Courtesy of Sandra Thompson
A car crashed through a wall of cinder blocks and into the drained pool of a Las Vegas home this week. A series of videos posted on social media instruct viewers on how to steal certain models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
Saturday, April 29, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Hyundai, Kia thefts
Images of a smashed Kia resting nose first in a Las Vegas pool circulated on social media this week as thefts of Kias and Hyundais continue to skyrocket in the valley.
Thefts for the two vehicle makes are up more than 500% this year, with about 1,350 stolen in the first three months, Metro Police data shows. That compares with 204 Kias and Hyundais stolen last year between Jan. 1 and March 31.
Officials say the national rise in thefts, which has resulted in some insurance companies not covering the vehicles, follows a series of TikTok videos that detail how to steal the vehicles. The videos give simple steps on how to insert a USB wire into a port after removing some pieces of the steering wheel column.
Sandra Thompson was at school when a neighbor contacted her to say a car plowed through a concrete wall and landed in her dad’s pool.
“The neighbor heard it, and he came over,” Thompson said. “He saw the cinder blocks and the guys had already got out and were standing on the corner, but before he realized they were the drivers, they took off.”
Thompson said it is likely one or both of the male occupants of the vehicle were injured, as blood was left at the scene.
“It looks like one of them hit the windshield,” Thompson said.
There also was a lot of damage to the property, she said. Oil from the car leaked into the pool, which was drained of water. The house also has cracks on one of the outside walls.
The Kia isn’t the only stolen vehicle to make it onto Las Vegas social media groups this week. A picture of a Hyundai sitting on cinder blocks also received some attention.
Metro Police held a public meeting this month at Windmill Library, where detectives talked about the thefts and handed out steering wheel locks to Kia and Hyundai owners.
Models at risk of being stolen include 2011 to 2021 Kias and Hyundais that need a key to start the vehicle. Push start vehicles are not included.
The models were manufactured without an ignition immobilizer — a security device that requires the correct key to start an engine.
The problem isn’t limited to the Las Vegas area.
In the first three weeks of January, Kias and Hyundais made up 44% of all car thefts in Washington, D.C. In Buffalo, N.Y., there were 400 Kias and Hyundais stolen in 2022 and 350 stolen in the first two months of 2023.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford joined 22 other attorneys general in signing a letter March 20 that asked Kia and Hyundai to accelerate software upgrades and provide free alternative protection to vehicle owners.
The thefts bring more risk than just property damage, the letter says. It says one teen has been killed fleeing police in Milwaukee, and in Washington state, four teens were killed after crashing a stolen vehicle. The stolen vehicles have also been used to commit other crimes such as robbery and homicide.
“Your companies made the choice not to include anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment in many of your vehicle models sold in the United States during a period when every other manufacturer was doing so — and even though these vehicles come equipped with immobilizers when sold in Canada and Europe,” the letter said. “These highly effective immobilizers were standard equipment on 62% of other manufacturers’ car models in 2000, and by 2015 they were standard on 96% of other manufacturers’ vehicles. And yet, in that same year, only 26% of Hyundai and Kia models came equipped with an immobilizer as standard equipment.”
Hyundai and Kia have started to roll out anti-theft software upgrades for certain models with plans to eventually provide options for all models at risk. Vehicle owners will also be provided with a window sticker alerting that the vehicle has been updated with the anti-theft protection.
Adam Soboleski’s Kia Optima was stolen March 6 in North Las Vegas. It was found by Metro Police within a couple of days but he was left without a vehicle for several weeks as the dealership replaced stolen parts.
As of Thursday, he was reunited with his vehicle. He said the dealership added an immobilizer so his car can’t be stolen as easily again.
