New York City Sues Kia, Hyundai Over Car Thefts

Facts

New York City has filed a lawsuit against automakers Hyundai and Kia for alleged negligence, claiming that they are creating a public nuisance by selling cars that are too easy to steal.¹
In their complaint, the city faults their failure to install anti-theft vehicle immobilizers in their cars between 2011 and 2022. Immobilizers prevent the engine from being started without a key being present and have been the industry standard since the 1990s.¹
The city claims this is responsible for an increase in "vehicle theft, crime sprees, reckless driving, and public harm" and is joining other major US cities such as Seattle, Milwaukee, and San Diego in taking legal action against the two companies.²
There has been a 660% increase in the thefts of Kia and Hyundai cars in the first four months of 2023 compared to the same period last year, the city says, with nearly 1K reported stolen. A social media trend highlighting the ease of starting Kia and Hyundai cars without a key is believed to be a contributing factor.³
Last month, the two automakers reached a settlement with consumers over the anti-theft shortcomings that could be valued at $200M, covering theft-related losses and insurance costs.²
Kia says the lawsuit is "without merit" and that they are working with the city to help reduce vehicle thefts. Both companies have offered software upgrades to up to 8.3M cars that lack an immobilizer, with Hyundai adding that it made immobilizers standard in 2021.¹

Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. 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.
Democratic narrative, as provided by CBS. 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.
Narrative C, as provided by Associated Press. 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.