Anti-theft software program upgrades supplied for Hyundai and Kia automobiles repeatedly focused by thieves has reduce theft charges by greater than half, in response to new analysis from the Freeway Loss Information Institute.
Theft charges of the affected vehicles soared after thieves found that sure automotive fashions lacked engine immobilizers, an anti-theft expertise that has lengthy been customary in different automobiles. Thieves used a method popularized on TikTok and different social media platforms to take the automobiles.
The software program improve began in February 2023 after quite a few theft claims that started through the Covid-19 pandemic.
For automobiles which have the brand new software program put in, the car will solely begin if the proprietor’s key or an equivalent duplicate is within the ignition. Automobiles with the software program additionally obtain a window sticker geared toward deterring potential thieves.
Roughly two dozen 2011-22 Hyundai and Kia fashions are eligible for the software program improve. These automobiles that obtained it as of December 2023 — a complete of 30% of the eligible Hyundais and 28% of the eligible Kias in HLDI’s database — had theft declare frequencies that had been 53% decrease than automobiles that didn’t get the improve, in response to HLDI.
These claims aren’t all for thefts of the whole automobile. In addition they embrace claims for injury to automobiles that had been stolen and recovered, theft of auto components and objects stolen from contained in the automobile. The frequency of complete automobile theft, which HLDI calculates by matching the price of the declare to the quantity insurers pay for a similar mannequin if it’s totaled in a crash, fell by a bigger 64% for automobiles with the improve.
The HLDI examine led to December. The group mentioned that Hyundai and Kia have continued to implement software program upgrades in automobiles since that point. The automakers have mentioned that about 60% of eligible automobiles had been upgraded as of final month.
The HLDI mentioned that the frequency of theft claims for the Hyundai and Kia automobiles stays excessive, even for fashions with the brand new software program. The group believes one of many causes for this can be that the software-based immobilizer solely prompts if the motive force remembers to lock the automobile with a fob, whereas many individuals are within the behavior of utilizing the swap on the door deal with.
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