Hyundai, Kia agree to $200 million settlement with customers over car thefts
NBCAPR 2023
Violent crime in Democrat-run cities, not just car thefts, has been on the rise due to soft-on-crime policies. But, rather than tackling the issue head-on, they're passing the buck to car makers. Besides, most Kia vehicles in the US have "push-button-to-start" ignition systems, which actually makes them harder to steal. Nothing will change in these cities until their prosecutors stop letting criminals off the hook and undermining the police.
While leaders are undoubtedly responsible for handling crime, companies are equally accountable for ensuring their products meet the industry standard. Thanks to the absence of vital anti-theft devices in Kia and Hyundai cars, the vehicles could be started with as little as a screwdriver. Hopefully, financial penalties will force them to finally put consumers before profit margins, but this failure is a boondoggle Kia and Hyundai won't live down anytime soon.
While Kia and Hyundai are partially to blame for the lack of immobilizers, more attention needs to be directed toward social media platforms and the role they play in "performance crime." These viral crime trends spread like wildfire, and law enforcement cannot keep up. It is clear theft would not be such a large issue with these vehicles if TikTok and other platforms took more concrete action against criminal activity on their platforms.