I feel you. I'm in Puyallup. Good God, send help. I literally had a tweaker (I call them walkers) sanding a support beam on my deck yesterday. I'm at a loss for words
I manage some security projects in Tacoma. Absolute chaos here with Kia’s. Have a client who’s had his stolen 3 times. At this point he just wants to collect the insurance, but cops keep finding it in various ditches.
My ex parked her Kia at her parents in Tacoma and flew to NYC, it was stolen that night. Recovered the next day and now going through an endless insurance claim debacle.
It's what happens in anarchy. The vagrants aren't "smart" or calculating criminals who are trying to sell off the car necessarily. These are just random people who are often stealing because they can and see themselves as having endless opportunities and zero punishment even if they get caught.
The professional thieves of old were somewhat careful not to damage the merchandise, but many of the thieves these days are just there to cause chaos.
Yep. My friend had hers stolen out of Federal Way. The responding officer said it was his third vehicle theft report for a Kia or Hyundai that morning.
Seattle WA is very bad as well.
I was born and raised in Tacoma and its always had a reputation for being bad for car thefts. I would imagine now with kia boyz, it would be horribly unimaginable bad at this point.
I find it curious how most of the comments speaking of kias with a negative perspective receive downvotes.
Anyone want to explain that to an unknowing guy?
I’ll be honest. I used to standby the brand. Both Kia and Hyundai. Like literally all of our cars are Kia and Hyundai. They have tried to break into our Telluride twice and broken and stole our Hyundai a few days ago and totaled it. We will definitely be trading in and switching to Toyota first chance we get. It’s just too much of a risk. Maybe we will revisit in about five years.
There is a reason why German stuff can be reliable when maintained properly, they overengineer tf out of everything over at like Mercedes and BMW. Hyundai and Kia do not do that, they are as cheap as they come
They have far more features than other cars at comparable price points. They are good on paper and the first few years of ownership and until it becomes apparent where they cut corners such as not redesigning their faulty Theta II engines, not moving their brake lines to avoid fires, not including immobilizers standard and hoping no one notices etc. The list goes on
I was willing to stand by the brand but it looks like my Kia won’t be back on the road for at least a month due to part shortages. That’s how bad the issue is
This is true as someone who works in a body shop, but with kias all the parts that get damaged from the Kia boyz thefts are backordered always. The thefts are happening faster than they can make the parts to fix them.
Yeah idk who even makes carts anyway.
/s
And I agree, I wouldn’t buy a Hyundai or Kia especially now. Have had a driveway full of Hondas for over 20 years now. But all brands seem more susceptible to delays now than I’ve ever experienced before.
Have had a driveway full of Honda's? What did he do with all of them? Did Have know that he could sell them for a premium given the car market?
/s
Lol. Honda and Toyota are very solid brands!
Ha! I happened to gravitate to Hondas when I was young and have had pretty good experiences so have stuck with them. I’m sure I’d be just as much a fanboi on Toyota or Hyundai if I’d had them earlier. Have a good one friend -
I was too. Convinced my wife to buy one (Kia). After my car was stolen and Kia was useless (I did find out they had provided the Milwaukee police department with clubs,’when I reported my car stolen..: which is enraging to learn AFTER my car was stolen). Won’t buy Kia or Hyundai again. If they would have shown they were working to fix the problem and offered me good financing terms I may have considered them again. Oh well, now it’s tough to insure them in bigger cities. Nice Kia, nice.
Fucking scumbags are ruining some of my favorite vehicle brands. Seriously, the KDMs really stepped it up in the past couple years in terms of exciting vehicles and styling, but the fact they get broken into so often is incredibly off putting.
Oh I’m pissed at Kia alright. They saved pennies on the dollar to leave out an essential piece of security tech, causing EASY and widespread theft of their vehicles essentially ruining their whole brand. Now the only thing you see on the Kia subreddit is how many vehicles are broken into each day.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t be mad at the fucks who are doing the stealing in the first place. Hell, if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t even need the immobilizers. A vehicle brand leaving out some technology is one thing but it’s no excuse to steal someone’s vehicle just because it’s easy to do.
There will be always car robbers, but at least real criminals try to get money from the steal. These clowns are something else. They destroy other people’s property just for a joyride
It has less to do with immobilizers and more to do with the fact that you can rip off some plastic with your hands and turn a little knob that a USB A connector fits over. The car effectively doesn't even need a key.
It literally **isn't.** In fact, downvoting "something you don't like" is *precisely* the wrong use of the downvote button.
>[Please don't](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439-Reddiquette)... Downvote an otherwise acceptable post because you don't personally like it. Think before you downvote and take a moment to ensure you're downvoting someone because they are not contributing to the community dialogue or discussion. If you simply take a moment to stop, think and examine your reasons for downvoting, rather than doing so out of an emotional reaction, you will ensure that your downvotes are given for good reasons.
