BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jillian Duarte claims she owned a 2018 Hyundai Sonata that was stolen out of her driveway after getting the anti-theft software update — and it is now a total loss.
“It was the realization that I didn’t think it was going to happen to me," Duarte said.
Spectrum News 1 reached out to Kia and Hyundai for an updated comment, but have not heard back. However, they have issued the following statement in the past:
"Kia remains concerned that criminal actors are targeting certain Kia cars with a steel key and “turn-tostart” ignition systems. While no car can be made completely theft-proof, Kia continues to make steering wheel locks available to customers through interested local law enforcement agencies, subject to available supply, at no cost to concerned owners of these vehicles. Kia also continues its efforts to develop additional solutions for vehicles not originally equipped with an immobilizer, including the development and testing of enhanced security software designed to restrict operation of the vehicle’s ignition system. Kia has started notifying owners of certain models of the availability of this software upgrade at no cost, and Kia anticipates that it will make software upgrades available for most affected vehicles over the next few months. All 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the year or as a running change, and all Kia vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Kia customers with questions regarding their Kia vehicle should contact the Kia Consumer Assistance Center directly at 1-800-333-4542 (Kia).”
The trend started when someone posted a video on TikTok showing how to start certain Kia and Hyundai cars with a USB phone charging cable. This is possible because the vehicle does not have an immobilizer, which wasi inserted into in many vehicles in the 1970s to prevent theft.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans for a new strategy to combat the thefts, which are happening most frequently in Buffalo and Rochester.
“We’d rather be fighting other kinds of crimes,” Hochul said. “If you fix the glitch in the ignition, we will have a major decrease in the number of car thefts.”
She said more details were to come in a couple of weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has also called on Kia and Hyundai to make changes to deter the thefts.
Steering wheel locks have been offered in the past, but Buffalo police said thieves have been able to circumvent those as well.
