California, other states seek recall of Hyundai, Kia vehicles over theft

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(Reuters) -California and 17 other U.S. states on Thursday asked a federal regulator to recall Hyundai and Kia vehicles, saying they are more likely to be stolen because they lack safety features that are standard in other cars.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp vehicles represent a large share of stolen cars in multiple U.S. cities, according to data from police and state officials. While most cars in recent years have been installed with anti-theft devices, the Korean automakers have no electronic immobilizers.

    “Kia’s and Hyundai’s failure to install standard safety features on many of their vehicles have put vehicle owners and the public at risk,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is spearheading the push by the states for a recall, said in a statement. The states have written to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with their concerns.

The Korean carmakers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. theft claims were nearly twice as common for Hyundai and Kia vehicles compared with all other manufacturers among 2015-2019 model-year vehicles, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute said last year.

TikTok videos that show how to steal Kia and Hyundai cars without push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices have spread nationwide, leading to a raft of car thefts.

   “Instead of taking responsibility with appropriate corrective action, these carmakers have chosen instead to pass this risk onto consumers and our communities,” Bonta said.

The automakers said in February they would offer software upgrades to 8.3 million U.S. vehicles to help curb thefts.

However, upgrades will not be available for many affected vehicles until June and cannot be installed on some 2011-2022 models, Bonta’s statement said.