As Connecticut attorney general William Tong announces a "full-blown consumer protection investigation" of Kia and Hyundai, police in East Hartford have gone "old school" to protect their vehicles from theft: they're handing out the once-popular, clunky steering wheel-locking device known as The Club.
Of about 100 car thefts in East Hartford this year, more than half involve Kias and Hyundais, according to police. They say that's because 2011-22 Kia and Hyundai models lack engine immobilizers-- electronic systems which prevent engines from starting when cars are hot-wired. These models have been targeted by young thieves who find their car-stealing instructions online.
"It's kids doing it. They're stealing the cars over and over again," says East Hartford police chief Scott Sansom. "They're getting hurt, or they're hurting other people joyriding. These cars aren't being stolen to be shipped out overseas or pulled apart for parts. They're for joyriding."
Tong wants the companies to be held responsible for not updating their anti-theft systems, saying, "A couple months ago, I joined with 17 other a.g.'s calling for Kia and Hyundai to do a recall. They haven't done that. We've called on Kia and Hyundai to deploy effective anti-theft immobilizing technology and devices in their cars. They haven't done that."
"Kia and Hyundai are global companies. They have, effectively, unlimited resources. They need to pull these cars in and put in the engine immobilizers."