline from 2022 levels but still endured a high number of thefts.

So far this year, Minneapolis police have received 1,899 Kia and Hyundai theft reports, nearly 18 times the number for the same period in 2022. (AP)