Hyundai and Kia have agreed to pay more than $200 million to owners of as many as 9 million vehicles on the road that lack engine immobilizers as part of a class-action lawsuit.
The automakers did not include the crucial anti-theft device, which prevents the engine from starting without a key present, on base trims levels of certain 2011-2021 model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Owners claimed that runs afoul of a vehicle safety rule that requires that a car must not be able to start without the key.
Last summer TikTok users posted how-to videos that exposed a method to easily hot wire the vehicles. The social media posts triggered a spike in a vehicle theft across the U.S.
Attorneys representing plaintiffs called the settlement "comprehensive, welcome relief."