MN Attorney General: Thieves ‘Move’ Kia, Hyundai Security Update; The owner of the Brooklyn Center car has proof

Minnesota’s attorney general says a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai is still on the table, despite the automakers’ efforts to fix a massive theft problem.

Certain models have been targeted for years after it was widely reported on social media that they were easier to steal because they lacked a device known as an engine immobilizer.

“In comparison, 96 percent of the vehicles sold by all other competitors were equipped with this anti-theft technology,” Attorney General Keith Ellison wrote in a press release announcing a civil investigation into the companies last spring.

Around the same time, Kia and Hyundai began rolling out free anti-theft software updates to about seven million affected car owners nationwide.

A year and a half later, Ellison and several car owners say it’s more of a “Band-Aid” than a solution.

Sitting next to the 2017 Hyundai Elantra at Park Auto Body in Spring Lake Park, Angela Holliday said she felt she did everything she could to prevent the theft, including getting the software update as soon as it was available.

However, his car was stolen again in the last week, marking the third time in two years. This time even with the update.

“Shocked, completely shocked,” she reacted.

The reason he still has the car, awaiting repairs at the shop, is because he bought a LoJack GPS tracker and was able to tell the police where to retrieve it.

“So the update was a Band-Aid,” she concluded. “I mean there’s a USB cable hanging from the ignition, so obviously it’s still easy to steal with a USB cable.”

In a statement, Hyundai went on to tout its software update as “extremely effective,” quoting a nonprofit report released this summer.

When asked, a spokesperson added: “Hyundai is not aware of any confirmed cases where the software update did not work as designed to prevent the theft mode popularized on social media.”

Instead, Ellison said he knows of cases where his office has “seen thieves bypassing the software update.”

He did not know how many, but confirmed: “Those cases exist and we can provide numbers.”

“There are dips in the numbers, but the numbers are still unacceptably high,” Ellison said.

The latest interview came more than a year and a half after his office launched its investigation into Hyundai and Kia, and Ellison said he won’t stop until the companies come up with a more effective solution.

“If the company’s argument is that aftermarket immobilizers are too expensive, my response is, ‘Well, I need something just as good,'” Ellison said.

One possible alternative he’s currently negotiating with manufacturers is a “zinc sleeve” device, “a piece of hardware made of this metal that you put in the ignition system that makes it really, really hard to steal the car in the way they. I stole them,” Ellison said.

He also expressed his desire for manufacturers to compensate car owners for their financial losses.

Apart from the thousands spent on repairs, some insurance companies have stopped writing policies to cover models affected by the risk of theft.

Monthly premiums have increased for other affected car owners.

Holiday said her insurance premium had risen so high because of the thefts that she had to find a less desirable alternative.

“My insurance was over $500 a month for this car. This is not even a $500 a month car,” she said. “They basically gave me the price right off the bat.”

Hyundai says it has partnered with AAA “to give customers another way to get insurance.”

Although, the company did not confirm that it helped slow premium growth when asked.

“We’ve got some basic fundamentals that we’re going to stick to or we’re going to try,” Ellison said.

“And one of those basics is that this customer is going to be in the same shoes as any other customer driving on the road and that their car is not going to be more susceptible to theft than anyone else’s. I think that’s a reasonable expectation.”

Meanwhile, Holliday sees a target in the “H” emblem on her car.

Asked if she was considering cutting her losses and trading in her Hyundai, she said: “I’m going to assume that nobody in their right mind wants to buy that kind of car.”

“…I know some people say they would just do it (out of) frustration, but I don’t know… I mean, why would I?”

Her car was one of twelve stolen cars recently serviced at Park Auto Body, the manager said. They were all Kias or Hyundais, he added.

His best advice was for customers to invest in an “aftermarket alarm system,” which he said would sound an alarm when the vehicle is broken into and act as an engine immobilizer.

The cost is around $500 to $600, he estimated.

The attorney general encouraged all affected car owners to call his office at 651-296-3353 or file a claim online.

“The more information, the more cases, it strengthens our hand and allows us to be even stronger in demanding the change that everyone deserves,” he said.