The two South Korean brands Kia and Hyundai have decided to voluntarily recall almost 8 million vehicles in the United States due to the high number of thefts. At the heart of the problem is the lack of an anti-theft system on board older vehicles, which allows anyone to steal the vehicle in seconds without real knowledge of the subject.
The most affected vehicles were manufactured between 2011 and 2015. The phenomenon has also increased recently, when we saw challenges appear on the TikTok social network where some users demonstrated the ease with which it was possible to steal the Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
Given the lack of an immobilizer, all they need to do is remove the plastic cover that covers the ignition barrel and start the vehicle with nothing more than a screwdriver and a USB cable.
The increase in thefts has reached 750% in some regions to the point where insurance companies have decided to no longer insure the vehicles in question. The pandemic, the rise in the value of used vehicles and the scarcity effect have also contributed to the increase in the number of thefts.
In order to correct the problem, the two brands have decided to offer a free update of the vehicle software. Once installed, this update will cause the vehicle to start only if the original key is used. In the United States, according to the NHTSA, the voluntary recall would affect 8.3 million vehicles, ie 4.5 million Kia brand and 3.8 million Hyundai brand. The most affected models are the Hyundai Elantra, Sonata and Venue; Kia did not specify which models were most affected.
No problem with Hyundai vehicles sold in Canada, Kia is working on it
However, the problem would not affect vehicles sold in Canada which, according to Hyundai Canada have been equipped with an anti-theft system since 2007. In addition, an alarm system is also fitted to all Hyundai and Genesis models sold in the country.
For its part, Kia mentions that it equips its vehicles with a immobilizer for a few years and has been working to develop a protection system for vehicles that did not originally have one. It will provide this system free of charge to owners.
At the time, 96% of vehicles assembled after the 2000s had an electronic immobilizer; only 26% of Kia and Hyundai models were equipped with it in the United States. NHTSA is urging owners to update, as 14 crashes causing 8 fatalities have been noted by the US safety body as a result of the phenomenon.
