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After A Rash Of Stolen Cars, Hyundai And Kia’s New Anti-Theft Software Is Showing Results
According to a new examination of insurance claim data, more than a year after Hyundai and Kia deployed new anti-theft software updates, thefts of vehicles equipped with the new software are declining – even while thefts overall remain astonishingly high.
The automakers began releasing the updates in February, following a tenfold surge in thefts of specific Hyundai and Kia models in only three years, prompted by a series of social media posts that demonstrated how to steal the vehicles.
Hyundai | CNN Image
After A Rash Of Stolen Cars, Hyundai And Kia’s New Anti-Theft Software Is Showing Results
According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, “whole vehicle” theft claims—insurance claims for the loss of the entire vehicle—are 64% lower among Hyundai and Kia automobiles that have had the software upgrade than cars of the same make, model, and year that have not had the upgrade.
“The companies’ solution is extremely effective,” Matt Moore, senior vice president of HLDI, an industry association supported by vehicle insurers, said in a statement.
The cars concerned are older Hyundai and Kia models manufactured before 2023, especially vulnerable to theft. Less expensive versions of these automobiles used turn-key ignitions rather than button presses to start, and the HLDI reports that they are nearly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of comparable age.
According to the HLDI, many of these vehicles lack fundamental auto theft prevention technology, such as electronic immobilizers, which are standard on most other vehicles from the same year. Immobilizers rely on a computer chip in the car and another in the key to communicate and ensure that the key is genuine and belongs to the vehicle.
Between early 2020 and the first half of 2023, thefts of Hyundai and Kia models increased by more than 1,000%.
As part of a $200 million settlement, Hyundai and Kia, two closely connected South Korean automobile makers, will begin delivering free anti-theft software upgrades for some of these older models in February 2023. According to the automakers, more than 2 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles have already received the update.
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Hyundai | Car Guide Image
Theft rates remain high.
The HLDI analyzed insurance claim data for the calendar year 2023. By the end of the year, just roughly 30% of eligible automobiles had installed the security software.
According to a Hyundai representative, around 61% of eligible Hyundai vehicles have already received the software upgrade. However, not all vulnerable Hyundai and Kia vehicles have the necessary hardware to support the upgrade. Hyundai and Kia have provided steering wheel locks on vehicles that cannot receive the software.
Despite the improved software, the HLDI discovered that older Hyundai and Kia vehicles are still stolen and broken into more frequently than others.
Moore speculated that one possible explanation is that owners need to properly use the vehicles’ new security software. To ensure the anti-theft software works, the vehicle must be locked using a button on the key fob rather than turning the metal key in the door lock.
Hyundai | Money Image
After A Rash Of Stolen Cars, Hyundai And Kia’s New Anti-Theft Software Is Showing Results
Furthermore, he stated that the spate of Hyundai and Kia thefts was partially a fad promoted via social media. TikTok and YouTube videos demonstrated how simple it was to steal these automobiles, and many of the perpetrators were not serious car thieves, he claimed.
“There are certainly news stories indicating that some off the people doing this are just doing it for fun,” Moore told reporters. “It’s probably logical to assume that at some point…stealing these vehicles as a fad is going to burn out.”
SOURCE | CNN
