Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is leading a coalition of 23 attorneys general in calling on the leadership of Kia America (Kia) and Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) to take swift and comprehensive action following a rash of car thefts that Kaul says has occurred as a result of the companies’ failure to equip vehicles with anti-theft immobilizers. Alarmingly high theft rates for Kia and Hyundai models continue across the country, and many of these thefts are connected to other crimes, further endangering the public, according to Kaul. “Kia and Hyundai need to step up to address the scourge of theft of vehicles they manufactured without anti-theft immobilizers,” said Attorney General Kaul. “These companies must act swiftly to reduce further harm from the high rates of theft of Kias and Hyundais.” In 2021, there were 6,970 Kia and Hyundai vehicles reported stolen in Milwaukee, up from a total of 895 in 2020, a nearly 800% increase. While car thefts slightly declined in Milwaukee in 2022, there were still six Kia and Hyundai cars being stolen every day as of the end of September 2022. As the attorneys general note in the letter, Kia and Hyundai chose not to include anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment on several vehicle models sold in the United States during a period when every other car manufacturer was doing so, and even though the same Kia and Hyundai vehicles were equipped with immobilizers when sold in Canada and Europe.
