According to the plaintiffs, Hyundai and Kia from 2011 to 2022 did not install immobilizers on the majority of cars sold, which turned them into targets for car thieves. The situation was exacerbated by videos on TikTok: the challenge explained how to steal a Korean car in a few steps without an anti-theft device and with an ignition switch designed for a physical key.
In 2022, the number of Hyundai and Kia thefts in New York doubled, and a surge was recorded in the first months of 2023, with 997 stolen cars in January-April. For comparison, during the same period last year, 148 were stolen. At the same time, the interest of thieves in the brands BMW, Ford, Honda, Mercedes, Nissan and Toyota is falling.
