Minneapolis police say they are seeing a record number of car thefts of certain older model Kia and Hyundai vehicles, up 893% from 2021, charging explanatory social media video challenges as cause.
A 14-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries after destroy a stolen Kia last weekend, according to MPD.
“It’s outrageous, it’s absolutely crazy what’s going on here,” MPD leader Brian O’Hara said. “Children learn what they can do very quickly, and the problem is that it leads to very serious tragedies.”
The problem of theft has gotten so bad that insurance companies are now wondering if they want to continue writing policies for vulnerable Kia and Hyundai models, an industry expert told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
“It’s something I’ve never seen the big insurance companies start not insuring, Kia and Hyundai, because they get stolen so frequently,” said Mark Kulda, vice president of business. from the Insurance Federation of Minnesota.
These screenshots from social media videos show how some Kia and Hyundai vehicles can be jump started using USB cables.
The nonprofit trade association represents more than 40 large and small insurance companies doing business in the state.
“It’s expensive to insure them because the risk of theft is so high,” Kulda said.
Law enforcement said the social media challenges revealed a fault in the turnkey ignition vehicles.
Auto industry experts said some older vehicle models produced between 2011 and 2021 lacked anti-theft devices, known as immobilizers, and thieves took advantage of them.
A car thief ransacked Brian Halbach’s Hyundai Elantra.
“They threw the stuff that was in my console and everything — they just threw it out the window,” Halbach said.
Halbach, the parent of a KSTP employee, said the Elantra was stolen a second time outside his Minneapolis home.
“They didn’t go that far that time,” he said. “I left the gas almost on ‘E’ – didn’t have time to fill up. It worked to my advantage,” Halbach said.
Kulda said some insurance companies are considering reducing full coverage, which lenders require for car owners who are still paying off their loans.
“If you own your car, you don’t need to have full coverage, but if you have a loan, you need to have full coverage, and insurers are starting to say they’re not going to sell new policies. complete that have this model year Kia and Hyundai,” Kulda said.
“You may need to shop around and find an insurer that does. Not all companies do this – many of the big ones do – which means it will be difficult for people to make a lot of phone calls to find out which companies provide this coverage,” Kulda added.
5 EYWITNESS NEWS contacted a few major insurers to see if there were any changes coming for consumers who drive the vehicles in question. So far only Progressive has posted a response.
“We are committed to providing affordable insurance solutions to consumers based on the level of risk they pose while ensuring that our policies are priced accurately. Due to the risk of theft that some Hyundai and Kia vehicles present, in many cases this makes these vehicles difficult to insure, so we have adjusted our acceptance criteria for new business on some of these models. We will continue to monitor this issue and hope to reverse our decision as the risk of theft decreases and community awareness improves.
– Progressive spokesperson
Responses from automakers
Hyundai’s US offices emailed the following response regarding the increase in theft:
“We remain concerned about the increase in thefts of certain Hyundai vehicles that have been targeted in a coordinated social media campaign. Currently, Hyundai is providing steering wheel locks, as available, to law enforcement in affected areas. In addition, Hyundai will offer two other options to owners of those previous model year vehicles targeted by thieves.
“Hyundai has released a glass break sensor security kit that targets the method of entry used by thieves to break into these vehicles. These kits are available for purchase and installation at Hyundai Dealerships and Compustar Approved Installers Across the country. The MSRP for the kit is $170 and the estimated cost of installation may vary by location.
“Hyundai is also developing a software update to further secure these targeted vehicles. We expect this software update to be available for select vehicles in the first half of 2023, with updates for other vehicles thereafter.
“Please note that all Hyundai vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Some earlier models without push-button ignition do not have engine immobilizers. As of November 2021, engine immobilizers are standard on all Hyundai vehicles produced.
“Customers with questions can contact the Hyundai Customer Service Center at 800-633-5151.”
– Hyundai Motor America
A Kia America representative also responded and shared the following statement:
“Kia is saddened to learn that a Minneapolis miner was found injured this week in a wrecked vehicle that has been reported as stolen. We remain concerned about the recent trend among young people in some areas, encouraged by social media, to target certain Kia cars with a steel key and “turn-to-start” ignition systems.Such criminal conduct endangers our local communities and violates property rights.
“While no car can be completely anti-theft, Kia continues to make steering wheel locks available to customers through interested local law enforcement agencies, subject to available supply, at no cost to customers. affected owners of these vehicles.
“Kia is also continuing its efforts to develop additional solutions for vehicles not originally equipped with an immobilizer, including the development and testing of enhanced security software. Kia will make an announcement soon regarding the availability of software upgrades for owners of affected vehicles.
“All 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the start of the year or as a change in operation, and all Kia vehicles meet or exceed federal motor vehicle safety standards.
“Kia customers with questions regarding their Kia vehicle should contact the Kia Consumer Assistance Center directly at 1-800-333-4542 (Kia).”
– Kia America