New York City has launched legal action against Kia and parent-company Hyundai, stating that a failure to install effective anti-theft devices has resulted in an “explosion of thefts” in the city.
In a complaint filed in the Manhattan federal court, New York alleges that Hyundai and Kia vehicles, produced between 2011-2022, were not fitted with an immobiliser that has resulted in an increase rate of thefts.
In its filing to the US District Court, New York City says the absence of an immobiliser “opened the floodgates to vehicle theft, crime sprees, reckless driving and public harm”.
The city alleges this resulted in the number of Hyundai and Kia thefts in NYC jumping from 148 in 2022 to 977 in the first four months of 2023.
In response, Kia has said that NYC’s complaint is “without merit,” and will continue to work with law enforcement to get atop theft numbers.
Earlier in the year, Hyundai and Kia confirmed several software upgrades for vehicles in the US lacking an immobiliser.
Hyundai and Kia finalised a class-action involving nine million vehicle owners last month, which resulted in a US$200 million settlement.
In that settlement, Hyundai and Kia confirmed they would compensate owners “who incurred theft-related vehicle losses or damage in addition to reimbursement for insurance deductibles, premiums and other theft related losses”.
