No Immobilizer --- No car insurance

[Lake X Kid]

A class-action suit in Wisconsin claims both Kia and Hyundai “have long known or should have known of the defect” in their cars. The Kia and Hyundai models being targeted by TikTok thieves were released between 2011 and 2021.

According to 2021 insurance claims records from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), Kia and Hyundai models from 2015 to 2019 are roughly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of similar age.

What makes them so easy to steal is that many of them lack a basic theft prevention technology called an electronic immobilizer, a tool that stops the engine from starting unless the correct key is present.

Immobilizers can be found in 96% of vehicles sold for the 2015 to 2019 model years, according to the HDLI, but only 26% of Kias and Hyundais had them at the time, leaving them vulnerable.

Without an immobilizer, anyone can break into a car and bypass the ignition with ease, the HLDI said. And they don’t need to be a professional car thief to succeed — they just need TikTok.

This is 'a serious problem': Big South Korean auto firms face heat as State Farm and Progressive now refuse to cover certain models — here’s why these cars are too risky to insure (msn.com)

[CDave]

Start at 5:30

[David]

the fix is out

Hyundai, Kia Release Free Anti-Theft Software To Combat Stolen Car Epidemic (thedrive.com)

[WaterZebra]

A class-action suit in Wisconsin claims both Kia and Hyundai “have long known or should have known of the defect” in their cars. The Kia and Hyundai models being targeted by TikTok thieves were released between 2011 and 2021.

According to 2021 insurance claims records from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), Kia and Hyundai models from 2015 to 2019 are roughly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of similar age.

What makes them so easy to steal is that many of them lack a basic theft prevention technology called an electronic immobilizer, a tool that stops the engine from starting unless the correct key is present.

Immobilizers can be found in 96% of vehicles sold for the 2015 to 2019 model years, according to the HDLI, but only 26% of Kias and Hyundais had them at the time, leaving them vulnerable.

Without an immobilizer, anyone can break into a car and bypass the ignition with ease, the HLDI said. And they don’t need to be a professional car thief to succeed — they just need TikTok.

This is 'a serious problem': Big South Korean auto firms face heat as State Farm and Progressive now refuse to cover certain models — here’s why these cars are too risky to insure (msn.com)

Progressive and State Farm will no longer issue policies in 5 states that have the 2 brands on the market. Model years with tbe vulnerability were 2015 thru 2021. I'm not a big fan of keyless ignitions but if they can link the keyfob with software and make a stupid USB cable useless, it sounds like a good fix. Not a good idea to consider stealing a vehicle anyway? I remember rigging old fashioned ignition systems with switches in totally bizarre locations that did the same thing.