Kia Soul 2015 model (Photo: Carscoops).
Car thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been rampant in the United States since 2021, with a viral video suggesting a potential solution.
A study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) showed that theft rates have halved for vehicles upgraded with software patches from automakers, but the overall numbers remain high.
According to the HLDI study, vehicles updated with the software patch had a 53% lower theft claim frequency compared to vehicles still using the old software. Theft includes stealing the entire vehicle, damage from theft, parts theft, and cabin items theft.
If considering only the theft of entire vehicles, the software upgrade has helped reduce theft rates by 64%.
The software upgrade was launched in February 2023, compatible with 22 Hyundai and Kia models manufactured from 2011 to 2022. An estimated 7 million out of 9 million vulnerable vehicles are eligible for the upgrade. Additionally, the company provides theft deterrent kits for vehicles that do not qualify for the software update.
As of December 2023, only 30% of eligible Hyundai vehicles and 28% of eligible Kia vehicles had received the software update. Recent data from Korean automakers indicates that as of mid-July 2024, about 60% of eligible vehicles have been upgraded.
With the new software, vehicles can only be started with the original key or a genuine spare key. Hyundai and Kia provide special window stickers for owners who have upgraded, indicating their reduced theft risk.
Matt Moore, senior vice president of HLDI, praised this solution and urged more owners to upgrade their software.
However, HLDI noted that theft complaint rates in general for Hyundai and Kia vehicles are still increasing and remain high compared to other brands. Specifically, in the second half of 2023, theft complaints for Hyundai/Kia models from 2003 to 2023 (reaching a rate of 11.7 complaints per 1,000 vehicles) were eight times higher than other brands.
Vandalism complaint rates in the second half of 2023 for Hyundai and Kia models (reaching a rate of 8 complaints per 1,000 vehicles) were five times higher than other brands. These numbers may be related to the fact that the software-based theft deterrent system is only activated when the driver uses the key to lock the vehicle, and not when using a regular door lock.
Hyundai and Kia vehicles that received the update showed a 61% increase in vandalism complaint rates, indicating that criminals are still targeting these vehicles. However, the costs of such incidents are much lower than having the entire vehicle stolen.
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