Kias, Hyundais Without Immobilizers Stolen and Damaged Class Action

This class action claims that, in recent years, Kia and Hyundai have manufactured many of their vehicles with “defective, hackable ignition systems that are prompting a nationwide rash of Kia and Hyundai thefts.” It brings suit against Kia America, Inc., Hyundai Kia America Technical Center, Inc., and Hyundai Motor America.

The class for this action is all persons who bought or leased a 2011-2021 Kia or Hyundai, primarily for personal use and not for resale, in Minnesota.

Kia and Hyundai vehicles have suffered a rash of thefts recently, the complaint alleges, because they were manufactured without immobilizers. Immobilizers are meant, the Code of Federal Regulations says, “to prevent a motor vehicle from being powered by its own propulsion system.” They are made with electronic chips that prevent the engine from starting without the presence of the authorized key or key fob.

However, the Kia and Hyundai vehicles at issue do not have these systems. The complaint quotes a Fox News segment as saying, “If you strip the ignition column, there’s a piece that pops off and you can stick a USB drive, a knife, or something like that” in to start the engine. The complaint alleges that the vehicles are so easy to steal that TikTok has tutorial videos telling viewers how to do it.

The complaint alleges that these vehicles “have become the most frequently stolen cars in Minneapolis,” as well as all too frequently stolen around the country. Unfortunately, the complaint claims, these thefts often lead to large bills for damage to the vehicles that the owners or lessees have to pay.

One of the two plaintiffs in this case, Kelsey Biljan, had her 2021 Kia Seltos stolen while it was parked in her driveway in July 2022. She called police immediately, and state troopers were able to follow for a time but were not able to continue. The vehicle was found forty-eight hours later, but the complaint alleges that “the dash panel had been torn off and it appeared someone had been living in the vehicle. There was gum mashed into the seats and carpeting, dents and scratches on the outside of the vehicle, and someone had stolen her child’s car seat.”

The vehicle had to be towed because, the complaint alleges, it “was undriveable and needed, among other fixes, a new ignition system, and a tremendous amount of body work.” The complaint alleges it took a month to have the ignition fixed and the body work was delayed because the shop “had been inundated with repairs related to the recent thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles.” She has still not been able to replace a part of the transmission, because, for the same recently, a part required is on back order, “indefinitely.”

The other plaintiff, Lisa Hilliard, had her locked 2018 Hyundai Elantra broken into and stolen twice in two months.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Automobile
Tags: Defective Automobile, Ignition or Starter System, Immobilizer