Several U.S. cities sue Kia, Hyundai for surge in car thefts. Why hasn’t Louisville?

Yancy Davis looked at the spot outside his friend's apartment where he parked his 2020 Kia Forte. In the dim light, there was only broken glass.

"I just stood there, stunned, pressing the button on the keys," he said.

The vehicle he had bought only a month ago was gone.

At that moment in the early morning of Sept. 27 off Dixie Highway — and despite using a steering wheel lock — Davis joined a rising number of car owners across the nation who have seen their Kias and Hyundais stolen by thieves taking advantage of a flaw that doesn't require them to have a key.

The flaw has led cities across the country to sue the two automakers, saying it has caused a drain on resources and, in at least one city, has led to a rise in violent crime. But Louisville, which has seen an uptick in auto vehicle thefts in recent years, is not among them.

When asked by the Courier Journal about a potential lawsuit, the Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office referred the question to Mayor Craig Greenberg's office.

“Our administration continues to examine potential legal options which may benefit our city and its residents," Greenberg spokesman Kevin Trager said. "We are committed to holding accountable everyone responsible for the increase in Kia and Hyundai thefts.”

How often are Kias and Hyundais stolen in Louisville?

In Louisville, nearly 20 vehicles are reported stolen each day, and half of those are either a Kia or Hyundai. That's up from last fall, when Louisville Metro Police released a video saying thefts of those two brands accounted for more than a third of auto thefts in the city.

Louisville Metro Police Maj. Shannon Lauder said then the department believes the increase was the result of youths watching viral social media videos that showed them how to steal the vehicles.

Kia and Hyundai thefts have only grown since then. More than 4,600 vehicles had been reported stolen in Louisville this year as of Sept. 1, and 53% of those were Kias or Hyundais, according to LMPD data. Ford and Chevrolet automobiles were the third- and fourth-most stolen, at 9% and 7%, respectively.

The difference between the vehicles is the use of engine immobilizers. While many of their competitors quickly adopted the anti-theft mechanism that greatly hinders stealing vehicles, Kia Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. did not. Vice News reported only 26% of their cars included them in 2015, compared to 96% among other manufacturers. (While Kia and Hyundai are separate entities, Hyundai Motor Co. is Kia's parent.)

Thieves seized on the cars. Under the hashtag “Kia Boyz,” TikTok users posted videos showing how to steal them with only a screwdriver and a USB cord in a matter of seconds.

Colby Lentell, a University of Louisville student from the Boston area, remembers seeing those videos online before his car — a Hyundai 2011 Elantra — was stolen from a campus parking lot in September.

He'd just had the vehicle in Louisville for around a month, borrowing it from his mother for the semester until he could return home for Thanksgiving and purchase his own. While Lentell remembers seeing crushed glass around the space, he initially assumed the car had been towed.

But once he started calling campus parking and police, there was no record of his vehicle.

"Did you drive a Hyundai or a Kia?" One of the employees asked him. When he answered yes, the person said: "Oh, it probably got stolen."

Who has sued Kia and Hyundai over the thefts?

The two motor companies' lack of immobilizers was seized on by government agencies. Cities like Seattle, Baltimore, Cleveland, New York, Chicago, St. Louis and Columbus have all sued Kia and Hyundai for selling cars without them.

New York's lawsuit says: "This case is a clear example of what happens to public safety when car manufacturers choose not to include standard anti-theft technology in their cars." The city claims the car thefts impede public safety, strain its police department resources and negatively impact other emergency responses.

USA TODAY reported dozens of attorneys general across the nation have also urged the leadership of Kia and Hyundai to take action. Daniel Cameron, Kentucky's attorney general, was not among those who have made a public comment on the two motor companies.

The state attorney general's office did not respond to The Courier Journal's calls and email seeking comment.

Claims made in a lawsuit represent only one side of a case, and Kia and Hyundai have previously told USA TODAY they don’t comment on pending litigation. But they acknowledged the increase in thefts.

Hyundai said criminals are targeting its vehicles without engine immobilizers, which became standard on all of its cars produced after Nov. 1, 2021.  Kia, meanwhile, said that “criminals are seeking vehicles solely equipped with a steel key and 'turn-to-start' ignition system.”

“All 2022 Kia models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the model year or as a running change,” it said.

The automakers have tried to make amends with car owners whose cars have been stolen. In August, a federal judge declined to approve a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit between them and vehicle owners, saying it failed to provide “fair and adequate” relief to the owners. When the deal was announced in May, the companies said the deal was valued at $200 million and covered about 9 million 2011-2022 model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S.

Missouri-based attorney Ken McClain is part of the legal team in the class-action lawsuit on behalf of the vehicle owners, and he said a resolution could be coming soon, with an upcoming court date for another proposed settlement later this month.

"The class action committee is working diligently to try to find a solution to this problem that's achievable in court. And we continue to push Kia and Hyundai for better and better responses to the concerns that have arisen and we think that we now have one that can be approved in the court and that is scheduled for October 30," McClain said.

Have car thefts impacted crime in Louisville?

In its lawsuit, Chicago specifically said the car thefts have resulted in a "steep rise in vehicle thefts, reckless driving, property damage, and a wide array of related violent crimes.”

"The surge in thefts has hit Chicago especially hard — placing pedestrians, drivers, and bystanders in harm’s way," the lawsuit says. "This crime wave has also further stressed Chicago’s law enforcement and emergency services. Chicago is bearing the cost of Defendants’ unlawful conduct, as it pays for property damage, diverts law enforcement resources, and strives to keep the public safe from harm."

LMPD spokesperson Aaron Ellis declined to comment on whether Louisville has experienced a rise in violent crime as a result of Kia and Hyundai thefts, as Chicago claims in its lawsuit. But he said: "We can say that in Louisville we have seen a trend in which stolen vehicles are used ... to commit other crimes."

A recent example happened in the early hours of Sept. 7 when LMPD Officer Brandon Haley was shot in the Chickasaw neighborhood after following a car police say had been driving suspiciously. The car at the center of the altercation was later discovered by police to be reportedly stolen, according to court documents. In an arrest citation, the vehicle is listed as a 2006 Kia Altima.

Davis said his car was found about a week after it was stolen, a few blocks from his friend's apartment complex. While there was no exterior damage, the steering column, which thieves hacked into to start the car, was "just wrecked," he said.

Davis added he didn't notice any of his personal belongings stolen and even found some parting gifts from the thief.

"All of their tools — I guess they used, like, screwdrivers and hammers — were all just still in the car," he said.

Meanwhile, Lentell, the U of L student, still doesn't know where his car is. He said the theft has majorly impacted his life.

While he's been able to get to class easily as a resident on campus, Lentell said he had to quit his restaurant job at Chili's since he didn't have reliable transportation.

He and Davis both said they would like to see Louisville take action against the surge of thefts that has directly impacted them.

"I would absolutely like to see something like that," Davis said. "I mean, what else are the city officials there for if not to look out for their residents?"

More: 'Crisis of thefts': 23 attorneys general demand Kia, Hyundai take action

More: Kia, Hyundai among 3.3 million vehicles recalled last week: Check car recalls here

Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Car theft in Louisville surges among Kia, Hyundai in 2023