It's worth mentioning that this impacts only US vehicles from those brands.
this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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And only the key operated ones. Push to start are not affected.
"Push to start" may stop someone driving off in the car, but they are still targets.
Thieves smash the windows, hop in, see the lack of key startup, then hop out. You still will end making a call to the police or insurance company.
Having "Hyundai" or "Kia" anywhere on the car makes them a target of thieves, even with push to start.
Nah, the proximity key cars have buttons on the door handle. It's a dead giveaway sign that it's pushbutton inside. Most thieves know this/figure it out real quick so they don't waste their time/risk getting caught.
More needs to be said. Insurance companies have raised the rates of basic, liability only, for a salvage title car, by more than 70% increase in the last 3 years. $440/6mo > $770/6mo.
This is an attack on all motorists in a way I've never seen. Financially attacking everyone for two car models that have been designed to be targets of "model", and to allow children to make a mess of their futures.
What leverage can we possibly have against this exploitation?
I hope it's the result of not using the metric system.
No, but it is the result of deregulation. Similar models sold in Canada don't have this issue because (drumroll please), federal regulations require immobilizers on new cars. Free market at work folks.
Are you sure? This stuff is happening in Australia too. Something about the key hole size being the exact size as a USB-A cable.
That's only a small part of it. The bigger issue was that Hyundai/Kia removed like a 10 cent chip that would have prevented this issue on the US and a few other markets to save money.
Still, everyone puts the blame on Hyundai, and while they definitely deserve some blame in all this, let's not forget the fact that people are still actively stealing these cars. These are still scumbag criminals doing this. An average person could see a car with its doors unlocked and the engine running and they won't hop in and steal it, because they're not asswipes.
Here it says that this should not be possible in Australia due to the immobilizers.
https://www.drive.com.au/news/us-kia-and-hyundai-thefts-what-it-means-for-australia/
Maybe some thieves believe all KIAs and Hyundays are targets and eventually some are stolen due to other factors.
the companies failed to install a basic anti-theft technology
Failed to install or weighed the cost of not installing it and kept the profit?
Was it a requirement by law? Obviously not as this seems to be an America thing. So why not change the laws and mandate antithetical devices in cats
This is a law in Canada and to my knowledge these kinds of thefts aren’t happening here. This should be an easy fix.
Technically no, but standards do dictate that measures to prevent unauthorized use be present so I imagine those legal battles will be around that second part, especially with immobilizers being practically standard for every other manufacturer. Changing the laws will be a tough part, we can't even get reasonable automotive lighting laws on the books or enforced.
I also have to wonder how much it was fueled by the silicone shortage, omitting electronics in order to get a car out the door, as other manufacturers did (albeit in a smarter way, so not that any of this stuff exempts Hyundai/kia from criticism)
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I was one of the victims. My Hyundai Elantra was stolen. Smashed out the back window and ripped out the ignition to steal it. My insurance company has totaled the vehicle and paid me the value of the car. They totaled it because the thieves colored all over the seats and ceiling of the vehicle and the repair shop can't get replacement parts. I've started car shopping and I'll be damned if I buy another Hyundai at this point. Even though I'm seeing them for $3-5k cheaper than comparable sedans.
The most eye opening part was that my car was spotted at a McDonalds down the road from my work with the smashed window, and the person called the police. An office didn't arrive to the restaurant for over an hour and the thieves had already driven off. I think the police are overwhelmed with thefts, and the thieves, even if they're caught, are underage and released with a court date that they aren't attending. When I was at the impound lot to release the vehicle to the repair shop, two more Hyundais arrived while I was there!
On a positive note, I needed new tires and rear brakes that I'd scheduled to complete after my summer vaca so I can add that money to the down payment.
Police don't care abkut property crimes against people
Against poor people. If someone smashes a Ferrari, they will be arrested in a matter of minutes.
Even though I’m seeing them for $3-5k cheaper than comparable sedans.
And why do you think the Elantra was $1K cheaper than a Corolla and $3K cheaper than a Jetta? 🤔
It’s getting near impossible to insure Kias/Hyundais in some states now because this is so bad. I’d actually be considering buying one of their EVs or Hybrids if it wasn’t such an issue.