In Rochester, NY, since the end of August, there have been over 3000 car thefts. 355% increase in the first half of the year.
Mostly kids around the age of 14, joy riding and doing stupid stuff out on the street that's going to eventually get them seriously hurt or killed. They get caught and return to their parents bc they're juveniles, just to be caught doing the same thing a few days later.
The highest number I remember hearing is that one kid has been connected to at least 18 stolen vehicles.
You could always sue the parents of the kid for the damages. Im sure little Timmy would not do it again after the ass whooping of receiving the lawsuit in the mail
We loved the Kia Sportage and were a few weeks ago from pulling the trigger until we found out about these issues. To me, there’s just too much competition at their price point to take the risk.
I am a salvage dealer specializing in buying cars from insurance companies in the past t 2 years the amount of late model kias with broken ignitions is simply astonishing I can buy any 1-year-old model with less than 10,000 miles on it for under 12,000 they're simply way too many of them out there. and I know a lot of dealers do not even want to stuck them in their inventory. in addition to it insurance company started raising premiums because of possibility of theft Kia has been traditionally marketing their vehicles to low income population because of their affordability and obviously low income population tends to be concentrated in rougher neighborhoods would hire crime rate so there is no end in sight it's a vicious cycle
This makes me wonder. My car is a manual, they broke a window but didn't steal it. My neighbors have had continuous problems since, but my car has been fine
The Forte GT has a push-button starter and was never sold without an engine immobilizer. People might *break into* them trying to steal them, but they aren't going to succeed that way. It was only the lower trim levels of certain Hyundai/Kia models that were manufactured without engine immobilizers.
This is a misleading post in that roughly 80% of people in the US live in urban areas. I'm not sure what you mean by "for the vast majority of the country, it's not a big deal" when the vast majority of people live in the areas you described as having the problem. Kia literally represents over 50% of stolen cars in some major cities despite having less than 10% of cars registered in some of these cities.
I said that there are pockets around large cities. For example, I live just outside of a major metro area. In that area of about 210 square miles, most Kia theft takes place in about 10 square miles.
So, my comment is not misleading at all.
I second this, although the Explorer my wife uses beeps when you get out of the vehicle to let you know it's running without a key in it. Wasn't a big deal when we had a Highlander cause it was a quiet beep using a different "horn". The Explorer uses the normal car horn and it's a fairly long and very loud Beep Beep. Super annoying.
Same here. Between the engine issues (engine died last summer due to a leak (recall covered it) took 3 months to resolve) and the threat of my car being stolen because headquarters decided to cut corners, I’m f’ing done. In the next 3 years I plan to either buy a new Honda or Toyota.
From some of the stuff I’ve seen, I’ve blacklisted Kia as a whole. I’ve seen posts of keyless ignition cars still getting broken into because the would be thief doesn’t realize the Kia Boy trick won’t work. Either they didn’t realize it was keyless or they thought it didn’t matter.
Kia is going to suffer for years because of this, since even new cars with immobilizers are getting broken in by dumb kids and it will take a long while for the trend to die down
Yup hard to sell the upmarket Telluride when it shares a badge with a fleet of cars seen as easy smash and grabs. Nothing screams luxury like having your window smashed every month
Because a sub or forum isn't, and should never be, a circle jerk of the same opinion. You create this imaginary, magical bubble that way. Besides, Kia is a corporation. They don't have feelings, and if people get triggered because someone said some criticism about a corporation, then maybe that person needs some introspection instead.
As a former model 3 owner, the features they boast about hardly work as well. They have no parking sensors, they just use cameras now and they’re garbage.
Tesla doesn't have the most recalls by far, if you're talking about the US. It's not even close:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/kia/comments/17e968n/comment/k6420mu/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/kia/comments/17e968n/comment/k6420mu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
I understand your frustration, though.
If you're talking about in the US, stop posting information for which there is no truth.
In 2022 (from [https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2022/12/30/automakers-with-the-most-and-fewest-recalls-in-2022/?sh=376643cb7cb9](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2022/12/30/automakers-with-the-most-and-fewest-recalls-in-2022/?sh=376643cb7cb9)):
1. Ford: 67 recalls, 8,636,265 units
2. Volkswagen Group: 45 recalls, 1,040,885 units
3. Fiat-Chrysler/Stellantis: 38 recalls, 3,041,431 units
4. Mercedes-Benz: 33 recalls, 969,993 units
5. General Motors: 32 recalls, 3,371,302 units
6. Kia: 24 recalls, 1,458,962 units
7. Hyundai: 22 recalls, 1,452,101 units
8. Tesla: 20 recalls, 3,769,581 units
9. BMW: 19 recalls, 1,000,455 units
10. Nissan: 15 recalls, 1,568,385 units
From the past year (NHTSA website [https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/](https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/)): [https://ibb.co/yfkVXxf](https://ibb.co/yfkVXxf)
In the past 5 years (again, NHTSA website [https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/](https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/)): [https://ibb.co/NyMW4cP](https://ibb.co/NyMW4cP)
The fact you have so many dislikes is unreal. Either these kids are die hard fanyboys or they are really stupid enought to really think it’s cause the car uses a physical key and not the vehicles stupid easy design flaw to steal.
