CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Car dealerships and vehicle database websites are hoping to curb the trend of stolen Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the first half of 2023 saw a 143 percent increase in auto thefts with over 3,700 car thefts in six months.
"The Hyundai and Kia thefts should come as no surprise at this point," Kevin Pietrus, a CMPD Lieutenant said in July during the department's mid-year public safety review. "We've been talking about them quite a bit now for a year. But it's still a very real problem."
Carfax announced it is working with Hyundai and Kia to give drivers more information about the problem.
Patrick Olsen, Editor in chief for Carfax, said 4.9 million owners nationwide still need a fix, with 90,000 of those vehicles in Charlotte and 94,000 in South Carolina.
"The issue with these cars, that range from 2010 to 2022, is that they lack what's called an immobilizer. And an immobilizer makes sure that a car will be able to be started unless there's a key in the ignition. Unfortunately, that's not the case in these cars," Olsen explained. "And so what Hyundai and Kia are offering, are free software upgrades to improve how the OEM works or for cars that don't have that software, a steering wheel lock so that if a car even does get started, it can't be driven off."
He said the first step for drivers of those models, is to call their nearest dealership to see about getting the free software upgrade.
"They can schedule an appointment and get the work done. It takes about an hour," Olsen said. "I own a 2020 Kia Sportage. I got the software upgrade back in March. It took an hour and it was absolutely free."
Olsen says anyone looking to get into a new or used Hyundai or Kia should make sure to look at the car's history before buying.
"Carfax now includes on the vehicle history report, whether or not the work has been done and in our used car listings on Carfax, every listing comes with a free vehicle history report so you can see before you buy, whether or not the work has been done," Olsen said. "And if it hasn't, then you should make one of your first stops a Hyundai or Kia dealership to get that work done."