The city of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against vehicle manufacturers Kia and Hyundai over a jump in car thefts, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Thursday.
The complaint alleges that Kia and Hyundai failed to equip their U.S. cars, sold between 2011 and 2022, with “vital anti-theft technology, which almost all other car manufacturers made a standard feature over a decade ago,” according to a press release from the mayor’s office.
It also alleges Kia and Hyundai “deceptively assured consumers that these vehicles possessed ‘advanced’ safety features, despite knowing about this critical defect and its consequences.”
“The impact of car theft on Chicago residents can be deeply destabilizing, particularly for low- to middle-income workers who have fewer options for getting to work and taking care of their families,” Johnson said. “The failure of Kia and Hyundai to install basic auto-theft prevention technology in these models is sheer negligence, and as a result, a citywide and nationwide crime spree around automobile theft has been unfolding right before our eyes.”
Since videos posted on social media exposed the defect, thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Chicago surged from about 500 in the first half of 2022 to more than 8,350 during the second half of the year, with thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles continuing to make up more than half of all vehicles stolen in Chicago in 2023, the mayor’s office said.
The mayor’s office says the automobile manufacturers are “refusing to provide sufficient steering wheel locks requested by the city and even taking advantage of the crisis by charging consumers for security kits.
“This is about saving lives and preventing the violent crimes that these stolen vehicles are used in,” Chicago Police Department interim Supt. Fred Waller said. “As law enforcement, we are doing everything we can to prevent these thefts, but these vehicle companies must also be held accountable.”
This month, a federal judge declined to approve a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit prompted by a surge in Hyundai and Kia vehicle thefts, saying it fails to provide “fair and adequate” relief to vehicle owners.
The proposed settlement, announced in May, could be valued at $200 million and covers about 9 million 2011-2022 model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S., the companies said at the time.
These cars are not equipped with push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices. That has allowed thieves to easily steal them using just a screwdriver and a USB cord, creating a recent rash of auto thefts across the country.
The proposed settlement would offer vehicle owners cash payments for theft-related damage and a voluntary recall to update theft-protection software. But U.S. District Judge James Selna raised concerns about the process for calculating payments and the adequacy of the software update in preventing future thefts.
The two automakers announced that update early in 2023, saying it would address a security flaw that was exposed on TikTok and other social media sites. But in May, The Associated Press reported that thieves were still driving off with Kia and Hyundai vehicles at alarming rates.
Any Chicagoan who wants to inform the city about their experience with Kia and Hyundai related thefts can email consumerprotection@cityofchicago.org.
Contributing: Associated Press