WASHINGTON -- Sibling automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. said they will offer a software upgrade to 8.3 million U.S. vehicles in response to increasing thefts targeting vehicles without push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices, U.S. auto safety regulators said.
Hyundai said Tuesday it is "introducing a free anti-theft software upgrade to prevent the vehicles from starting during a method of theft popularized on TikTok and other social media channels."
The upgrade will cover 3.8 million Hyundai and 4.5 million Kia U.S. vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
The agency said the effort is in response to a TikTok social media challenge that has spread nationwide "and has resulted in at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities."