ST. LOUIS–It’s been nearly three months since Hyundai and Kia rolled out a software update designed to slow the skyrocketing number of vehicles being stolen, and data from two of the area’s major departments show they aren’t seeing a slowdown yet.

For the first four months of 2023, Hyundai and Kia thefts are up 673% in St. Louis County compared to the same period in 2022. The thefts of those two makes also account for 53% of all vehicle thefts in the county between January and April, up from 13% in 2022.

WIth the software update being released in February, the decrease in numbers may not be immediate. The data from St. Louis County does show 141 Kias and Hyundais stolen in January, decreasing each month to 67 in April, still much higher than the 9 Hyundais and Kias stolen in April of 2022. 

Some U.S. cities have reported that 60% or more of their auto theft reports now involve Hyundais or Kias. 

Police departments in many parts of the country are seeing similar numbers. The uptick started in late 2021 when videos on TikTok and other sites that illustrate how to start and steal Kia and Hyundai models — using only a screwdriver and a USB cable — started gaining traction.

Multiple cities, including St. Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Seattle, have sued the automakers, accusing them of failing to install industry-standard anti-theft devices and placing an undue burden on city services.

St. Louis County Police say Hyundai and Kia thefts soared in 2022, up 1000% from 2021.  Motor vehicle thefts shot up 78% in St. Louis in that same period, with 7,366 reportedly stolen. 

The city tells Spectrum News that in the first four months of 2022, Kia and Hyundai thefts represented 13 percent of all vehicle thefts. In 2023, those two makes account for 49% of all reported vehicle thefts. 

St. Charles County Police, which patrol the unincorporated parts of the county, said it had four Kia’s reported stolen in the first four months of 2022 and 2023 and no Hyundai’s stolen. 

In April, 17 states, including Illinois, urged the federal government to recall millions of Kia and Hyundais because they are easy to steal. 

In March, attorney generals from Illinois and 20 other states wrote Kia and Hyundai criticizing the automaker for lack of speed when it comes to addressing large increases in vehicle thefts spurred by a social media challenge.