The thefts initially started in Milwaukee in 2021, but then rapidly spread across the country.

Over the past months, thousands of Hyundai and Kia cars have become prone to theft due to a viral challenge on the popular social media platform, TikTok.

Now, according to media reports, Hyundai is said to have released a security kit which claims to help prevent these thefts. Hyundai customers will be required to shell out US$170 for the security kit. This amount excludes the labour cost, which, once added, could take the total expense to around $500. Kia, on the other hand, isn't offering a similar security kit, but will provide free steering wheel locks.

The security kit will include an engine kill switch and an alarm and has been developed by Hyundai in partnership with Compustar. The kit will be available across all Hyundai dealers in the USA and is said to take two and a half hours to install. Hyundai is also said to be working on a software fix for the issue.

Reports suggest, 15 different lawsuits have been filed in 14 states, asking for monetary damage and for Hyundai to recall the affected models. The theft initially started in Milwaukee in 2021, but then rapidly spread across the country.

Source: Automotive News

The police stated that Kia cars produced between 2011 and 2012 and Hyundai cars manufactured between 2015 and 2021 are the most vulnerable.

A viral 'Challenge' on social media has caused a spike in car thefts, specifically of Kia and Hyundai models across the USA.

The video called 'Kia Challenge', shows how a Kia or Hyundai car can be stolen by using just a USB cable and removing the cowl under the steering column. The spike in Kia and Hyundai car thefts has become particularly prevalent in the state of Milwaukee, where a group of youngsters (Kia Boys) have become notorious for stealing cars and going on joyrides.

Also, the police department of St. Petersburg, Florida stated that 23 of the 56 cars stolen since July 11 are either Kia or Hyundai models that are MY2021 and older. St. Paul, Minnesota is said to have reported a 1300% rise in thefts for Kia cars and an 854% rise for Hyundais compared to last year. Similarly, Michigan has also reported that Hyundai and Kia cars made up roughly 45% of car thefts in June 2022.

The police stated that Kia cars produced between 2011 and 2012 and Hyundai cars manufactured between 2015 and 2021 are the most vulnerable, as their ignition can be bypassed easily.

Source: CarScoops

Earlier this year, BHPian Sisu's brother-in-law bought a pre-owned Toyota Fortuner. However, the SUV was stolen on March 16, 2020, from its parking spot outside his sister's house.

An FIR was filed the next day and the local police assured that they would investigate the matter and inform him if there was any breakthrough. The car's owner had given up hope of getting his vehicle back as the recovery rate of such cases in India is very low.

A few weeks back, a friend of the car's owner shared a video of a car stealing racket that was busted in Chandigarh. Based on a hunch, the owner contacted the authorities there and went to Chandigarh to check out the cars. He was able to identify his car based on identification marks like the pooja symbol drawn on the engine, dot-shaped crack on windshield and some other marks.

However, the number plates had been replaced by the thieves and the engine and chassis numbers were scratched / covered up using acid / welding.

At present, the owner is trying to prove the identity of the Fortuner and is in touch with Toyota to ascertain the same.

Thanks to BHPian Sisu for sharing this information with others.

With the outbreak of the Covid-9 pandemic, most of the people in the United States of America are staying at home. As a result, their vehicles remain parked – many of them out on the road. This has made them an easy target for thieves.

Drivers are not checking their cars often and the unattended vehicles have resulted in a spike in the number of car thefts in the country in the period January 1, 2020 to mid-May. New York registered a 63% rise in the number of car thefts compared to the same period in 2019. Los Angeles saw a spike of 17% in the same period, while Salt Lake City has seen a rise of 22% in the number of vehicle related burglaries.

In April 2020, the city of Austin, Texas saw a 50% rise in the number of car thefts compared to April 2019. Out of the 322 vehicles, 72% had their keys either inside the car or nearby. The number of burglaries related to cars was up by 2% in the city.

Many of the stolen vehicles are either not locked when they are parked or have their keys either inside them or nearby.

As schools are not functioning, many teenagers are taking to car theft. Other criminals are stealing cars as there is not much scope for carrying out other crimes. Car thefts are carried out even during the day time. It takes a thief just about 10 seconds to carry out a car theft.   

Baltimore, however, has seen a fall of 19% in the number of car thefts and burglaries related to cars in the period January – May 2020. This is because the residents are more vigilant and the police officers have time for proactive patrols due to the decrease in the number of other crimes.

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The Supreme Court of India has ruled that hotels will be held liable in case a vehicle is stolen from their parking lots.

The court said that the hotel will be liable and cannot deny compensation to its guests where the hotel or its staff are involved in or have acted negligently in safeguarding the vehicles delivered for valet parking. The court also said that the hotels cannot brush aside their responsibility by highlighting the 'owner's risk' clause.

However, the court also mentioned that the hotels will not be held liable for the guest's own negligence or circumstances that are beyond the control of the hotel authorities. These might include damage due to weather conditions, inherent defects in the vehicle or seizure of the vehicle by public authorities, among others.

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According to a to a media report, 100 Mercedes-Benz cars offered through the Car2Go rental app were stolen in Chicago. The local police have arrested 16 people so far while the Daimler-owned service has temporarily shut operations in the city.

