Viral trend causing new headache for Hyundai, Kia owners
There’s a new headache Hyundai and Kia owners are running into if they’re victims of the viral social media trend. Some owners are not able to get parts for their vehicle, once they get it back from being stolen.
Last year, law enforcement across the nation warned about this viral trend. The so-called "Kia Challenge" is going around on TikTok leaving hundreds of car thefts nationwide. Thieves known as "the Kia Boyz" would film instructional videos about how to bypass the vehicles’ security system using tools as simple as a USB cable.
Many 2015 - 2019 Hyundai and Kia vehicles lack electronic immobilizers that prevent criminals from simply breaking in and bypassing the ignition.
If the car gets recovered, oftentimes the back window is smashed and the steering column is damaged. Those parts are hard to come by now because of the uptick in cases.
It’s becoming such a problem that auto mechanics are having to turn some of these car owners away. Danny Thomson owns Thomson Automotive Services in Deltona, he told FOX 35 that sometimes he has no choice but to turn people away.
"When I know there’s engine troubles, I have to explain to them there’s not much I can do."
Thomson said a lot of times those car parts are harder to come by for auto shops that are not dealerships. Since he’s a one-man shop, each time he turns someone away because he can’t find parts, it directly impacts him.
"This is my main source of income so every bit of business that I can't, it’s not even that I can’t do physically, but I can’t take on because the parts are not available," he said. "It impacts my family." Hyundai and Kia are offering to update the software for the vehicles impacted.
Cities are suing Hyundai and Kia over a surge in car thefts. At least eight cities allege the carmakers left out anti-theft technology in order to cut costs. City leaders say the rise in thefts is a public safety concern.
Kia says the lawsuit does not have merit. Hyundai claims its vehicles meet federal safety requirements.