As a result of the settlement, Hyundai and Kia will offer free hardware fix for all affected vehicles that will thwart further thefts and protect public safety

Attorney General Liz Murrill announced today that Louisiana, along with 34 other attorneys general, has reached a settlement with automobile manufacturers Hyundai and Kia over their sale of millions of vehicles nationwide that lacked industry-standard, anti-theft technology.  This failure resulted in an epidemic of car thefts and joy riding across the country that continues to threaten public safety.  Under the settlement, Hyundai and Kia have agreed to:

"Hyundai and Kia’s decision to abandon typical measures to prevent car thefts have led to detrimental consequences. The company’s omission of engine mobilizers led to its vehicles being vulnerable to theft and joyriding. We will continue to hold companies accountable when its decisions lead to Louisiana consumers being negatively affected," said Attorney General Liz Murrill.

Many of Hyundai and Kia’s Vehicles Lacked Industry Standard Anti-Theft Technology. 

Hyundai and Kia chose not include anti-theft “engine-immobilizer” technology in millions of their vehicles sold throughout the United States, including in Louisiana.  An engine immobilizer prevents thieves from starting a vehicle’s engine without the vehicle’s “smart” key, which stores the vehicle’s electronic security code.  According to one report, in 2015, only 26% of the vehicles Kia and Hyundai sold in the United States were equipped with engine immobilizers, compared to 96% of the vehicles sold by other manufacturers.

States Across the Country, Including Louisiana, Have Experienced a Drastic Increase in Hyundai and Kia Vehicle Thefts.

Car thieves devised a quick and simple way to access these vehicles’ ignition cylinders and start these cars without a key, which quickly went viral, leading to a drastic, nationwide increase in Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts.  Furthermore, many of the stolen vehicles were used in connection with other crimes and were involved in many traffic collisions, some fatal.  These actions represent a public safety crisis that has caused substantial and serious harm to our communities.

Hyundai and Kia’s Response to the Public Safety Crisis.

Hyundai and Kia were slow to respond to the crisis, waiting until 2023 to launch a service campaign to update the software on many affected vehicles. Hyundai and Kia also offered to install a zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector, but only for the roughly twenty percent of their vehicles that were ineligible for this software update. While the companies claimed that the software update blocked the viral theft method, the states alleged that the software update could be, and in fact was, easily bypassed by thieves.

The Settlement Makes Zinc-Reinforced Ignition Cylinder Protectors Available for All Affected Vehicles.

The Attorneys General pressed Hyundai and Kia to do more to protect consumers, and through this settlement, Attorney General Liz Murrill has ensured that all consumers with eligible vehicles can have zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors installed on their vehicle free of charge.

Eligible consumers will have one year from the date of notice from the companies to make an appointment to have the zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector installed at their local Hyundai or Kia authorized dealerships. Attorney General Liz Murrill urges consumers to schedule the installation of the zinc-reinforce ignition cylinder protector as soon as possible.

In addition, consumers who previously installed the software update on their vehicles (or were scheduled to do so) but nonetheless experienced a theft or attempted theft of their vehicle on or after April 29, 2025, are eligible to file a claim for restitution for certain theft and attempted-theft related expenses.  For more information about eligibility and how to submit a claim for compensation from Hyundai or Kia, please visit the following:

www.HKMultistateimmobilizersettlement.com

The multistate settlement was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.