A Maryland county has joined the ranks of local governments throughout the U.S. that has sued automakers Hyundai and Kia for allegedly making their vehicles easier to steal.
"There is an inextricable link between preventing vehicle theft and protecting public safety," says the lawsuit, filed by Anne Arundel County, Maryland, in Los Angeles federal court. "Making sure cars are not sitting ducks that are simple to steal protects both property and the public by keeping dangerous drivers in stolen vehicles off the roads."
Across the U.S., cities and other large urban centers, such as Chicago, have filed suit against the automakers, claiming the car sellers are to blame for a massive rise in auto thefts and carjackings, deflecting from criticisms that relaxed government policies toward criminal activity and policing reforms instituted since 2020 are to blame for the surge in such crimes.
Anne Arundel County includes the city of Annapolis, Maryland's state capitol.
Hyundai and Kia "made a business decision not to equip the vehicles they sell with standard anti-theft technology, leaving counties and cities
across the nation to deal with massive public safety consequences," the lawsuit states. "Despite taking some initial steps to discourage thefts, Defendants have been unable to abate the dangerous crime wave unleashed on communities nationwide—a crime wave that continues to this day."
The two automakers decided not to install engine immobilizers in most of their cars, the suit said.
"This is not because the technology is somehow beyond them," the suit states. "In fact, Hyundai and Kia vehicles sold in the European and Canadian markets incorporate vehicle immobilizers, because regulations there expressly require them. In the United States, meanwhile, Hyundai
and Kia have decided to trade public safety for profits."
The suit seeks a court declaration that Hyundai and Kia practices are a public nuisance plus funds for an automobile theft
prevention program.
The county is represented by Arundel County attorneys Gregory Swain and Gregory F. Tyler; and attorneys Dean Kawamoto, Gretchen Freeman Cappio, Derek W. Loeserm, Ryan McDevitt, Alison Gaffney, Garrett Heilman, Zachary Gussin and Kylie Fisher, of Keller Rohrback LLP, of Seattle.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California case number 8:23-cv-01998