The mayors of both of the Twin Cities along with the state attorney general are asking the CEO's of Kia and Hyundai to recall thousands of vehicles that are suciptible to theft.
The letter, signed by Mayors Jacob Frey, Melvin Carter and AG Keith Ellison cites that theft involving the brands has increased up to 800 percent due to what they call the lack of industry-standard anti-theft technology in certain models. Some of those thefts have been connected to other more violent crimes, including shootings, robberies and accidents including the death of a 14-year-old last month.
“The ease and sheer volume with which these Kia and Hyundais were stolen creates too many opportunities for both crime and tragedy,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. “These vehicle thefts have endangered the lives of innocent people of all ages in all corners of Minneapolis. These vehicles are used to facilitate more serious crime and harm in our communities. And children not even old enough to have a learners’ permit have died while behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle. This epidemic needs to be addressed by both car owners and the manufacturers.”
The letter calls the situation an "urgent public safety risk that must be immediately addressed.”
“This crime is preventable and has a clear solution,” said Mayor Frey. “The type of car you have should not make you an automatic target of heinous violence and random crimes. There is an onus on these car companies to do the bare minimum here, which is including the industry-standard anti-theft software. Thank you to Mayor Carter and Attorney General Ellison for their collaboration on this – we all want to keep residents throughout the Twin Cities safe.”
In Minneapolis alone, there were 2,340 thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles. That marks an 836% increase from 2021 to 2022.
“They have created a public safety challenge in our community," Mayor Carter told WCCO Radio. "We can see this coming a mile away, it’s created by the actions of these companies, and it’s time for them to own up to it.”
In response to a request from WCCO Radio, a spokesperson for Hyundai had this to say:
"Hyundai is committed to the security of our customers and plans to continue our ongoing support of the communities affected by this theft issue. We appreciate and share Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s interest in addressing the rise in thefts of these vehicles in Minnesota and elsewhere. We recently announced the launch of a free software upgrade to prevent the theft mode popularized on social media; we will also soon launch a program to reimburse eligible customers for their purchase of steering wheel locks."
The mayors both laughed at the idea that customers have to rely on 40-year-old technology like The Club to insure their newer model cars--and they themselves--are safe.
“The fact that you have to provide a $100 Club for your vehicle because social media tells everybody who wants to know how easy it is to steal it, that’s part of the problem in the first place," said Carter.
Frey said he remembers his grandfather in Queens, New York had The Club on his car in the late 1980s.