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As a result of the settlement, Hyundai and Kia will offer free hardware fix for all affected vehicles that will thwart further thefts and protect public safety
BALTIMORE, MD - Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that his office, along with 34 other attorneys general, has reached a settlement with automobile manufacturers Hyundai and Kia over their sale of millions of vehicles nationwide that lacked industry-standard, anti-theft technology. This failure resulted in an epidemic of car thefts and joy riding across the country that continues to threaten public safety.
Under the settlement, Hyundai and Kia have agreed to:
- Equip all future vehicles sold in the United States with industry-standard, engine immobilizer anti-theft technology;
- Offer free zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors to owners or lessees of eligible vehicles, including vehicles that previously were eligible only for the companies’ software updates;
- Provide up to $4.5 million in restitution to eligible consumers whose cars are damaged by thieves; and
- Pay $4.5 million to the states to defray the costs of the investigation.
“Marylanders’ cars were stolen because Hyundai and Kia failed to install industry-standard anti-theft technology,” said Attorney General Brown. “This settlement should prevent these thefts from continuing and provides additional relief to consumers victimized by these companies’ actions.”
Hyundai and Kia chose not include anti-theft “engine-immobilizer” technology in millions of their vehicles sold throughout the United States, including in Maryland. An engine immobilizer prevents thieves from starting a vehicle’s engine without the vehicle’s “smart” key, which stores the vehicle’s electronic security code. According to one report, in 2015, only 26% of the vehicles Kia and Hyundai sold in the United States were equipped with engine immobilizers, compared to 96% of the vehicles sold by other manufacturers. Car thieves devised a quick and simple way to access these vehicles’ ignition cylinders and start these cars without a key, which quickly went viral, leading to a drastic, nationwide increase in Hyundai and Kia vehicle thefts. Furthermore, many of the stolen vehicles were used in connection with other crimes and were involved in many traffic collisions, some fatal. These actions represent a public safety crisis that has caused substantial and serious harm to our communities.
The Attorneys General alleged that Hyundai and Kia were slow to respond to the crisis, waiting years to launch a service campaign to update the software on many affected vehicles. Hyundai and Kia also offered to install a zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector, but only for the roughly twenty percent of their vehicles that were ineligible for this software update. While the companies claimed that the software update blocked the viral theft method, the Attorneys General alleged that the software update could be, and in fact was, easily bypassed by thieves.
The Attorneys General pressed Hyundai and Kia to do more to protect consumers, and through this settlement, Attorney General Brown has ensured that all Maryland consumers with eligible vehicles can have zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors installed on their vehicle free of charge. Eligible consumers have one year from the date of notice from the companies to make an appointment to have the zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector installed at their local Hyundai or Kia authorized dealerships. Attorney General Brown urges consumers to schedule the installation of the zinc-reinforce ignition cylinder protector as soon as possible.
In addition, consumers who previously installed the software update on their vehicles (or were scheduled to do so) but nonetheless experienced a theft or attempted theft of their vehicle on or after April 29, 2025, are eligible to file a claim for restitution for certain theft and attempted-theft related expenses. For more information about eligibility and how to submit a claim for compensation from Hyundai or Kia, please visit the following: www.HKMultistateimmobilizersettlement.com
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office was part of an Executive Committee that led the investigation of Hyundai and Kia. The Attorneys General joining Maryland in today’s settlement are Arizona, California Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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