California: In response to a sharp rise in thefts fueled by a trending social media challenge, attorneys general in 17 states on Thursday urged the federal government to recall millions of Kia and Hyundai vehicles because they are too simple to steal.

Engine immobilisers, a standard feature on most cars that prevents the engine from starting unless the key is present, are missing from some Kia and Hyundai vehicles sold in the United States over the past ten years.

Social media videos have demonstrated how to start Kia and Hyundai models with just a screwdriver and a USB cable. According to the California attorney general's office, the theft of Hyundai and Kia vehicles increased by about 85% in Los Angeles in 2022, making up 20% of all vehicle thefts in the city.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributes 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities to the trend of stolen cars as a result of these social media-inspired thefts.

In October, a police commissioner suggested that the social media challenge may have been to blame for a car accident in Buffalo, New York, which claimed the lives of four teenagers. Six teenagers in all were in the swerving Kia when it crashed, according to Buffalo police. The car was thought to have been stolen.

Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, stated in a news release that "the bottom line is that Kia and Hyundai have put the public and vehicle owners at risk by failing to install standard safety features on many of their vehicles." These automakers "have chosen to pass this risk onto consumers and our communities instead of accepting responsibility and appropriate corrective action."

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On Thursday, Bonta and the other solicitors general wrote to the NHTSA to request a broad recall. Attorneys general from the following states and the District of Columbia also signed the letter: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington.

In response, Kia said in a statement, "We continue to take action to address the concerns these solicitors general have raised." According to the automaker, the software has been installed on more than 165,000 customers, and more than 2 million owners have been informed about it. According to the company, there is no need for a recall because the vehicles meet federal safety standards.

Hyundai added that its automobiles adhere to federal anti-theft regulations. The business claims to have implemented the software upgrade to stop the thefts two months early, but it would not say how many vehicles have it. According to the company statement, "We are in communication with NHTSA regarding our numerous actions to assist our customers."

The letter increases the mounting pressure on the automakers based in South Korea. Numerous cities have already filed lawsuits against the automakers, including St. Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Diego, Seattle, and Columbus, Ohio.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Highway Loss Data Institute discovered in September that Hyundai and Kia vehicles without immobilisers had a vehicle theft claim rate of 2.18 per 1,000 insured vehicle years. The rate for the rest of the industry as a whole was 1.21.

In February, Hyundai and Kia made the announcement that they would offer software updates for cars that need the key in the ignition switch to turn them on. The theft alarm software in the cars has also been updated, increasing the duration of an alarm from 30 seconds to 1 minute. The software update is available for about 3.8 million Hyundai vehicles and 4.5 million Kia vehicles.

The affiliated Korean automakers' service campaign, however, is not a recall, which is subject to reporting requirements and is closely supervised by NHTSA.

The agency claimed that the thefts of the Hyundai and Kia vehicles involved criminal activity that is the purview of law enforcement. NHTSA claimed that despite this, it had a meeting with the automakers to discuss the software and hardware in the impacted models as well as the theft vulnerability.

The agency claimed that it regularly receives updates on the plans of the companies. The NHTSA said it would keep an eye on the situation, inform local authorities of any new developments, and contribute its expertise to efforts to improve motor vehicle safety.

There is no way for the general public to monitor the success of a company's internal service campaign, according to Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Centre for Auto Safety. According to him, the NHTSA requests quarterly reports and checks to see if the recall repairs resolve the issue. Additionally, the agency mandates that automakers mail notices to all owners.

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With a company service campaign, "We won't know how many are on the road with the problem," Brooks said. "We won't know if the recall is successful or if the notification was sent out correctly."

Despite the fact that the stolen Hyundais and Kias are posing a safety threat on the roads, Brooks claimed that NHTSA has been slow to respond to auto thefts.
Immobilisers will come standard on all Hyundai models created after November 1, 2021, according to the automaker.

On April 20, 2023, this story was first published. It was revised on April 21, 2023 to make it clear that videos demonstrating how to start Kia and Hyundai vehicles with just a screwdriver and a USB cable were widely shared on social media platforms other than TikTok