CA Among 18 States Seeking Recall Of Hyundai, Kia Vehicles Due To Thefts

SACRAMENTO, CA — California has joined 17 other states seeking a federal recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles following what Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office characterized as an “alarming rate” of thefts.

In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the attorneys general requested the agency recall vehicles that were manufactured by the companies between 2011 and 2022, contain easy-to-bypass ignition switches and lack engine immobilizers, according to a news release from Bonta’s office.

“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,” Bonta said in the news release Thursday. “Instead of taking responsibility with appropriate corrective action, these carmakers have chosen instead to pass this risk onto consumers and our communities.”

Bonta was among 23 attorneys general in March to ask the companies to take stronger steps to address safety concerns.

“This letter now calls on the federal government to step in, 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,” Thursday’s news release said.

The thefts have occurred at high rates since around 2021, according to the news release, which noted that videos on social media demonstrate how to hotwire the vehicles and challenge people to steal them.

Thefts of Hyundais and Kias in Los Angeles increased by about 85 percent in 2022 and consisted of roughly 20 percent of stolen cars in the city that year, up from 13 percent in 2021, the news release said. In Berkeley, thefts of Hyundais and Kias made up 38 percent of thefts since the end of 2022.

Vehicle owners face the possibility of being unable to find insurance as major companies are refusing to cover the Hyundai and Kia models most susceptible to theft, Bonta’s office has said.

Both Hyundai and Kia said their vehicles are compliant with federal anti-theft requirements.

“Thieves discovered a specific method by which to bypass the vehicles’ security features and then documented and promoted their exploits on TikTok and other social media channels,” Hyundai Senior Group Manager Ira Gabriel said in an email.

The companies are taking steps to address the problem such as upgrading theft-prevention software, paying for steering wheel locks and partnering with AAA to help insure certain customers.

“Kia remains very focused on this issue and we continue to take action to address the concerns these Attorneys General have raised,” the company said in a prepared statement. “We are committed to working with them and law enforcement agencies across their respective states to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it.”

A vehicle theft TikTok challenge has resulted in at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said it has repeatedly met with Hyundai and Kia in the last year.

“NHTSA will continue to monitor this issue, spread awareness of further updates to local authorities, and lend its expertise in efforts to strengthen motor vehicle safety,” the administration said in a prepared statement.