Hyundai Motor and Kia Face Lawsuit in Chicago, US Over Poor Theft Prevention Measures

"Crime Surges Due to Lack of Anti-Theft Technology"
Over 8,300 Vehicle Thefts Occurred in 6 Months

As theft crimes targeting Hyundai and Kia vehicles have recently surged in the United States, the city of Chicago has also filed a lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia.

Hyundai Motor Company Headquarters.
Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

On the 24th (local time), US media outlets including CBS reported that the city of Chicago recently submitted a complaint against Hyundai and Kia to the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois.

In the complaint, the city claimed that Hyundai and Kia did not equip vehicles sold in the US from 2011 to 2022 with standard anti-theft technology (engine immobilizers), leading to a sharp increase in car theft crimes.

Among car theft crimes that occurred in Chicago last year, 41% targeted Hyundai and Kia vehicles. In particular, videos showing how to steal Hyundai and Kia vehicles by exploiting their defects became popular on social media platforms such as TikTok, resulting in over 8,300 theft incidents in the second half of last year alone.

The city pointed out, "Hyundai and Kia promoted their vehicles to consumers as having 'advanced safety features' despite being aware of the vehicle defects."

It added, "With the increase in thefts, reckless driving, car accidents, violent crimes, injuries, and property damage have also risen," and "a nationwide criminal activity surrounding vehicles is unfolding right before our eyes."

The city argued that Hyundai and Kia should compensate Chicago for damages and also demanded fines for public nuisance.

Meanwhile, several other US cities including California, Washington, and New York have previously filed lawsuits against Hyundai and Kia for similar reasons and demanded recalls. However, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined that the vehicle theft issue does not meet the criteria for a nationwide recall.

Hyundai and Kia also offered a $200 million (approximately 265 billion KRW) settlement to dismiss class-action lawsuits filed by drivers affected by vehicle theft.

Both companies announced that they would provide free software upgrades for about 8.3 million vehicles sold in the US to resolve the issue, and it is reported that over 3 million vehicles had been upgraded by June.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.