Chicago is suing Kia and Hyundai, contending that a lack of immobilizers in the auto manufacturers’ vehicles helped cause a spike in thefts, city officials said Thursday.
The lawsuit, which also targets the companies’ U.S. branches, contends that other automakers made vehicle immobilizers, which prevent the improper starting of a car engine, standard in their models years ago — and that the lack of such systems in Kia and Hyundai vehicles from 2011-2022 was a “critical defect” violating city consumer protection laws.
In particular, basic models that still used key-driven ignition instead of push-button ignition were targeted by thieves. The missing anti-theft devices became public knowledge through social media, including the Kia challenge on TikTok. Those videos show people taking off the drive column underneath the tire and starting the ignition using the ends of USB cords. Other videos showed people doing stunts and driving recklessly in the stolen cars.
Chicago has seen more than 19,000 vehicles stolen in 2023, according to Automotive News. City officials said Kia and Hyundai cars have constituted more than half of all vehicles stolen in Chicago this year.
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