In the U.S., many car theft crimes occur, mainly targeting large and expensive models such as the Cadillac Escalade, Ford F Series, and Chevrolet Silverado.
In 2022, Hyundai’s Sonata and Elantra entered the top 10 for the first time, and this trend intensified last year.
Hyundai Elantra Was the Most Stolen in the U.S. Last Year
According to the U.S. National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NCIB) latest report for 2023, six Hyundai and Kia vehicles were included in the top 10 most stolen vehicles in the U.S. In addition, 1st to 3rd place were all occupied by Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, and Kia Optima.
Hyundai’s Elantra ranked first overall with a total of 48,445 units stolen across the U.S. last year. Second place went to Hyundai Sonata with 42,813 units, and third place went to Kia Optima with 32,204 units.
Next, General Motors’ Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup truck ranked 4th with 23,721 units, the Kia Soul ranked 5th with 21,001 units, and the Honda Accord ranked 6th with 20,895 units. In addition, Kia Forte ranked 8th with 16,209 units, and Kia Sportage ranked 10th with 15,749 units, recording the humiliation of a total of 6 Hyundai Motor Group models taking the top spot.
Viral Videos Showing How to Start the Engine
The number of thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles has increased rapidly as easy methods to start the vehicle’s engine have spread rapidly through social media. It expanded into a social problem as American teenagers took on the challenge of stealing Hyundai and Kia vehicles as if it were a game.
Several states in the U.S. have filed lawsuits against Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors because the vehicle can be started too easily without a key. Hyundai and Kia have strengthened anti-theft measures through software updates as a response, but the Kia Challenge (Kia vehicle stealing game) is still ongoing.
Influenced by this, the rankings of Sonata, Elantra, and Optima, which ranked 5th to 7th in NICB’s 2022 vehicle theft statistics, appear to have risen further in 2023.
Meanwhile, more than 85% of stolen cars in 2023 were recovered through law enforcement action or other means, and 34% of them were located within a day of being reported stolen.
Measures to Prevent Car Theft
Hyundai and Kia continuously implement software updates to prevent vehicle theft. New cylinder protectors were provided to vehicle models for which software updates were not applied to physically prevent vehicle theft.
In addition, if vehicle owners wish, they can install the ignition cylinder protector, a new anti-theft system provided by Kia, free of charge. According to a video shared on social media, the system was developed to prevent criminals from stealing the ignition cylinder body by removing it.
Kia is also providing a steering wheel lock to vehicle owners who are excluded from software updates. To date, approximately 325,000 units have been distributed, and the respective car giants plan to continue providing them upon customer request.
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