ST. LOUIS — Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said Monday that the city is suing Hyundai and Kia in federal court over a defect in their late-model vehicles tied to thousands of car thefts here and across the country.
Flanked by police Chief Robert Tracy and City Counselor Sheena Hamilton, Jones said the South Korean carmakers’ failure to install common anti-theft technology in their cars has created a crisis hurting residents and taxing city resources.
“ºüÀêÊÓƵans should not be forced to bear the cost of their negligence,†Jones said.
The announcement follows a wild summer that saw the numbers of stolen Kias and Hyundais skyrocket here and across the country after a TikTok video showing how to break into the cars with a screwdriver and a USB charging cable went viral. The method took advantage of the South Korean companies’ decision to not install engine immobilizers, an electric anti-theft security device, in their cars. And it apparently worked.
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Thefts of Kias and Hyundais jumped 1,350% last year in the city, from 273 to 3,958. The same was true in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, where a jump from 140 to 1,621 marked a 1,057% increase.
Police have also tied the stolen cars to violent crimes, including shootings and deadly hit-and-runs, as well as damage to city property, including fire hydrants, street signs and traffic signals.
A copy of the lawsuit says the city is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 as well as attorneys’ fees and punitive damages. The city is working on the case with Dowd Bennett, a prominent Clayton law firm where Hamilton worked before she took her current job. Car owners and other cities, including San Diego, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Seattle, have also filed similar suits in recent months.
The city first threatened its lawsuit in August, a month when Kias and Hyundais made up three-quarters of all stolen cars.
“Kia and Hyundai’s defective vehicles have caused a public safety crisis in the city, endangering the health, safety, and peace of all those who live, work or visit the city,†Hamilton, the city counselor, wrote then. “Your companies bear the responsibility to mitigate the public nuisance your negligence has created for the city and its residents.â€
Kia and Hyundai brushed off the threat, arguing that they were not federally required to install engine immobilizers in their products. Both companies also pointed out they were providing free steering wheel locks to local police departments.
Still, the thefts kept coming. By mid-October, the city said it had surpassed its 2021 stolen vehicle total by 1,200. And owners of the cars were struggling to stay insured. Behemoths Progressive and State Farm declined to open new policies on Kias and Hyundais, and drivers with existing plans got stuck paying increasingly high premiums.
Late last year, the car manufacturers announced a free software upgrade for some late-model vehicles aimed at deterring thefts. But the city brushed off the move then, and Jones said Monday that neither company had made a serious effort to work with her administration.
Officials did not take questions on anything related to the lawsuit Monday. A spokesman said that was because the matter involved litigation.