Hyundai and Kia are offering a new free software patch to owners of 8.3 million vehicles so easy to steal that some insurers refuse to cover them in certain markets.
The vehicles in question, 2015-2019 Hyundai and Kia models with key ignition – as opposed to push-button starter – are approximately twice as likely to be stolen than other vehicles of similar age.
The reason: Many of these vehicles lack some of the basic theft prevention technology included in most other vehicles even in those years, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute.
The models in question do not have electronic immobilizers, which rely on a computer chip in the car and another in the key that communicate to confirm whether the key belongs to that vehicle.
Without the right key, an immobilizer is supposed to do just that – stop the car from moving.
These models became the subject of a social media trend where thieves filmed themselves and others stealing Hyundai and Kia vehicles and taking them for a ride.
Thefts from these vehicles have resulted in at least 14 accidents and eight deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The two South Korean automakers have created a software patch to fix the issue, the automakers and NHTSA said on Tuesday.
Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but the Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and several Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering.
The patch will be installed free of charge on vulnerable models with software that requires an actual key in the ignition to start the vehicle. (Thieves use the ends of USB cables to turn on the ignition key)
The software will also prevent the car from starting after the doors have been locked using the key fob remote. The vehicle will need to be unlocked before it can be started.
Also, it extends the duration of the alarm sound from 30 seconds to a full minute.
Hyundai dealerships will also place stickers on the windows stating that the vehicle has anti-theft software installed.
Hyundai will start providing the software immediately for the most popular — and most frequently stolen — vulnerable models.
Kia said it has started offering the update to some customers and expects to make it available to affected vehicles “in the coming months”.
Source: CNN Brasil
I am an experienced journalist, writer, and editor with a passion for finance and business news. I have been working in the journalism field for over 6 years, covering a variety of topics from finance to technology. As an author at World Stock Market, I specialize in finance business-related topics.
