The city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, has become one of the latest local governments from throughout the U.S. to file suit in L.A. federal court against Kia and Hyundai, claiming the automakers made their cars too easy to steal.
"The days of 'hotwiring' cars with nothing more than a screwdriver are largely over," says the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. "In most recent car models, the ignition key emits a radio signal that prompts a computer in the car to disengage an immobilizer device and allows the car to start and move. But recent Hyundai and Kia models are a glaring exception."
While other automakers began using immobilizer technology Hyundai and Kia "intentionally ignored industry-standard practices in the name of profit," the suit says. "Defendants designed, manufactured, and distributed the following automobile models without engine immobilizers."
Kia and Hyundai cars are so easy to steal "in many cases, thieves use tools no more advanced than a USB cable," the suit states.
The result has been a "rash of thefts" that has impact law enforcement in Fort Wayne, according to the suit.
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.
Fort Wayne claimed the city has been "forced to divert funds and risk officer and public safety to combat the growing burden caused by increased Hyundai and Kia vehicle thefts and their many associated dangers, including reckless driving," according to the lawsuit.
The city seeks unspecified monetary damages including money to fund automobile theft prevention.
The plaintiffs are represented by City Attorney Malak B. Heiny and Dean Kawamoto, Gretchen Freeman Cappio, Derek W. Loeser, Ryan McDevitt, and Alison Gaffney of Keller Rohrback, LLP.
City of Fort Wayne v. Hyundai Motor Co. et al, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 8:23-cv-01999.