Thieves continue stealing Hyundai and Kia vehicles despite software fix

Just last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference to announce plans to offer car owners: Free Apple AirTags Helps track the vehicle in case of theft. Citizens are then encouraged to pass that data on to the police in hopes of recovering the vehicle.

But it’s clear that automakers’ solutions aren’t working, forcing states and local governments to take matters into their own hands. Meanwhile, both automakers under Hyundai Motor Group are working to accelerate the distribution of software fixes.

With an estimated 6,000 installations daily and affected owners contacted via email, phone, social media and other forms of advertising, authorities are not satisfied. Of his 4.5 million eligible vehicles, only 210,000 of his have received the update. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said in announcing the city’s lawsuit that “Kia and Hyundai did not put engine immobilizers on these vehicles and put profit before people.”

Authorities are rightfully concerned that such thefts could lead to violence unless automakers take more drastic action.