California Attorney General Rob Bonta called on the federal government Thursday to issue a recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles due to their lack of anti-theft features.
At a news conference in a Berkeley tow yard, Bonta said he and 17 other attorneys general across the country sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asking for an immediate recall of hundreds of thousands of vehicles in the United States.
“Hyundai and Kia have given us no choice but to be here today to ask the federal government to step in and require a recall, either ordered by NHTSA or agreed to voluntarily by the companies,” Bonta said.
Bonta said the recall would affect vehicles made between 2011 and 2022 that lack engine immobilization devices and that feature ignition switches that are easily bypassed by thieves.
He said the missing anti-theft features come standard in vehicles from other manufacturers and that even Hyundai and Kia included them in vehicles sold in Canada and Europe, but not in the United States.
“The bottom line is Hyundai and Kia made choices that have led to numerous thefts that have harmed not only owners whose cars have been stolen but leaving others in a state of constant risk and causing significant harm to the public,” he said.
Bonta also said that a number of insurance companies are declining to issue policies for the vehicles.
While the auto manufacturers have taken some voluntary steps to initiate security software updates or provide steering wheel locking devices, Bonta said the response is insufficient and that the software is unavailable to approximately 600,000 Hyundais and an unknown number of Kias.
“It’s a Band-Aid that puts the onus on drivers and ignores the underlying ignition system flaw,” he said of the steering wheel locking devices.
A surge in thefts of the cars is being reported by law enforcement agencies across the country and is partly blamed on social media posts that demonstrate the ease at which they can be hot-wired.
For example, thefts of the cars in Los Angeles jumped by about 85 percent in 2022, according to the attorney general’s office.
Also, the vehicles are currently the most popular targets for thieves in Berkeley, where they accounted for just 1 percent to 2 percent of all thefts in 2019 but jumped to 38 percent in 2023, according to Berkley Police Department statistics.
“This alarming increase led our strategic analysis team to take a look at what was driving these thefts and how that was spreading among our community,” said Berkeley Police Chief Jennifer Louis.
“What we discovered was social media influences setting a challenge (and) giving people the information on how to easily steal these vehicles,” said Louis, who joined Bonta at the tow yard media briefing.
The uptick in thievery is largely attributed to a 2021 viral TikTok post from an account dubbed the “Kia Boyz,” which posted videos showing how to abscond with the cars in as little as 20 seconds using only a USB cable and a screwdriver.
In response to Bonta’s recall push, Hyundai officials said the vehicles are compliant with federal anti-theft requirements and that they’ve taken several steps to help car owners.
The company said it’s made engine immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced as of November 2021, rolled out the free software upgrade two months ahead of schedule, partnered with AAA insurers to offer insurance in most states for eligible Hyundai owners, and started a program to reimburse owners for the purchase of steering wheel locks.
“We are communicating with NHTSA on our many actions to assist our customers,” company officials said in an email statement Thursday.
A Kia spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thursday’s request for an immediate recall follows a letter Bonta and nearly two dozen other attorneys general sent to Kia and Hyundai in March.
In that letter, Bonta and his colleagues said the companies’ efforts to enact anti-theft fixes were overdue and insufficient.
In asking for a nationwide recall, Bonta is joined by attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington state and Washington, D.C.
Hyundai owners can visit hyundaiantitheft.com or call (888) 498-0390 for information about their options.
Recall Bonta!!!
How about making the price of car theft unaffordable? We are raising a country filled with thiefs. We should live in a country where you could leave your keys in the car and it would remain safe. This is no way to live.
The first mistake made was anybody buying a Kia or a Hyundai. What would you expect with either of those names..
Maybe lock up the people stealing the cars.
So how is the fact that the car can be stolen easily a reason for a recall? And this is the biggest thing that these folks can focus their energy on?
As someone who has bought a few cars (currently have 4 in the household), I look at the safety rating and how easy it is to steal them. If no one buys a car because it can be stolen easily .. the MFG will make changes.
This is not a safety issue. Per the NHTSA website, they can issue a recall when a vehicle creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. A stolen car is not safety related. You would think a bunch of lawyers would be able to read and understand a basic legal premise.
Safety is a loaded word. They used it to lock you in your home remember?
People were locked in their homes? I remember going out, hanging with family, traveling etc…
But I get your point about ‘safety’, they will argue anything that they think will get them something.
How about putting the people who steal cars in jail?
I sure hate politicians.
Agreed, if there is a hell, I hope they all fall into it….
Guy is holding so many press photo OPs lately you’d think he wants Feinstein’s US Senate seat.
He may want it, but he won’t get it. Newsome said he would appoint a black woman. Oh wait. This is CA. Anyone can change their gender.
From the Beginning of Claycord – I have posted about using a Autolock Pro type device. Criminals are lazy and 99% of the time will move on to an easier target.
Also, it’s Funny how the big alphabet agencies are so concerned about people ordering “Ivermectin” online and yet they have done NOTHING about people purchasing these frequency boosters used to easily steal vehicles. Look at the videos of Hellcats being stolen.
PS: just like they’ve done NOTHING about regulating platinum = which is why almost 20 years later there is still serious problems with catalytic converters being stolen.
Yes, I remember, you have suggested this brake lock thing in the past. Good idea. Do not get the Club thing that goes across the steering wheel cause in my case they just used a hack saw to cut the steering wheel itself, twisted it, and easily removed the Club.
Here’s an idea. Arrest and prosecute and jail people who steel cars.
Amazing how so many stupid people are in charge here.
Good! Some companies don’t even want to insure those high theft models. No insurance = no registration = no driving
If only it worked that way.
Drive even a few miles on 880 and you’ll see several 15 year old cars with cardboard dealer plates. Think those cars are registered? No. Think they’re insured? Nope. Yet they’re still driving………
I see lota of vehicles with expired tags… and stay away from them.
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True.
And watch out for the cars with little steering wheels. That’s to make it easier to drive with handcuffs.
… it’s all for show for Bonta, …if he nd the DA’s stop the revolving door for perps that would certainly help the situation… rather than recalling the vehicles how about recalling Bonta and Becton?
These are the kind of morons that blame rape victims for going out in a short skirt.
We used to hang horse thieves. Maybe that’s a deterrent, or maybe not, but it sure reduces the recidivism rate.
Why blame and punish the victims? Just lock up the car thieves.
Your car is your horse of old. A hanging offense; it was your livelihood.
I’d say the same applies……..
Exactly
Hmm, what’s a backhoe rent for these days ? ? ?
What ever happened to let the buyer beware? You get what you pay for.
Believe NHTSA is limited to public safety not owner inconvenience due to theft.
AG could file a lawsuit but it would likely get thrown out of Court.
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Call it what it is, a get my face on TV for free stunt.
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If we applied the same liberal “logic”, Bonehead Bonta should be asking Toyota to recall all Toyota Prius, Highlander, and Tundra vehicles because their catalytic converters are reportedly easy to steal.
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Right?
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Newsom and Bonta don’t like seeing their preferred voters arrested for auto theft. Since auto theft is a vocation for many of their preferred voters, Bonta’s answer is to make cars more difficult to steal. Hence retaining their voter base. California political logic.
I hate California. Maybe fund the police and prosecute the thief’s instead of making us suffer more with your stupid ideas.
If only the choice to prosecute was actually up to the police.
But it’s not!
Hey Bonta, go work on something useful.
how about holding the car thief responsible?
Lojack unit can be had for under $100 or you could just buy the decals for $5