NSNA Police Report: Hyundai and Kia vehicles vulnerable to theft
Mother Earth awakens, temperatures rise and the birds sing. Warmer weather brings residents outside to enjoy nature.
It also brings out those interested in crime. Lincoln Police Captain Donald Scheinost told the Near South Neighborhood Association board of directors that thieves also enjoy the warm weather.
Scheinost reported that cars cruise slowly down the street late at night with lights off. Working in teams, they systematically check for unlocked cars and steal anything inside that looks appealing.
Garage door openers are particularly appealing, since they open a whole new door to theft. Scheinost cautions to not only lock all car doors, but keep valuables out of sight. Or better yet, don’t leave them in cars at all.
Particularly vulnerable are certain Hyundai and Kia models that saw a 10-fold increase in thefts in just the past three years, a wildly dramatic increase in the wake of a series of social media posts showing people how to steal the vehicles, according to CNN.
Less expensive versions of vehicles such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson and the Kia Forte and Sportage equipped with turn-key ignitions — as opposed to cars that only require a button press to start – are roughly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of a similar age.
Many of these vehicles lack some of the basic auto theft prevention technology, such as electronic immobilizers, included in most other vehicles even in those years, according to the HLDI. Electronic immobilizers rely on a computer chip in the car and another in the key that communicate to confirm that the key is authentic and really belongs to that vehicle.
Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. More recent models are less vulnerable to theft.
Some states, such as New York, Washington and Delaware, had marked increases in Hyundai and Kia theft claims during the first half of last year, according to HLDI data. In Maryland, for example, theft claims increased from four per 1,000 insured vehicles in the last half of 2022 to 14 in the first half of 2023.
The method of theft, which involves using the metal tip of a USB cable to start the car, spread through social media, especially TikTok: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/04/business/hyundai-kia-thefts-increased-10-fold/index.html
911 is for emergencies.
If it’s not an emergency, but the police need to be notified, the number to call is 401-441-6000. Incidents may also be reported online. https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/Police
-by Shirley Sneve