CT Attorney General Calls for Federal Recall of Kia, Hyundai As Thefts Spike Across the U.S., Cities File Suit Against Companies

More than a dozen of the nation’s Attorneys General – including Connecticut’s William Tong – are stepping up efforts against Kia and Hyundai following the companies’ “continued failure to take adequate steps to address the alarming rate of theft of their vehicles.”

Attorney General Tong has added Connecticut to a growing coalition – now including 18 attorneys general - calling for a federal recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles.

In a letter sent April 20 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Attorneys General request that NHTSA institute a recall of unsafe Hyundai and Kia vehicles manufactured between 2011 and 2022 whose easily bypassed ignition switches and lack of engine immobilizers make them particularly vulnerable to theft.

It was just a month ago that a coalition of 23 attorneys general urged the companies to take stronger steps to address the safety concerns of their vehicles. This latest letter, address to NHTSA, now calls on the federal government to step in, Tong’s office points out, as the vehicles’ systems remain out of compliance with federal standards and pose an unreasonable risk to public safety, and the companies have failed to address these safety issues.

“Hyundai and Kia sold cars without industry standard anti-theft devices, posing an unreasonable risk to public safety. Viral videos show youth how to hotwire these cars in a matter of seconds, encouraging reckless driving and criminal activity that has resulted in injuries and deaths,” Attorney General Tong explained. “I’ve called on Hyundai and Kia to fix this, quickly, and without nickel and diming their customers. They’ve failed and we can’t wait any longer. It’s time for the federal government to step in and force a recall.”

According to the Attorneys General, between 2011 and 2022 the companies chose not to include anti-theft devices that were a standard feature in almost every other new car manufactured during that time period, including the same Hyundai and Kia models sold in Canada and Europe.

Hyundai and Kia owners now face unnecessary risk of having their vehicles stolen, as well as related concerns, like struggling to obtain insurance for the affected vehicles, the AGs point out, noting that these vehicles have been stolen at high rates since approximately 2021, harming consumers and contributing to an erosion of public safety.

The Attorney General’s also added that the thefts have frequently been accompanied by reckless driving and further criminal activity, causing injuries and deaths. The thefts have even gone viral, with videos on social media showing how to hotwire these vehicles and challenging others to steal them. Following these videos, thefts began surging across the country. Hyundai and Kia vehicles stolen in this manner have resulted in numerous crashes and at least eight fatalities nationwide, and the stolen vehicles have also been used to commit additional, sometimes violent, crimes.

The Associated Press has reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates the thefts have resulted in at least 14 crashes and eight fatalities across the U.S.

Some cities have filed court action against Kia and Hyundai.  Published reports indicate that Milwaukee is among them, as statewide, the top seven car models stolen in Wisconsin in 2021 were all 2015 to 2020 Kias and Hyundais, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The City of Cleveland filed a lawsuit in federal court in early March against the car manufacturers for their failure to install industry standard anti-theft technology in millions of their vehicles, citing an exponential increase of Kia and Hyundai car theft in Cleveland and other regions.

Between October and December 2022, a reported 1,203 Hyundai and Kia vehicles were stolen in Cleveland. For December alone, vehicle theft of Hyundais and Kias accounted for 65 percent of total vehicle theft in the city, according to published reports.

The San Diego City Attorney's Office sued automakers Hyundai and Kia in mid-March; Seattle’s City Attorney had done so in early March, as published reports indicated that from 2021 to 2022, Kia and Hyundai thefts increased by 363% and 503%, respectively, in Seattle. In July 2022, the Seattle Police Department saw an increase of 620% in reports of stolen Kia and Hyundais, compared to July 2021.

The city of Columbus (Ohio) filed a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai in February over the costs accrued by its Division of Police to deal with soaring rates of vehicle thefts of certain Kia and Hyundai models since January 2022, pointing to a 461% increase in thefts.

St. Louis filed a similar lawsuit last month. St. Louis police have reportedly received more than 4,500 reports of thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles over the past 10 months, and three-fifths of all vehicle thefts in that span have involved Kias or Hyundais.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau,  the number of auto thefts in Connecticut increased from 5,944 in 2019 to 7,771 in 2021.  Data for 2022 was not yet available, and a breakdown by model for previous years was not immediately available. It does not appear as if any Connecticut municipalities have filed lawsuits against the companies. 

The coalition of Attorneys General asserts that Kia and Hyundai have not gone far enough in their attempts to remedy their vehicles’ vulnerability to theft. While the companies have offered a software upgrade, this upgrade will not be available for many affected vehicles until June and for some 2011-2022 models cannot be installed at all.

Vehicle owners who cannot receive the software upgrade can reportedly receive a free steering wheel lock from Kia and Hyundai, but this places additional burdens on owners and does not address the underlying ignition system flaw that makes the vehicles so vulnerable to theft. Many owners have contacted NHTSA for assistance with this theft issue, the AGs indicated.  

In the letter, the states urge NHTSA to take immediate action by instituting a recall of the unsafe Hyundai and Kia vehicles because:

• The vehicles violate federal requirements that vehicles have a starting system that prevents the activation of the engine or motor and steering system when the key is removed;

• The Hyundai and Kia vehicles’ vulnerability to hotwiring and theft has created an unreasonable and well-documented risk to safety on U.S. roads;

• Surging thefts of unsafe Hyundai and Kia vehicles have consumed law enforcement and emergency responder resources; and

• The companies’ response through a phased and voluntary service campaign is insufficient to protect drivers and the general public.

Attorney General Tong joins a coalition led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and includes the attorneys general of 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.