Kia and Hyundai recall 8 million cars in the US to fit anti-theft devices

Kia and Hyundai have announced a voluntary recall of more than eight million cars in the US – representing the majority of vehicles sold by each brand since 2011 and 2015 respectively – to fit anti-theft devices free of charge.

The rollout of anti-theft 'immobiliser' technology is in response to a US crime wave which has targeted Kia and Hyundai cars because they are so easy to steal, with thefts of certain models reportedly increasing by more than 750 per cent in some jurisdictions.

On social media platform TikTok, criminals in the US have demonstrated their ability to steal certain Kia and Hyundai cars by removing the plastic cover which surrounds the ignition barrel – starting the affected vehicles with nothing more than a screwdriver and a USB cable.

A 2015 report by the US Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) found just 26 per cent of Kia and Hyundai new cars for sale were equipped with an engine immobiliser, compared to an average of 96 per cent across rival brands.

Hyundai only introduced engine immobilisers across its entire US model range from November 1, 2021, while all Kias sold in the US from 2022 are fitted with the anti-theft technology.

MORE: US Kia and Hyundai thefts – What it means for Australia

Kia and Hyundai have previously announced the targeted vehicles were built from 2011 and 2015 respectively. There is no data explaining why thieves are not stealing earlier models on a similar scale, despite also lacking anti-theft technology.

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 8.3 million vehicles in the voluntary recall campaign include 4.5 million Kias and 3.8 million Hyundais.

Hyundai’s US division says it has already started to roll out a “free anti-theft software upgrade” for affected vehicles.

Once the upgrade is complete, the engine will only start when the genuine ignition key – now with an embedded electronic fob – sends a signal to the car's engine management computer.

Hyundai US says the anti-theft upgrade will initially be available for more than one million examples of the Elantra (2017-2020), Sonata (2015-2019) and Venue (2020-2021), before expanding to include the remaining two million-plus cars.

Kia’s US division is yet to outline which models are affected and how it plans to roll out the engine immobiliser upgrade.

While the crime wave has affected a majority of Kia and Hyundai models sold in the US, Australian regulations have ensured examples of the South Korean cars have been fitted with the basic anti-theft technology for more than two decades.

Anti-theft engine immobiliser have been mandatory on new motor vehicles in Australia since 2001, to comply with Australian Design Rules (ADR) 82/00.

From the start of 2001 (when engine immobilisers became mandatory in Australia) until the end of January 2023, the South Korean car-makers have sold more than 2.1 million cars to local customers – delivering 1.55 million Hyundais and approximately 770,000 Kias.