Kia and Hyundai theft plague worsens for Columbus motorists

Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
2

For nearly two years, Kia and Hyundai owners have had to be worried about the ease with which their vehicles get stolen.

The trend isn't slowing more than three-quarters through 2023.

In 2022, Columbus reported 11,020 vehicles stolen, with 4,565 or 41% being Kias or Hyundais. That percentage has increased to 51% in 2023, with 4,196 of the total 8,249 cars reported stolen through the end of September being a Kia or Hyundai.

This chart shows the increase in thefts of Kia and Hyundai models starting in late 2021. Columbus police said thefts of the two vehicle makes account for more than half of all reported car thefts and more than 66% of all theft attempts.
This chart shows the increase in thefts of Kia and Hyundai models starting in late 2021. Columbus police said thefts of the two vehicle makes account for more than half of all reported car thefts and more than 66% of all theft attempts.

In September, Columbus police took reports for 919 stolen vehicles, 519 of which were a Kia or a Hyundai, or 57% of the total vehicle thefts for the month.

Those percentages are significant increases over 2020 and 2021, when Kia and Hyundai thefts amounted to 9% and 11% of all vehicle thefts, respectively.

Even more alarming to Columbus police Cmdr. Alex Behnen is the percentage of attempted but unsuccessful vehicle thefts that are Kias and Hyundais.

In 2022, 29% of unsuccessful vehicle theft attempts were one of those two car brands. Thus far, in 2023, the percentage has skyrocketed to 66%.

In September, 85% of all vehicle theft attempts were on Kia or Hyundais.

"It tends to get overlooked," Behnen said. "The only difference is they didn't take it. They've broken the window, they've peeled the steering column potentially. While the car is still there, the owner still has to get it repaired."

Data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) shows that Kia and Hyundai models accounted for five of the top 10 models of cars stolen in Ohio in 2022.

The other models included full-size Ford and Chevrolet pickups, the Chevrolet Malibu and Honda Accords and Civics.

The 2020 Hyundai Elantra was reported stolen nearly 1,500 times in 2022, according to the agency's data.

The increases align with a boom of social media postings and culture surrounding "Kia Boys," groups of young people, usually teenagers, who steal cars and drive them around, posting videos and photos on Instagram and TikTok.

A stolen Hyundai Sonata SE is pictured at the Columbus Division of Police Impound Lot in November 2022.
A stolen Hyundai Sonata SE is pictured at the Columbus Division of Police Impound Lot in November 2022.

In Columbus, there are several Instagram pages with names like "614KiaBoyz" where sometimes armed teens post videos of themselves breaking car windows, stripping the steering columns and driving off.

Through the end of August, police had filed 391 charges in Franklin County Juvenile Court for receiving stolen property or grand theft auto and 173 similar charges against adults.

In 2022, Columbus police had filed 476 receiving stolen property or auto theft charges against juveniles and 270 against adults.

"You have to wonder is it being recognized that this is a crime that isn't being dealt with as a priority (by offenders)," Behnen said.

Steering columns are often stripped on Kia and Hyundai models stolen by young people, such as this one inside a Kia Soul at the Columbus Division of Police Impound Lot in 2022.
Steering columns are often stripped on Kia and Hyundai models stolen by young people, such as this one inside a Kia Soul at the Columbus Division of Police Impound Lot in 2022.

"You ask (the teenagers) how many times have you been in a stolen vehicle, and they're in multiple stolen vehicles every week," Behnen said. "This may be the one they got caught in, but they're in others. Three sometimes in a week, every week for a year and that's more than 150."

The city has taken steps to attempt to force the automakers to make improvements to the vehicles to make them more difficult to steal, including filing a lawsuit earlier this year.

While several state attorneys general have taken legal action against the companies as well, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has not joined those efforts. Yost has said he feels the issue is best left to local governments to address.

Yost has joined other multi-state efforts, including signing on to a lawsuit filed this week in California against Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, and signing a letter sent to the Canada-based parent company of PornHub.

Bethany McCorkle, a spokeswoman for Yost, affirmed the attorney general's belief on Tuesday.

"Ohio does not have state police. The arrest and prosecution of the criminals who are stealing these vehicles should be addressed at the local level," McCorkle said.

Also concerning to police are three incidents in less than a week in late September where Columbus police officers were injured after being struck by a stolen Kia or Hyundai. In that same time span, police also found a stolen Kia partially submerged in a pond and a stolen Hyundai that had been set on fire.

Behnen said the people stealing the vehicles have gone from "playing bumper cars" in parking lots and neighborhoods to "not much concern" about what type of vehicle they're hitting.

"The end result is people are going to die," Behnen said, noting that there have been several instances in the last two years where teens were killed while in stolen cars that crashed.

For Kia and Hyundai owners, getting a wheel lock is one of the most proactive ways to prevent having a vehicle stolen. Behnen said there have been few, if any, cases where someone managed to steal a vehicle with a wheel lock in place. The window may be broken, but the car will still be there, he said.

Kia has also released a software update designed to make a locked vehicle more difficult to steal without the vehicle's keys. Kia owners should contact their local dealership to determine if they can obtain the software update and schedule an appointment.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kia and Hyundai theft plague worsens for Columbus motorists