Hyundai to offer security kit to stem raft of vehicle thefts popularized on social media

Owners of Hyundai vehicles that have been targeted by thieves who've demonstrated on social media how to hot wire the company's late-model cars and crossovers will be able to purchase a Compustar anti-theft security kit for $170 starting Oct. 1.

All 820 dealers in Hyundai's U.S. network are authorized to install the kit, the company said Friday. "The dealers have been notified and are currently receiving training bulletins and instructions on how to perform the installation, which will take about 2.5 hours to complete," Ira Gabriel, a spokesperson for Hyundai, told Automotive News.

"The kits are at our distribution centers, which are located around the country, so they'll have it in inventory this week," Gabriel said.

The full cost of the security kit is still unknown. Gabriel says installation cost will vary depending on the dealer location and he did not provide a cost estimate.

The thefts, widely demonstrated on YouTube and Tik Tok, have become a public relations and legal nightmare for the company, as well as for Kia, a Hyundai Motor Group affiliate with similar cars and light trucks.

Jonathan Michaels, principal attorney for MLG, who filed a class action lawsuit against the Korean automaker for not installing immobilizers on the vehicles, told Automotive News that installation will likely be $500 based on quotes from "a number of dealers who are expected to be doing the installs."

Hyundai also is working on a software update to further secure targeted vehicles. The company anticipates the software fix will be available for certain vehicles in the first half of 2023. Software updates for remaining vehicles will follow.

The list of affected Hyundai models includes certain 2016-21 model year Accent, Elantra, Elantra GT, Sonata, Veloster, Venue, Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Sport, Santa Fe XL and Palisade vehicles that use a steel key and do not have an engine immobilizer.

Vehicles with push-button start are not affected. Hyundai says that customers can reach out to local dealers if they are not sure whether their vehicle lacks an immobilizer.

Certain 2011-21 Kia vehicles without engine immobilizers also have been part of the social media-driven crime wave. Kia does not have a security kit for installation but will continue to distribute free steering wheel locks to owners as a method of prevention.

Hyundai also is working with law enforcement to distribute free steering wheel locks in areas that have been most impacted. The Midwest has reported a high number of vehicle thefts since December 2021. The first surge of thefts surfaced in Milwaukee.

The thefts have caused a legal headache for both Korean automakers, who operate as separate entities despite being owned by the same parent company, Hyundai Motor Group.

Fifteen class actions suits have been filed in 14 states alleging that the targeted Hyundai and Kia vehicles are defective because they lack an immobilizer, and therefore unsafe because without the immobilizer they can easily be stolen. All of the lawsuits seek monetary damages against the automakers and an initiation of a nationwide recall.