$9M settlement reached by Hyundai and Kia in 35 states including California

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two large car companies volition wage retired millions to owners aft they were accused of selling cars that were casual to steal.

Kia and Hyundai person agreed to a $9 cardinal settlement. Attorneys wide from 35 states, including California, claimed the companies sold cars that lacked industry-standard Anti-Theft Protections.

The colony volition supply up to $4,500 to radical who had their cars totaled, fractional that for those who had their cars severely damaged, and $375 to those who had a thief interruption in, but not bargain their car.

The institution has besides agreed to a escaped retrofit to adhd a metallic sleeve astir the ignition.

"And you know, it does travel backmost to locking it, but astatine the extremity of the day, you got to understand, and they request to understand, that it's much than conscionable a car," says AJ Rivie who is simply a Visalia mechanic and owns a KIA.

Thankfully, his car has been safe, but he's seen it spell done aggregate recalls and remembers the years societal media made groups similar Kia Boys viral.

In Visalia alone, 22 teens were arrested successful 2023 for stealing Hyundais and Kias.

Last year, Kias and Hyundais topped the database of astir stolen cars. That's due to the fact that thieves discovered each that was needed to thrust disconnected was a screwdriver and a USB charging cable, and that went viral connected TikTok.

We recovered 1 Tulare County antheral who astir had his car taken extracurricular of his home.

He wishes to stay anonymous but shared, "It was astir apt close betwixt midnight and one. I heard the neighbor's canine making much of a ruckus than helium usually does, truthful it conscionable benignant of possibly got my attraction and got up, went retired to the model and looked retired and saw idiosyncratic by my car messing with the doorway handle, went to the beforehand door, opened it..."

Thankfully.. He frightened disconnected the would-be thief, but it's a infinitesimal helium volition ne'er forget.

To this day, helium considers himself lucky, "Many radical didn't person that benignant of luck... A batch of them got their car stolen and it was wrecked oregon totaled... When thing similar that happens to you, it's conscionable not the aforesaid to you anymore."

People are ever encouraged to fastener your car doors and not permission thing successful your vehicle.

Local mechanics did notation you tin scope retired to them if you person immoderate questions connected a imaginable recall.

We besides reached retired to KIA. They shared this statement:

"Today's statement is the latest successful a bid of steps that Kia has taken to enactment our customers who person been impacted by criminals utilizing methods of theft popularized connected societal media to bargain oregon effort to bargain definite conveyance models. Kia has worked tirelessly to find new, creative, and - astir importantly - effectual ways to marque these vehicles much hard for criminals to bargain beyond their already existing theft protections. These see the improvement and instauration of a escaped bundle information upgrade that has been recovered to importantly trim theft rates, the organisation of hundreds of thousands of steering instrumentality locks to our customers astatine nary cost, and the rollout of a zinc-sleeve hardware modification that combats this societal media-inspired theft method by reinforcing the ignition cylinder assemblage and preventing its removal done the method that was made fashionable online. The institution has besides established colony funds providing nonstop enactment and compensation to eligible owners of impacted vehicles. Kia is anxious to proceed moving with instrumentality enforcement officers and officials astatine federal, state, and section levels to combat transgression car theft, and the relation societal media has played successful encouraging it, and we stay afloat committed to upholding conveyance security."

For much information, sojourn here oregon Hyundai and Kia's Official webpages. We volition update this communicative erstwhile a colony webpage nexus is available.

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