Kia has been named in a local lawsuit involving a stolen car that police say led to the death of four teenagers in Oct. 2022.
The lawsuit, filed in Erie County State Supreme Court, identifies the family of the youngest teenager who died in the crash — a 14-year-old — as the plaintiffs who are now suing the driver and Kia.
The claim in the court paperwork says, at the time, the 16-year-old driver stole the Kia vehicle and drove recklessly with five others inside. This allegedly led to the single-vehicle crash that caused the death of four of them.
The lawsuit then turns to Kia, claiming the company is also liable because of the design defect that made stealing the vehicles easier.
Kia released the following statement addressing the lawsuit:
“Kia continues to extend its sympathies to the families who were impacted by this devastating tragedy.
As a legal matter, there are no grounds for a lawsuit against Kia. In fact, the plaintiffs who filed a similar lawsuit regarding the same incident in 2022 withdrew it when faced with a motion to dismiss because the motion made clear that the case was without merit, and Kia did not make any payout to plaintiffs in connection with that voluntary dismissal.
Kia continues to take comprehensive action to enhance the security of its vehicles to prevent individuals from using methods of theft popularized on social media to steal or attempt to steal certain vehicle models. We’re continuing to strongly encourage eligible customers to receive the software upgrade that we developed and rolled out more than 18 months ago that is designed to restrict the operation of the vehicle’s ignition system should an individual attempt to steal a locked vehicle without the key. To date, close to 1.3 million vehicles nationwide have received the upgrade and we continue to spread awareness about its availability by establishing a dedicated website with detailed information, hosting off-site events in more than 30 cities to make it easier for eligible customers to receive the upgrade, and partnering with Carfax to inform owners that their vehicle is eligible for the upgrade. We have always been confident in the effectiveness of this software upgrade, and a recent independent study found that the software upgrade has successfully reduced theft rates.
We also continue to provide steering wheel locks to owners of impacted vehicles that are not eligible for the software upgrade at no cost to them. These free steering wheel locks further enhance a vehicle’s security and can serve as a theft-deterrent. Kia customers can obtain free, Kia-provided locks through their local law enforcement or they can request a steering wheel lock from Kia directly through the dedicated website. To date, we have distributed more than 380,000 locks across the country and we will continue to provide them as they are needed. We also have developed and introduced a new hardware modification designed for the vehicles that are not eligible for the software upgrade that works to combat theft by reinforcing the ignition cylinder body and preventing its removal through the method of theft promoted in videos that have spread across social media encouraging car theft. To date, close to 215,000 vehicles have received this modification.
We’re encouraged that theft rates of these vehicle models in Buffalo have decreased as software upgrade installation rates have increased and the distribution of steering wheel locks has become more widespread. Kia will continue to work with law enforcement agencies in Buffalo and across the country to combat criminal car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it, and we remain fully committed to upholding vehicle security."
