Columbus files lawsuit against Kia, Hyundai citing uptick in thefts, stress on resources

The Columbus City Attorney filed a lawsuit against automakers Kia and Hyundai Wednesday citing an uptick in thefts on vehicle models that lack industry anti-theft technology.

Nearly two-thirds of all vehicle theft attempts since January 2022 in Columbus were Kia and Hyundai models, according to City Attorney Zach Klein in a release.

“The taxpayer cost of Kia and Hyundai’s negligence continues to rise as local law enforcement diverts limited resources to investigate thefts, respond to crimes and assess property destruction,” Klein said. “It’s time we held these automakers accountable for cheating consumers and passing the buck and responsibility to clean up the mess they made onto the rest of us.”

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Here in the Miami Valley, Dayton police reported similar numbers last year.

Typically, Dayton police see under 1,000 car thefts per year. They reported 1,500 car thefts and attempted thefts in 2022. Of those thefts 662 involved Kia and Hyundai vehicles.

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In their lawsuit, the City of Columbus said that the uptick of Kia and Hyundai thefts due to “substandard security features” in their vehicles has cost consumers, insurance companies, local governments, and law enforcement millions of dollars over the past year alone.

Car thefts increased last July when the “Kia Challenge” became popular on social media platforms and it hasn’t slowed down since. Dayton police said they are fighting the crime wave, but a lot of car owners that have to park on the street or in driveways are still being victimized.

Earlier this week Hyundai and Kia said they are launching an anti-theft software to prevent the theft of millions of vehicles that have been targeted by the social media challenge, but Klein argues it’s too little too late.

>> RELATED: Hyundai, Kia anti-theft software expected to roll out later this month for millions of cars

“I commend Kia and Hyundai for heeding our call and providing a no-cost security fix for drivers, but unfortunately a lot of damage has been done. The fact remains that thousands of Columbus residents have already had their cars stolen and our law enforcement continues to divert significant time and resources to respond to these crimes,” Klein said.

It is not known if any Miami Valley cities plan to follow Columbus’ lead and also file a lawsuit.

We are working to learn more and we will update this story as we learn new information.

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