Thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles accounted for just under half of all car thefts between July and Aug. 2022, according to a Madison Police Department press release.

Hyundai and Kia vehicle owners are at a higher risk of getting their car stolen than other vehicle brands due to light flaws in the ignition systems of these vehicles.

This information, along with how to start them without a key, began to spread online over summer 2022, which provided burglars the tools to steal the cars easily, MPD Head of Burglary Crime Unit Sgt. Scott Reitmeier said. 

“The real spike was last summer, and that was summer of ‘22,” Reitmeiser said. “Where the flaw in the ignition systems of Kias and Hyundais was brought to the forefront through social media. Criminals were able to realize that those ignition systems could be defeated without much difficulty. That’s when we were having a real tough time and dealing with the biggest number of vehicles being stolen” 

Reitmeier revealed that the major problem with these particular vehicles is that they can be started by household objects that resemble the key. Including the use of USB drives that can act like the key to the vehicle to start the ignition system without the physical key being present. 

In efforts to minimize the risk of getting one’s car stolen, Reitmeier shared numerous measures that Madison Kia and Hyundai owners can take to prevent becoming a victim of such a scenario, including parking indoors, parking in well lit areas, putting an air-tag or another form of tracking device in your vehicle and making use of Ring doorbells or apartment building camera systems.

Reitmeier also said that both Hyundai and Kia companies have been making use of their Recall policies, where owners of cars from these brands can bring their vehicle into dealerships for correction installations. 

“The Hyundai and Kia companies have tried to do a lot with recalling certain years in certain models to install some type of correction,” Reitmeier said. “So if you have one of those cars, make sure you’re in contact with a dealership and see if you’re eligible for some type of correction or recall or additional maintenance that can be done to cinch its security up.”

The Madison Police Department is giving out free wheel locks to those who own 2011-2021 Hyundai and Kia vehicles for supplemental protection.