SAN ANTONIO — SAPD has already seen 9,754 vehicle thefts in 2023. That marks a 69.8% increase compared to the first six months of last year; the largest increases have been on the city's east and west sides.
But there's a catch: It seems the increase is happening due to thefts of specific Kia and Hyundai vehicles. Now Carfax is working with those companies to better inform customers about free security upgrades that can prevent the thefts.
Police notified residents at an east-side community meeting about the rise in Hyundai and Kia vehicle thefts following the trend of TikTok videos last year that showed how to break into those vehicles.
In fact, seven Hyundai or Kia models have placed in SAPD's "Top 10 stolen vehicles" list for June. These include the Hyundai Elantra and the Hyundai Sonata, along with the Kia Opitma, Soul, Forte, Rio and Sportage.
This is primarily because many of these models lack an "immobilizer," which prevents a car from starting if the key is not in the ignition. Thieves have now found ways to start these cars with a screwdriver or USB cable.
Both Hyundai and Kia are now offering free security upgrades for affected models, but many Texans have yet to get that upgrade.
Carfax Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen told KENS 5 there are likely 433,000 vehicles in Texas that still don't have the upgrade they need. (See a full list of affected vehicles here.) Hyundai and Kia are offering free software upgrades for some vehicles and free anti-theft devices for other models that can't get the software upgrade.
"I think the problem, primarily, is that the notification comes in the mail. We live on our phones now," Olsen said. "Also very common, people put this down and say, 'I will get to this next week, next month' and they frankly forget about it. That's why we are out here rattling the window shades to make consumers aware there is 4.9 million of these cars nationwide and 430,000 in Texas alone."
Consumers can get a vehicle report on this website to find out if their particular model is eligible for a security update. They should also be able to call a local dealer and provide their VIN number to find out if they need the upgrade.
Olsen said car-owners should be able to call a dealership to get the upgrade done, and it shouldn't cost them anything. He says he was tired of seeing the thefts continuing and that Carfax needed to be part of the solution.
"At Carfax, we were surprised at seeing the number of vehicles that still need this fixed," he said. "That's part of what has given us the impetus to push this out there."
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