Are insurers refusing all Kia/Hyundai or just the affected ones?
None of the push to start ones are affected, only the base model key operated ones because they didn’t install immobilizers on them.
My wife has an affected model, but a push to start version. Getting insurance was fine. They did call to verify that it was the push to start before they finalized the policy, though.
There are other auto makes besides KIA/Hyundai, to be considered... that didn't overlook a "easy to steal with a USB" type problems.
If you're trying to find a manufacturer that hasn't had some colossal/nefarious fuck up in the past, good luck to you because they don't exist.
Seriously wtf is with the state of cars today?
Or were they always shitty and we just never told people how easy they are to steal?
Most modern cars have immobilizers that read the key and won't allow the engine to start if it isn't the correct key. Hyundai/Kia decided not to include these on some of their models to save costs. This was all well and good until it was discovered and spread across the internet. Now everyone knows these cars are easier to steal than others, with no easy way for owners to fix the issue.
It was security through obscurity, which is useless without the obscurity part.
Older cars up into the 90s were much easier to steal since you only needed to break the ignition lock or break the steering lock and touch the right ignition wires together. That's essentially what they're doing with these cars now.
Of course, I just really like the styling and price range on a lot of their newer models. I’m not seriously looking to buy right now, but if these problems didn’t exist they’d be the top of the list probably.
It's such a shame, I had a 2011 Kia Soul that was my favorite car I've ever owned (and notably not in the model years with the immobilizer problem). Unfortunately some moron crashed into me earlier this year and totaled it. My first thought was to replace it with another Soul but their reputation is so bad at this point that I had to go with something else. Six months later a Soul that I test drove is still sitting at the same used car dealership. No one will touch them.
I recently shopped auto insurance. There are now policy carriers that refuse to insure Kia and Hyundai for a new policy. It has been one of the very first questions a rep asks so they can figure out if the call needs to be ended right away.
Good to know. Hopefully sticking with my current carrier works...
Can't get them insured at all? Why wouldn't they offer liability, collision, and comprehensive (except vandalism) and just deny theft/vandalism coverage?
Because they are being used to joyride, often causing property damage, wrecks to other vehicles and all that. The owner’s insurance is usually made to cover it even though they weren’t driving.
I dunno about suing them. Lots of things are easy to steal. If there were a Tik Tok trend of stealing garbage cans, I might make an effort to secure the ones I have, but I wouldn't sue the garbage can manufacturer for not addressing the possibility of theft if mine were stolen. These cars do have some theft protection, at least to the extent that you can't accidentally steal them. Car owners should probably do what they can to deter theft, Tik Tok & YouTube should dissuade users from encouraging kids to steal, parents should be more responsible, and (not that it would necessarily help) all cops should stop being bastards
The lawsuit is because those companies have done nothing to fix their issue.
If your phone caught fire if you put it near a magnet, you can't say "Well phone owners should be more responsible." And at some point, you have to say, "Why the fuck was this allowed to ship?"
Most cars used to be ridiculously easy to steal, and people dealt with this situation in a variety of ways. Suing the car manufacturers was not one of these methods.
I don't think your phone analogy is at all comparable. A phone catching fire during what anyone might consider normal use isn't the same kind of product design issue as a car that is no easier to steal than most cars were for most of the history of cars. The old covertible that I had years ago would have been way easier to steal than these cars, for example, both because of simple wiring and simple access to the car interior.
We can pass the blame for this issue around pretty widely. I don't think we should just pin all the blame on the car makers
Just got home to find out my neighbor's kia was stolen. Managed to get it back and catch the guys. But his steering column is busted now.
... Batman? Did you bust the steering column with one of their faces?
Are the models with immobilizers safe?
To the beet of my knowledge, yes.
To the carrot of my knowledge, I agree.
Yes and no. They're not as easy to steal, but they're more likely to be targeted by the car thief not realizing that it's the "wrong" model year.
Maybe just encourage the cops to do their job? Or at least shoot different people.
They get PAID suspension for not doing their job right...
Slaycation
Right? You wouldn't know it from the downvotes I'm getting above
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