Hyundai and Kia owners all over the United States are finding themselves in a terrible situation. Thieves–sometimes teenagers following TikTok trends–are exploiting their vehicles’ ignition systems to steal the cars. Thefts appear to be on a meteoric rise as these cars are reportedly easy to steal, requiring only a USB cable and about a minute of time. And worse, you can watch the phenomenon unfold right on social media.
Last year, news stations and police in Milwaukee, Wisconsin reported on an alarming problem. In 2021, some 10,479 vehicles were stolen in the city. That number is up from 2020’s statistic of 4,500 thefts.
What happened to make car thefts more than double in a single year? People–reportedly sometimes as young as 12–have found out that Hyundais and Kias are apparently easy to steal. Two-thirds of the vehicles stolen in the city in 2021 were Kias and Hyundais. Sadly, this year is looking no different. These stolen vehicles reportedly get used for joyrides, stunts, and in the commission of other crimes.
As Milwaukee deals with a second year of elevated car theft numbers, other cities are beginning to find themselves facing the same problem. As Carscoops reported earlier this month, authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota are reporting a 1,300 percent rise in thefts of Kias and a 584 percent increase in Hyundai thefts. What that translates to is 256 Kia and 212 Hyundai thefts this year thus far compared to just 18 and 31 last year, respectively. The statistics are looking very similar in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where 45 percent of the stolen cars this year are Kia or Hyundai. St. Louis, Missouri, Columbus, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, and Memphis, Tennessee are among a long list of cities where Kia and Hyundai thefts are rising this year.
If you look up these thefts on social media you’ll quickly find that this may not be just a random rash of crime. Some of the people who allegedly steal these cars call themselves the Kia Boyz, and videos of them can be found on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
I’ve spent the past couple of days going through scores of these videos and at times I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. In one video tagged as #kiaboyz, a Kia with Illinois plates drives through a school’s sidewalk as students board buses.
@tweakertales
In another, someone hangs out of a window and fires a gun. Other videos show Kia and Hyundai vehicles randomly swerving down city streets. Some show vehicles crashing and some appear to be filmed by bystanders watching as people pull up in one Kia to take another. The videos even show people in Kia and Hyundai vehicles taunting police. We cannot confirm if any of the featured vehicles are stolen, but at the very least, they’re being used recklessly.
And sadly, this also goes beyond just stolen property. The Columbus Dispatch reports that earlier this month, two 14-year-olds allegedly connected to Kia Boyz died after crashing a reportedly stolen Hyundai. Also this month, a suspected stolen Kia Sportage in Minneapolis killed a 70-year-old woman in a crash. There are a number of other similar stories like those.
Back when I wrote a few stories about this at the old lighting site, a question that I had is “how?” The news reports that I sourced said thieves are starting Kia and Hyundai vehicles by exploiting the cars’ ignition systems. From a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report:
Officials have determined that the models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles being targeted lack engine immobilizers, an electronic security device that makes it more difficult to start a vehicle without a key.
And another, from a WISN 12 interview with Milwaukee Police Sgt. and spokesperson Efrain Cornejo and Ryan Martin, a manager of a Milwaukee area body shop:
“They take like pliers and they’re able to get the car started with just pliers,” Martin said. “That seems to be pretty simple.”
“There’s a mechanism that they manipulate and it could be as easily manipulated with a USB cord,” Cornejo said.
When asked specifically how, he said, “I don’t want to get into the particulars of it just because, you know, it is a concern that we have for other individuals to find out,” although the exponential increase in numbers indicates the word and method is out there in the public domain.
“It’s not connected or plugged into anything else. They use it kind of like you would use the tip of a screwdriver, for example,” he said.
The targeted vehicles–typically newer model years without push-button start–are said to lack immobilizers. Thieves get in by breaking a window then manipulating the vehicle’s ignition system with a USB cable.
But how? How do you start a Kia or a Hyundai with just a USB cable? Unexpectedly, I found a number of how-to videos on TikTok and YouTube, most of which have now been taken down. Assuming these videos weren’t staged, it appears that the process really is as easy as reports suggest. I watched a video of a self-proclaimed group of Kia Boyz breaking into a Kia. They tore apart the steering column, then shoved a USB cable into a broken ignition switch. It took less than a minute and the Kia fired up as if the USB cable were the car’s key.
