Last year, Hyundai and Kia vehicles led the US in motor vehicle thefts.
last year, a shocking number of Hyundai Elantra and Sonata compact cars were stolen, with Elantra making it to the top spot with a whopping 48,000 instances of theft, while Sonata followed close behind with nearly 43,000 stolen vehicles. Kia Optima sedans also made it to the list, with more than 30,000 theft cases reported. All of these reports only capture police-reported thefts, so the actual numbers could even be higher.
Surprisingly, the fourth most stolen vehicle was none other than the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup, a popular choice in the US. But the shocker was that these Hyundai and Kia models dominated the top 10 most stolen cars list, which also included the Kia Soul, Kia Forte, Kia Sportage, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and the Ford F-150 pickup.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau released these figures, which are based on raw, unadjusted police-reported theft data gathered through the National Crime Information Center. Keep in mind, some cars might be more readily stolen simply due to their higher prevalence on the roads.
Interestingly, the same car models were also among the top targets for theft in the first half of 2023, with the theft rates increasing by an astonishing 1,000% compared to 2020. The Highway Loss Data Institute pointed out that it's the older Hyundai and Kia models made between 2015 and 2019 that were most vulnerable, as these vehicles often lacked anti-theft features like electronic immobilizers. These systems rely on a computer chip in the car and another in the key to communicate and confirm that the key is legit and belongs to that specific vehicle.
Over the years, social media has been instrumental in spreading techniques for stealing these models. Notably, both Hyundai and Kia are owned by the Hyundai Motor Group, and many of their models share the same engineering. However, more recent models from these automakers are considered less vulnerable to theft.
In an effort to address the issue, Hyundai and Kia reached a $200 million settlement with up to 9 million car owners earlier this year. Payments were made to those affected by stolen and damaged vehicles, while they also installed anti-theft software and covered the costs of other theft-preventative measures.
In response to the situation, Kia has been actively taking measures to improve security, having installed anti-theft software on over 1.1 million vehicles across the country. They're also providing free steering wheel locks for vehicles that can't accept the anti-theft software.
Representatives from Hyundai have not yet responded to requests for comment about this latest report.
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In the business world, Hyundai and Kia's automotive division faced a significant challenge with their compact cars, the Elantra and Sonata, leading the US in motor vehicle thefts last year. The cars' popularity in the market, coupled with a lack of advanced anti-theft features in older models, made them prime targets for theft.
Source: edition.cnn.com
