Over a dozen states urge recall of Kia, Hyundai cars over thefts

Multiple states including California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, and more on Thursday are calling for a recall of Kia and Hyundai car models linked to thefts.

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta along with multiple other attorney generals on Thursday sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asking for a recall of Hyundai and Kia’s cars manufactured between 2011 and 2022, according to USA Today. The reason is because of theft.

The state attorneys general are claiming that the car makers have failed to include anti-theft devices,” according to USA Today.

Along with California, the other states that were involved in the letter include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia, according to The Associated Press.

Last month, Bonta said in a news release, that a group of attorneys general had urged companies to take “stronger steps to address the safety concerns of their vehicles.”

“The bottom line is, Kia’s and Hyundai’s failure to install standard safety features on many of their vehicles have put vehicle owners and the public at risk,” said Attorney General Bonta in the news release.

“Instead of taking responsibility with appropriate corrective action, these carmakers have chosen instead to pass this risk onto consumers and our communities. It is unacceptable that families and communities should be forced to shoulder the cost of Kia’s and Hyundai’s failures. Kia and Hyundai have failed to appropriately address these safety issues, ignoring urgent requests from states, law enforcement, and car buyers. We now ask the federal government to require these companies to correct their mistake through a nationwide recall and help us in our continued efforts to protect the public from these unsafe vehicles.”

Videos on TikTok and other social media sites show people how to start both Kia and Hyundai cars with a USB cable and a screwdriver, according to the AP.

More than 14 reported crashes and eight deaths are believed to be related to the thefts.

The AP reported that in October, a crash in Buffalo, New York, where four teenagers died was believed to have been related to the TikTok challenge thefts. Six teenagers were speeding in a Kia when it crashed. The car was reportedly stolen.

“We continue to take action to address the concerns these attorneys general have raised,” Kia said in a statement obtained by the AP. The company also said that over 165,000 customers had had software installed and another two million or so have been contacted.

Kia also said, according to the AP, that its cars have complied with federal safety standards. Hyundai also said its cars have complied with federal anti-theft requirements.

Hyundai said in a statement obtained by the AP that two months early, they put out a new software upgrade to help prevent thefts.

“We are communicating with NHTSA on our many actions to assist our customers,” Hyundai said in a statement obtained by the AP.