When Ft. Lauderdale Police found a 2012 white Kia Optima shortly after it was stolen from a home on Northwest 24th Avenue Tuesday morning, they discovered a telling clue: a USB cable is believed to have been used in the crime.
When Ft. Lauderdale Police found a 2012 white Kia Optima shortly after it was stolen from a home on Northwest 24th Avenue Tuesday morning, they discovered a telling clue: a USB cable is believed to have been used in the crime.
“If you have a Hyundai, Kia vehicle that is stolen and when it is recovered, there happens to be a USB cable in the vehicle, it is likely an indication that whoever stole the vehicle gained information on how to do so via social media,” said Matt Moore, senior vice president at the Highway Loss Data Institute.
NBC Responds units across the country have been following the social media trend in recent years after a rise in thefts. It is a trend South Florida mechanic Jonathan Gutierrez said he has heard about for years.
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“When they started doing this, I didn’t think it was very possible to steal cars,” Gutierrez said. “Now I see how easy it is to do such things.”
Just last year, Michael Pucci told NBC6 his 2017 Hyundai Elantra was stolen while he slept at his home in Hollywood.
“I was just standing here dumbfounded trying to take it all in,” Pucci said.
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Pucci said he learned about the trend from police.
“Unfortunately my car got stolen first,” he said.
A newly released report by the Highway Loss Data Institute said since 2021, “…theft claim frequency for Hyundai and Kia vehicles has increased at a rate significantly higher than that for vehicles from other manufacturers.” Their analysis also found theft claim frequency for these types of vehicles during the first half of 2023 was nearly seven times higher than it was for other makes. The analysis is based on insurance claims and does not assess the impact of anti-theft software upgrades Kia and Hyundai rolled out last year. Still, the Institute said the data was concerning.
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen theft claim frequencies this high,” Moore said.
Ft. Lauderdale Police told NBC6 they have had approximately 60 incidents from November 1 to December 31, 2023. They also said two 15-year-olds are now charged in connection to the car theft that happened in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday.
Kia told NBC6 it “…continues to take significant steps…” to support customers and is encouraging “…eligible customers to have the software upgrade that we developed and rolled out…” installed. To date, they are approaching a million vehicles that have received that upgrade. The company also said in December, they “…released a new hardware modification – an ignition cylinder protector – designed for the vehicles that are not eligible for the security software upgrade.” They are also offering free steering wheel locks to some owners of impacted vehicles.
After the story aired, a Hyundai’s spokesperson sent NBC6 a statement, saying in part “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. 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.”
The spokesperson went on to list several steps the company has taken to assist customers impacted including: “(1) Made engine immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced as of November 2021; (2) Developed a software upgrade to equip these vehicles with an “ignition kill” feature designed to prevent the popularized method of theft; (3) Rolled out the free anti-theft software upgrade to all of the nearly 4 million vehicles involved – two months ahead of the original schedule – through a service campaign to affected customers who own or lease model year 2011-2022 vehicles; (4) Launched a dedicated website HyundaiAntiTheft.com, toll-free number (888) 498-0390 and digital advertising to generate awareness of the software upgrade, help customers determine their eligibility, and schedule an appointment at their local Hyundai dealership; (5) Initiated a program to reimburse affected customers for their purchase of steering wheel locks, including for a smaller group of 2011-2022 model year vehicles that cannot accommodate the software upgrade; (6) Established a program to provide free steering wheel locks to law enforcement agencies across the country for distribution to local residents who own or lease the affected vehicles; (7) Collaborated with AAA insurers on a program to offer insurance options for affected owners and lessees. As part of this collaboration, AAA insurers will issue new and renewal policies for eligible affected Hyundai customers. The program will be available in all states with the exception of those states where AAA does not offer insurance. (e.g., Alaska, Massachusetts, Washington); (8) Recently piloted mobile service centers in Washington, D.C., St. Louis County, MO, New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, upstate New York and Baltimore with plans to replicate in additional markets to further scale and speed installation of the software upgrade.”
To check if your vehicle qualifies for any of the security upgrades available, click here for Hyundai or here for Kia.
