Wheel Lock For Kia, Hyundai Cars Available At Aurora Police Department

AURORA, IL — Aurora residents concerned about their Hyundai and Kia cars being stolen have another option for protecting their vehicles. The Aurora Police Department is offering free steering wheel locks at its front desk.

The car manufacturers are working with law enforcement agencies across 12 states, Illinois included, to provide more than 26,000 wheel locks to drivers.

In Aurora, residents are encouraged to call the police department's non-emergency line, 630-256-5000, to inform front desk staff of their request ahead of picking it up, officials said.

Aurora police's announcement comes about three weeks after Kia and Hyundai announced they would install a theft deterrent software update in millions of their cars as an added prevention. The update will extend the alarm sound from 30 seconds to one minute and requires the key to be in the ignition switch to turn the vehicle on, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Hyundai will also provide customers with a window sticker to alert possible thieves that the car is equipped with anti-theft protection.

Both companies are rolling out updates in a phased approach beginning later in March, according to the NHTSA.

The targeted cars are "so easy to steal" that some insurance companies refuse to provide coverage for them. Hyundai and Kia models made between 2015-2019 with turn-key ignitions are about twice as likely to be stolen since some lack basic auto theft prevention technology, according to a report from CBS News.

Many of the thefts are related to a TikTok challenge, dubbed "Kia Boys," first posted last summer that encouraged people to break into Kia cars using cellphone chargers. Law enforcement agencies across the country believe the challenge has led to at least 14 reported crashes and eight deaths, AP reported.