Attorney General Launches Investigation Into Kia and Hyundai for Rising Vehicle Thefts

(KNSI) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is investigating Kia and Hyundai to see if the car manufacturers violated state law by selling vehicles that lacked anti-theft technology.

There has been an 836% increase in thefts of Kias and Hyundais in Minneapolis and a 611% increase in St. Paul, which Ellison says threatens public safety. He says his office will look into whether Kia and Hyundai violated consumer protection and public nuisance laws by knowingly selling vehicles lacking industry-standard anti-theft technology.

Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter sent a letter to the North American CEOs of Kia and Hyundai criticizing them for not issuing an all out recall of the vehicles once they knew of an issue. The letter says in Minneapolis alone, stolen Kia or Hyundai vehicles were tied to five homicides, 13 shootings, 36 robberies, and 265 motor vehicle accidents in 2022.

The companies have made software upgrades they’re installing on the affected cars, but Frey and Carter say it’s not enough.

Those critical of the move say it’s not the car manufacturer’s fault car thefts and other crime is out of control, and this investigation doesn’t do anything to address the root cause of the problem, which they say are the criminals who face little to no consequences if and when they’re caught.

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