Car2Go operates a fleet of Smart and Mercedes-Benz cars. Users can unlock cars using a mobile app. It is reported that the perpetrators managed to fraudulently or deceptively rent the luxury cars. It is also reported that the cars were not stolen by means of hacking.

The Chicago Police department has revealed that most of the vehicles have already been recovered from Chicago’s West Side. Car2Go alerted the Police to this incident.

In 2018, BMW and Daimler announced a joint venture for mobility services, which included a merger of Car2Go, and DriveNow car sharing services.

Source: CarScoops

A gang of thieves have reportedly broken into multiple cars in Bangalore and have stolen airbags. They seem to be targeting Toyota cars and are also stealing air-conditioner controllers and other accessories from the vehicles.

According to a media report, a Toyota Innova parked in front of the owner's house was targeted last week. The thieves broke the front seat windows to get into the car and stole accessories worth Rs. 3 lakh. These included both front airbags, audio system, air-conditioner controllers, sunglass holder among others. 

It is also reported that three other cars were targeted in a similar fashion in the area. The culprits removed the components in a way that only professionals who are familiar with the assemblies would. This suggests that they could be experienced mechanics.

An Innova Crysta parked nearby was also ransacked in a similar manner. However, in this case, the audio system was left untouched.

The local police have reviewed CCTV footage from the area but are yet to identify the culprits. They suspect that the thieves could be selling the stolen parts to accessory stores. The investigation is still ongoing.

Source: Bangalore Mirror

Recoveri has launched its micro tag identification and trace solutions for vehicles in India. The South Africa-based company manufactures and exports its MicroDot technology, which is claimed to be an effective form of vehicle marking and a powerful theft deterrent.

The MicroDot anti-theft technology uses thousands of small dots laser etched with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) linked to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The MicroDots are then sprayed throughout the vehicle. These are 1mm x 1mm polymer dots that are difficult to locate.

The MicroDots contain an ultraviolet tracing agent that is only visible under ultraviolet or black light and a microscope. As such, the dots are difficult to detect with the naked eye. 

Each unique code is linked to Recoveri's international database. This information can be used by the police to track the owner of a stolen vehicle. The technology can also be used to secure laptops, mobile phones, luggage, jewellery and other expensive household items. The company claims that the MicroDot tags are almost impossible to remove.

Recoveri plans to setup authorised MicroDot fitment centres across India. The company is also in talks with car manufacturers to adopt this technology. Meanwhile, the Central Motor Vehicle Rules - Technical Standard Committee has already framed standards for the auto industry to use microdots.

Two brand new Renault Duster SUVs were recently stolen by two company employees from the Renault-Nissan plant near Chennai. The duo forged gate passes and swapped number plates from two used cars before driving away with the new SUVs.

According to a media report, the culprits had access to new vehicles as they were responsible for testing them for mechanical issues before they were dispatched to dealerships. With forged gate passes and fake number plates, they could take the cars out of the yard and park them in the staff parking lot. 

During the interrogation, the duo said that they knew the guards would only make a note of the license plate, which made it easy for them to enter the premises in two old vehicles with fake plates, put the plates on two new cars and leave the premises. 

The incident came to light on January 22, 2018, when company officials discovered that two vehicles were missing from the yard.

The police have arrested P Marimuthu alias Mohamed Asharaf and M Arun Kumar, while they were trying to sell one of the vehicles. Both were working as technicians at the plant for more than 7 years. One of the SUVs was sold to a buyer for Rs. 6 lakh. Both SUVs have been recovered.

Source: TOI

A vehicle's insurance policy is a safeguard that comes into action after an accident / incident occurs. However, a trial court has ruled that if a vehicle is damaged or stolen as a result of the owner's negligence, the insurance company is not liable to pay any compensation.

The scenario has come to light after the court denied an insurance claim made by Jamun Pandey, whose truck was stolen after his driver (Ram Nandan), forgot the keys in the vehicle and left it unattended for over an hour in an unauthorized area, leading to its theft.

According to additional district judge Kamini Lau, the vehicle was stolen due to the negligence of the driver of the plaintiff and that the plaintiff was guilty of breaching the terms and conditions of the insurance policy. The court was hearing a suit filed by Pandey, who had claimed Rs. 6.2 lakh from SBI General Insurance Company. The insurance policy was valid from December 14, 2012 to December 13, 2013, with Pandey's truck reported missing on October 25, 2013, from a spot near Pratap Nagar Metro station. In his plaint, Pandey stated that he was entitled to get the amount as per his policy. However, the company strongly opposed his claim, stating that the vehicle's theft was a result of owner's gross negligence; a defense that was subsequently upheld.

The case will prove to be an eye opener for existing and new car owners, who often do not pay attention to the fine print. The rule also exists to protect insurance providers from fraud, as sometimes, owners stand to get more from an insurance claim than they would from actually selling the vehicle. Suffices to say that the little "*" in a document as important as your car's insurance policy is not something you'd want to ignore.

Source: ET Auto

*Image for representation only