And that was just one method. Another method that I saw a how-to for involved shorting out pins in a connector attached to the steering column. I won’t get into the specifics or share the videos that are still up, but it really does appear to be as simple as reported.
In 2021, a class action lawsuit was filed against the two automakers on behalf vehicle owners. Around the same time, news outlets as well as the city of Milwaukee requested comments from the automakers. Kia and Hyundai responded, saying at the time that 2022 vehicles will come equipped with immobilizers. From WTMJ-TV:
Kia says starting in model year 2022, its vehicles will feature an ‘immobilizer’ as a standard, so the cars will not be able to start in a nontraditional manner.
Unfortunately, as ABC 6 reports, 2022s are getting stolen as well. So immobilizers may not be enough to completely prevent thefts of these machines.
If you own one of these vehicles, there are a few ways to protect yourself. One sounds obvious, but if you have a garage, definitely park the car in it. And when the vehicle is parked outside, use a steering wheel lock. If you’re in Milwaukee, you can get a free steering wheel lock from the police. You will just need to show proof of ownership. A steering wheel lock won’t prevent a theft, but it adds an extra layer to stealing your car. That might be just enough to deter someone from taking your car. You can also pick up an aftermarket immobilizer. Again, a determined-enough thief can defeat one, but it’ll slow them down.
I reached out to Kia and Hyundai for comment on this story and received this statement back:
Kia America is aware of the rise in vehicle thefts of a subset of trim level vehicles. As of the current 2022 Model Year, all Kia vehicles have an engine immobilizer fitted as standard. All Kia vehicles for sale in the U.S. meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Kia customers with questions regarding their Kia vehicle should contact the Consumer Assistance Center directly at 1-800-333-4542 (4Kia).
Editor’s note: To be fair, we haven’t done an analysis on how different Hyundais and Kias are compared to the competition when it comes to ease-of-theft. The point here is that these particular vehicles are being targeted, in part, due to a trend on social media. -DT
i don’t think anyone would want to steal my ’14 cadenza anyways. the AC quit working this year. it does, however, have the push to start ignition… which again, is not the most secure either. KIA – Kinda, imaginably, alright!
Interesting. It would be fascinating to hear how they get round immobilizers but as you say sharing such things isnt an option.
If i ever have a car that i dont want stolen ,i’ll take security more seriously. I’ve got some ideas where a cut out switches could be hidden.
“It makes PCI-DSS look comprehensive and forward-thinking.”
Dealing with this exact thing regularly, you have ligetamized your entire rant (that I already agreed with) with that sentence. You KNOW!
“You’ve never had to break into a car because the keys got locked inside.”
Sure have. Mine, coworkers, friends.
I’ve used many unprofessional methods.
•String and slip knot to pop the lock.
•Wedge and a boot lace to pop the trunk release.
•Tin snips and a strip of metal banding for an impromptu slim jim. Etc etc.
“ Do you have any fucking idea how easy it is to steal a car?
Trust me. You don’t.”
Have you ever stolen one. I’ve stolen numerous cars, trucks, a conversion van (when I was younger and (was gonna say dumber but let’s just go with less concerned about consequences and other peoples feelings) more of an angry asshole).
The method I used to take most of them required no special tools and would still work just as well today regardless of the security features of the vehicle.
All you need are the keys. You’d be surprised how many people just hang ‘em up right inside their front door. Or I “accidentally” bump into you in public and with a little slight of hand and distraction your ride is mine for a minute. That’s probably even easier now with the size of key fobs. Nobody wants to shove that mess in their pockets so they wear them outside their clothes, on lanyards, in purses, tossed on tables.
Yes I have an idea of how easy it is to steal a car. I could probably take yours for a spin.
It’s high time the US had certified car security devices like the UK Thatcham standards https://www.thatcham.org/what-we-do/security-certification/ which test the actual function of immobilizer and alarms.
