A viral “challenge” has led to increases in thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in recent weeks, and one suburban family was targeted in a crime that was captured on surveillance video.
In the footage, two men are seen attempting to steal a 2019 Hyundai Tucson SUV in suburban Harvey in September.
Fiorz Vohra says that his sister in law was looking out the window after hearing the commotion on the street when one of the men turned around and pointed a gun at her window.
“It was 20 feet away,” she said. “We were lucky that the man did not shoot through the window. We are very lucky.”
In a similar theft, Allison Moskus says that her 2016 Hyundai Elantra was stolen from the front of her building in Chicago's West Town.
“Everyone I know who has Hyundai’s and Kia’s have been like ‘look out, because I don’t want anybody else to end up in my situation,’” she said. “The steering wheel column was totally ripped apart, and there wasn’t anywhere for me to put my keys when I got to the tow yard where they brought it.”
The thefts are part of a growing trend of criminals targeting Hyundai’s manufactured between 2013 and 2021, and Kia’s manufactured between 2011 and 2021, according to NBC 5 Responds.
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A security flaw, exposed and circulated on social media platforms like TikTok, allows thieves to start and steal cars without a key. The vehicles involved do not have a “standard immobilizer” installed, allowing thieves to easily gain access to the steering column and start the car using electronics.
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“Everything you put on the internet is what people are going to believe. It’s crazy to even think that way,” Jonathan Bialas, whose 2020 Hyundai Tucson was stolen over the weekend, said.
Bialas says that thieves broke into the vehicle in Portage Park and crashed it just blocks from his home, leaving he and his wife without their only form of transportation.
Chicago police have issued a public warning after eight vehicles were stolen on the city’s Near West Side. According to reporting done by NBC 5 Responds, 676 thefts involving Hyundai’s and Kia’s made up one-third of all car thefts in the city during the month of August.
In suburban Oak Park, police are also warning residents that thieves have been targeting the vehicles. Officials there are warning residents to purchase anti-theft devices, including steering wheel clubs and immobilizers, to help deter thieves.
Hyundai and Kia made the immobilizers standard on all vehicles beginning in 2021. Hyundai told TechCrunch earlier this year that they would begin selling and installing glass break sensor security kits for vehicles at dealerships, but it is unclear whether those kits would be available to car owners.
Both companies told NBC 5 Responds that they are working toward a software update on older-model vehicles, but no release date has been set.
Kia is also working “closely with local law enforcement in affected areas to provide steering wheel lock devices at no cost to concerned owners of steel key-operated Kia vehicles.”
