Hyundai, Kia theft no recall overview:ย
- Who: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the reason behind a wave of Hyundai and Kia thefts does not meet its criteria for a nationwide recall, rejecting a request for one made by a total of 18 attorneys general.ย
- Why: The NHTSA said vehicles are not federally required to be equipped with an engine immobilizer, and that it does not take the actions of criminal actors hotwiring vehicles into account when determining whether a recall is necessary.ย
- Where: Nationwide.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has determined that a TikTok trend resulting in a wave of thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles does not meet the agencyโs criteria for a nationwide recall.ย
The NHTSAโs acting associate director of enforcement, in a letter to attorney generals from a total of 18 states, said the agency found the car theft issue does not constitute โeither a safety defect or noncompliance requiring a recall,โ reports NBC News.ย
Hyundai and Kia agreed to pay more than $200 million in May to resolve claims the automakers sold model year 2011-2022 vehicles that were not equipped with an engine immobilizer, making them vulnerable to theft.ย
The NHTSA, meanwhile, said the federal standard for automotive safety does not require a vehicle to be equipped with an engine immobilizer, and that criminal actions taken to hotwire a vehicle are not taken into account when determining whether a recall is needed.ย
Attorneys general request Hyundai, Kia vehicles be retrofitted with engine immobilizer
Led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the attorney generals wrote to the NHTSA in April to request the agency announce a recall for model year 2011-2022 Hyundai and Kia vehicles not equipped with an engine immobilizer, reports NBC News.ย
The attorneys general, as part of their recall request, also asked the NHTSA to require that the vehicles be retrofitted with engine immobilizers to prevent them from being vulnerable to theft going forward.ย
โThefts of these Hyundai and Kia vehicles have led to at least eight deaths, numerous injuries and property damage, and they have diverted significant police and emergency services resources from other priorities,โ the attorneys general wrote, reports NBC News.ย
Earlier this month, a trio of cities โ including Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee, and Seattle โ joined a sprawling multidistrict litigation that is currently in a California federal court over claims Hyundai and Kia left their vehicles vulnerable to theft.ย
The cities argue a rash of Hyundai and Kia vehicle thefts qualifies as a public nuisance as it has forced them to siphon off resources from local law enforcement and first responders to address the issue.ย
The MDL also contains around 60 lawsuits brought by consumers and a number of complaints from insurers.ย
Do you own a model year 2011-2022 Kia or Hyundai vehicle? Let us know in the comments!
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194 thoughts onNo recall for theft-prone Hyundai, Kia vehicles, NHTSA says
August 31st our 2015 Kia Soul was stolen from the front of our house. Kia is equipped with alarm but did not even sound after they broke the window. They broke the steering calumn and used a USB cord to start Kia causing thousands of dollars in damage to car.
I do and my car was broken into and damaged. Apparently if you break a rear passenger window it doesnโt trigger the car alarm!
Crazy
I have owned two different Hyundai vehicles during this time frame. I never knew that this was an issue. I know the Hyundai has a lot of issues and I never received anything about them. I do know though that I will never buy another Hyundai ever!
2013 kia optima got stolen.
I have a 2018 hyundai how come im not part of this or wasnโt informed
I have a 2014 Kia Sorento and my insurance sky rocketing to 600 a month for minimum state requirements. I am a single mom and cannot afford to pay it. Please add me i need help!
I have a 2015 Kia soul! I am just now finding out about this theft issue. I have not received anything in mail or email about this. However, I did have my motor replaced by them and they ( the mechanicโs broken all my clips on and around motor and refuse to fix them . The zip tied a few . So her Iโm trying to see what I can do for them to fix this .
Good luck everyone!!! โ๐ป
I boa 2014 Hyundai elentra and I know there is a recall for transmission knocking but I never receive any letter and now they donโt want to repair my car
I bought a used 2019 Hyundai Kona. When I went to go have it insured I am having to pay double what I normally would pay for car insurance. When I bought the car I was not informed that it was easily stolen and that my insurance would go up drastically. I only found out this information when I was looking for the best rate. Some companies such as Allstate would not even give me a quote because they donโt insure Hyundai konas 2019. By that time it was already too late because I had already signed on that line getting this car financed so it was like I can take it back cuz I already entered into the agreement. I believe that Hyundai needs to you issue a recall or all of us that have these cars need to sue hyunda in order to recoup some of the insurance premiums that we have to pay because their vehicle is easily stolen and refuse to fix it. Just saying!
My 2014 hyundai elantra was stolen and i had to pay $2000 out of my packet for the town company and to repair the ingnition switch and other partsโฆ i call the dealer about the recall to install the engine immobilizer but they didnโt respond..
Had my car ( 2015 Hyundai) stolen and repairs totaling over 2,000 dollars from my workplace. Other items totally over $500 in additional losses. In addition, being a senior citizens image the health and life risk of this situation. It far outweighs money when you talk about health, safety
and deaths.