I have been fortunate in living and working in low risk areas so none of cars have been stolen and only one was broken into many years ago. If it’s feasible live in a low crime area and not San Francisco, Milwaukee etc.
I don’t condone this sort of thing at all, but I have to add that I’m sort of happy that Gen Z folks are still interested in cars. And not in GTA5 but in real life.
So, uhh… what kind of USB standard are we talking again?
Asking for a friend. Who’s a scientist. At a science plant.
Whistling past the graveyard of comments above, I see that owners are trying a class-action suit against KIA/Hyundai.
I wonder what their chances are. The manufacturer says the cars meet all required Federal standards. Assuming that to be true, what is the basis for a suit? Yeah, the cars are easier to steal than other, but so what – in a legal sense? The fact that the maker could have done something better but chose not to is not a manufacturing fault per se.
This makes me appreciate my caveman key technology all the more. My next car should be a stick with another $5 key cut at Home Depot.
What department was the one that gave you a speeding ticket for 15 over the limit? Because it sounds like you should complain to them instead of venting your frustrations on the whole of Autopian, dude.
Cars are getting stolen. Whatever the reason is, it’s important to be aware of the situation because the police are the ones who have to deal with the aftermath. They’re taking action by offering free steering wheel locks in Milwaukee afterall. Don’t discredit them over whatever issues you have.
“Because professionals with expensive RF sniffers can easily break the rotating digit scheme that was never secure in the first place.”
No they are not breaking the rotating digit scheme. They are relaying LF signals from the vehicle over a longer distance (standard range is 2m) to the keys, typically inside the house and the keys respond in UHF (300-915MHz depending on market).
This weakness has been known for 20+ years, but until recently (last 5 years) the equipment needed to execute cost more than 10 thousand dollars. Equipment prices have dropped drastically and devices can be made/bought for 100-3000 dollars at this point.
Additional features and technology to mitigate this are available but are not utilized by all OEMs or vehicle lines.
Ultimately it is a comparison of cost of attack vs cost of defense to decide level of security.
Clearly Hyundai/Kia vehicles with Keyed Ignitions have a poor design. Such that it is easy to quickly access the ignition switch wiring and unlock the steering column lock. This is a huge error on Hyundai/Kia’s part and is completely different from Relay Attack.
I live in Milwaukee. Can confirm, this has been a big problem in the city the last couple of years. I’ve got multiple coworkers who have traded in their Kias because either they’ve been broken into/stolen, or they know it’s only a matter of time. I won’t be considering a Hyundai or Kia next time I’m car shopping, which is too bad.
Settle down man, let’s keep it civil.
Every car ever made is easy to steal. Every single one of them. I could hotwire 60’s and 70’s era cars in like under a minute. And door locks? Jeez… if you know what you are doing you can pop a door in seconds.
Some posted comments apply:
If I was Mercedes or had Mercedes job, I would quit and become and undertaker or maybe a no charge hit-person.
But, were you not entertained by the report?
Sorry, that didn’t help clear up your point. I’ve read multiple articles on this issue and all of them pointed out the link to social media and how it is the root cause of the trend. You’re doing an awful lot of bashing of both the police and the media in general (and this site specifically), when there is only a single quote from the police in the entire article, and it is only a spokesperson explaining in general how the cars are being stolen. I didn’t see any crying or complaining for additional funding, or a suggestion that somehow anyone is at fault besides the perpetrators and the car company who decided to put out a car that could be stolen in less than a minute with any small, flat piece of metal you might happen to have on hand.
The fact is, Kia/Hyundai models without push-button start are incredibly easy to steal with absolutely zero tools, programs, or equipment, and can be done so by anyone with no skills and a flat-blade screwdriver (or, apparently, a male USB end). Just because other cars can also be stolen doesn’t let Kia/Hyundai off the hook for having zero security on their cars with physical keys. It also doesn’t remove the blame from the kids who see a TikTok video and decide that trying out grand theft auto seems like a fun thing to do on a Thursday morning. Currently Kias and Hyundais are the low-hanging fruit for them, and that needs to be fixed.