JSO warns of thefts involving Kia and Hyundai vehicles

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — JSO wants to remind everyone to lock their car doors no matter what, especially if they drive a Kia or a Hyundai. Today, the department tweeted that half of the recent car thefts in Jacksonville have been from these manufacturers.

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“I opened my car, all of my stuff is thrown on the floor, parts of my steering column ripped out, and items missing from it, and my whole ignition where, you know, you put the key and everything torn apart,” Jacksonville resident Cameron Hartley said.

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Hartley bought his 2020 Kia Soul about 4 months ago. And just three weeks ago, he came home from work to find his car broken into. He shared surveillance video with JSO and with Action News Jax. Hartley says thieves tried to steal his car but failed.

“I’m just glad they didn’t know what they’re doing. I’d be out of a car instead of an ignition,” Hartley said.

In a tweet today, JSO said, “In the past week, 50% of the vehicles stolen in #Jax have been manufactured by Kia or Hyundai. No matter the manufacturer, please take prevention methods to protect your vehicle.”

Read: Jacksonville homeowner credits his talking security camera to deterring crime

JSO’s crime mapping tool reveals 57 car thefts from Jul. 20 to Jul. 26. So based on today’s tweet, at least 28 of those stolen vehicles were either Kias or Hyundais.

A TikTok trend is believed to be behind the increase in Kia and Hyundai thefts.

When Annette Gutierrez from Action News Jax asked if it concerned Hartley that he is the target of a TikTok trend, he said, “absolutely.” Hartley added on to say, “If I knew about it before I was looking for a new car, I wouldn’t have gotten it.”

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Hyundai is the parent company of Kia. When I reached out to Hyundai, a spokesperson said in a statement that certain vehicles were built without immobilizers. This is the part that determines whether the key in the ignition belongs to your car.

“Hyundai is committed to the comprehensive actions we are undertaking to assist customers and communities affected by the persistent theft of certain vehicles not equipped with push-button ignitions and engine immobilizers. Our dealers across the country are maximizing the number of anti-theft software installations that can be performed on a daily basis, contributing to steadily increasing completion rates, which we report to NHTSA weekly. Hyundai is a piloting a mobile service center to further scale and speed installation of the software upgrade. We remain committed to ensuring the quality and integrity of our products, all of which are fully compliant with federal anti-theft requirements. Engine immobilizers are now standard on all Hyundai vehicles produced as of November 2021. For more information, please visit www.hyundaiantitheft.com..”

—  Hyundai's full statement