Now New York City Is Suing Hyundai and Kia Over Thefts

The City of New York officially sued Hyundai and Kia on Tuesday, accusing the automakers of negligence and creating a public nuisance in relation due to the ease with which their vehicles can be stolen.

The announcement sees New York join a number of other major cities across the United States currently taking legal action against Hyundai and Kia. Those major population centers include Cleveland, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Seattle, and San Diego. The lawsuits come after a popular TikTok trend highlighted the process involved with stealing a Hyundia or Kia product, which can supposedly be done with as little as a USB cable. Thefts of these products have skyrocketed nationwide as a result, with insurance companies in some states threatening to drop coverage for the brands as a result of consistent payouts. New York officials believe this has contributed to a rise in vehicle thefts, reckless driving and crime sprees within the city.

According to a report from Reuters, the City of New York specifically noted that Hyundai and Kia failed to install anti-theft devices known as immobilizers in most of their vehicles produced between MY 2011 and MY 2022. This is highly irregular behavior within the auto industry at large, which the city highlights in complaint in the Manhattan federal court. It is important to note however that there are no federal guidelines requiring the use of immobilizers. While automakers have largely adopted the practice in more recent times, it used to be common for lower trimmed vehicles to come without the anti-theft measures installed.

“A subset of Hyundai vehicles on the road in the U.S. today – primarily “base trim” or entry-level models – are not equipped with push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices," the automaker said in a written statement according to an ABC report. "It is important to clarify that an engine immobilizer is an anti-theft device and these vehicles are fully compliant with federal anti-theft requirements,”