Hyundai Charging Customers $170 for a Kit to Protect Its Easy-to-Steal Cars

• Hundreds of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been stolen this year due to popular social media videos showing how easy it is to commandeer certain models that use a traditional key and do not have an engine immobilizer.

• The new security kit will be available starting today for $170. It's expected Hyundai owners will be expected to pay for installation too, which could cost up to $500. Kia is not offering a similar security kit but is offering free steering wheel locks.

• Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed about the issue, which started gaining popularity in Milwaukee late last year.

Hyundai has developed a $170 solution for anyone who hasn’t had their vehicle stolen. Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been targets of car thieves in recent months because it’s incredibly easy to do so, and thieves are sharing how-to videos on social media. The raft of thefts is so bad that an average of six Hyundai vehicles are stolen each day just in Milwaukee, according to local news station WTMJ.

The nationwide rash of thefts has gotten so bad that Hyundai has finally come up with a solution. A new anti-theft security kit Hyundai developed in partnership with Compustar is now available. The kit includes both a kill switch and an alarm. Hyundai told Automotive News that the kit will be available at all of its 820 dealers in the U.S. and will take around two and a half hours to install. Hyundai is also working on a software fix for this issue.

Software Update Is in the Works Too

Hyundai spokesperson Ira Gabriel described the system as a "glass break sensor security kit that targets the method of entry used by thieves to break into these vehicles." He said customers can get them at Hyundai dealerships or at Compustar's authorized installers in the U.S. He also said Hyundai's update to software "to further secure these targeted vehicles" should be available for some Hyundai vehicles in the first half of 2023 with others to follow later.