KANSAS CITY – After a slew of auto thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles on the other side of the state, the City of St. Louis is threatening legal action against the two companies, claiming their cars have defects that make them easy to steal.
"It's kind of kind of crazy to think how easy these things are to steal," Greg Damon, KMOX Auto Show host, said. "And just think about it. They're using a USB cable, which could come right out of your USB car charger, and they may steal a car with your own USB cable."
Damon said it's not exactly a design flaw that makes the cars easy to steal. Since the cars are push-starts, meaning drivers don't have to insert a key, there are simple ways for people to get the car running.
"What they do is they come in, they break the steering column, the plastic cowling around the column, pull that down," he explained. "And there's actually a thing that the ignition switch hooks onto that a USB cable will fit right on. They just use a USB cable, turn it like a key, start the vehicle and drive away in it."
He said for people with Kias or Hyundais who want to protect their cars, you can buy a club which goes across the steering wheel. In October, Hyundai plans to start selling an immobilizer kit that people can purchase.
"These cars don't have an immobilizer. I'm sure everybody's heard about a key or chip inside your key where the car recognizes the key and will start up," he said. "These do not have that. There's no really security feature for the keys. That's why they're so easy to steal."