December 04, 2024

• 

A sticker showing that the car has installed Hyundai Motor's anti-theft software upgrade (Highway Loss Data Institute)

The anti-theft software upgrade for Hyundai Motor Company and Kia vehicles has reduced theft rates by more than half in the United States, according to a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute.

The two Korean automakers came under fire as numerous vehicle thefts among certain models lacking immobilizers grew exponentially after videos of young men stealing the cars went viral on social media platforms in the summer of 2022.

In the videos, the thieves would rip off a plastic cover behind the steering wheel, use a USB cable to turn a knob, start the car and drive away.

After theft claims surged across the US and major cities filed lawsuits against the automakers, Hyundai and Kia began implementing the software upgrade for the theft-vulnerable vehicle models in February 2023. The subject vehicles were about two dozen Hyundai and Kia models manufactured from 2011 to 2022 without push-button start mechanisms and immobilizers.

The HLDI’s study, published Wednesday, showed the vehicles that received the software upgrade as of December last year had theft claim frequencies that were 53 percent lower than vehicles without the upgrade. It was also revealed that 30 percent of the eligible Hyundai cars and 28 percent of the eligible Kia cars had undergone the software upgrade by then.

The HLDI noted that the analyzed theft claims include damage to vehicles that were stolen and recovered, theft of vehicle parts and items stolen from inside the vehicle, adding that the frequency of whole vehicle theft decreased by a larger 64 percent for the cars with the upgrade.

Regardless of the study covering the data up to December last year, the carmakers have continued to install the software upgrade in the affected vehicles. According to the companies, about 60 percent of eligible vehicles received the upgrade as of mid-July this year.

“The companies’ solution is extremely effective,” said Matt Moore, senior vice president of the HLDI.

“Based on these trends, we expect claim rates for Hyundai and Kia vehicles to gradually drop back in line with those of other brands, as thieves learn they’re no longer so easy to steal and the fad gets stale.”

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)