The Drivers of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in more than 30 states, what includes California and New Yorkyou will be able to receive free repairs and financial compensationprovided they meet the requirements set out in a court agreement. The measure was announced by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and is related to the There are no immobilizers on certain models.
In 2023 the Highway Loss Data Institutea unit of Insurance Institute for Highway Safetydiscovered that the Hyundai vehicles and kia without an immobilizer were stolen more often than other brands. This finding led to a lawsuit led by Ellison, allowing the owners access to a trial without costs and financial compensation.
In a statement, the Attorney General explained that under the agreement manufacturing companies must:
Zinc reinforced cylinder protection Prevents thieves from accessing the ignition system and stealing the vehicle. Hyundai and Kia estimate the cost of installing these elements in all eligible models could exceed $500 million.
In addition to California and New YorkThe Plaintiff explains These include: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Eligible Consumers You have one year from the date the companies notify you to make an appointment for installation of the zinc reinforced ignition cylinder guard at your local authorized Hyundai or Kia dealer. This is expected These notifications will be sent in the first months of 2026.
The eligible vehicles for the installation of You will receive this safety equipment free of charge bring everything together Hyundai and Kia models from 2011-2022 that were not factory equipped with immobilizers, including:
Likewise, on the official page of the court agreement it is indicated that if the driver of the vehicle suffers damage qualified theft either an attempted robberyyou could receive financial compensation. Can You will receive up to $4,500 for a total loss or up to $2,250 for a partial loss.
For one qualified robbery attemptthe person You may be eligible for up to $375 for reasonable expenses related to the crime. To qualify you must meet certain conditions:
This is what the page points out Funds are limited and will be paid out continuously until they are exhausted.. For this reason, they recommend submitting the claim as soon as possible. The The deadline for entries is March 31, 2027.
Ellison’s statement also includes important statistics about vehicle owners’ crimes. In Minnesota, for example, in 2022 was registered on Robbingeither of 3,293 Hyundai or Kia vehicles opposite 384 from 2021.
According to the Highway Loss Data InstituteBranded cars and trucks had a theft loss rate of 2.18 per 1,000 insured vehicle years. The rest of the sector as a whole had a ratio of 1.21.
In 2023, after the investigation began, Kia and Hyundai offered to install a zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder guard. This only applied to the approximately 20% of their vehicles that were not eligible for this update.
The companies claimed that the software update blocked the virus theft method. However, the plaintiff states that the thieves could Bypass the software update to continue stealing these vehicles.
About The Author