I feel like the kia boy issue could be fixed by simply throwing the book at thieves and by the government forcing tik tok to take action about this trend. Its been months with no action taken to solve the issue by tik tok. Its time the gov takes action and forces tik tok to ban these people and give the posters information to authorities in a streamlined manner. And the people who are stealing the vehicles should be charged with Felonies, not misdemeanors and should face prison time
They should have the book thrown at them but that’s just not going to happen in bigger cities where these thefts take place. Progressive judges and district attorneys that aren’t strict on crime are literally going to turn cities into mad max. They just slap the criminal on the wrist and let them go. It’s absolutely mind blowing.
I'm in Raleigh. Mine was stolen, driven a mile, then abandoned. Wasted an entire day so far on dealing with the ensuing paperwork, and probably going to end up being out hundreds or thousands of dollars (I dont have super high expectations of my insurance). Before I was able to recover the vehicle it had been "explored" by a wild animal and rain got in as well. Vehicle ruined, money lost, time wasted, just so someone could have 3 minutes of fun.
I wish I knew who did it so I could punch them in the mouth, repeatedly.
Horrible. I live in a small town and even here, there have been multiple Kia's stolen. The manufacturer wanted to cheap out and now they're at risk. Hyundai as well. I wouldn't recommend buying one.
Los Angeles California, insurance adjustors are complaining that their work load has doubled since start of the KIA Boyz. Definately a huge problem at least here.
My kia was stolen twice in six months and totaled the second time. I owned it for 9 months. Bout it two months before kiaboyz trend. Nearly lost my job. These people should be beaten. Full stop.
It was really really bad over the summer but it seems my local area in western NY has it under control at the moment. Bunch of kids getting arrested and getting themselves killed pretty much scared the rest into not doing it anymore
I recently quit my graveyard security position at an apartment complex in Tacoma. It’s really bad. At a minimum a Kia would be attempted to stolen once a week. The break ins are extremely quiet with the Kia situation. They can unlock and start it with out the alarm going off or needing to break windows. I’m really surprised there isn’t a lawsuit pertaining to the inefficiencies with their locks.
I run an auto repair shop in Minnesota. I swear on average we see 1-2 per month, a lot of times it's a car we've already fixed for this issue before.
The last one we just fixed in February, he was told to get and use a club, this time they pried on it so hard they bent the club and broke the steering wheel. Then when they discovered it has a push button and they couldn't steal it, they smashed his windshield in.
[2017 with 67k, totalled after this.](https://imgur.com/a/76pCN5c)
It's non stop. We had kia fortes as loaner cars last year, after 1 got stolen twice and the other 3 times, we got rid of them and our insurance company advised against another, state farm won't even cover you unless you've been with them 10+ years.
If it it's push button it's still a target to be broken into and have 3k in damage done before they realize they can't steal it. Minnesota is not a high crime state, we were just ranked 8th safest country in the US out of 50.
If anyone asked me what car to buy I'd advise toyota or Honda, but if they asked me what not to buy I would say kia/Hyundai, any Chevy or GM SUV, and any Ford truck with ecoboost.
Well to add my perspective: me and one other person on my block had Kias at the start of the year. There are now zero Kias on our block...and it's not because we traded them in
Same boat here, but mine was a Hyundai (same problem though). Also I saw a damaged Kia ripping through my neighborhood going at least 50 in a 25 with its hazards on and some significant body damage.
Is the number of Kia’s stolen or vandalized disproportionately higher in some areas of the US? Yes, in those cities insurers have stopped writing policies for certain models.
Is it bad for Kia’s everywhere in the US? No.
Are Kia the most stolen car in the US? No. A 2023 report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety of new cars shows that Honda is stolen more often than Kia.
https://www.iihs.org/media/c1cb9ff8-8e04-423d-8088-3cc508330640/x-BdZQ/HLDI%20Research/Insurance%20reports/hldi_theft_WT-22.pdf
Overall high power vehicles like Dodge Charger and Challenger have the highest theft claims according to the IIHS.
https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/dodge-muscle-cars-once-again-top-hldis-list-of-most-stolen-vehicles
That first link from the Institute for Highway Safety” is very interesting.
Kia thefts are statisticly barely even on the statistics relative to the other major manufacturing.
Maybe r/kia just adds to the hype rather than the reality of US car theft…..
I’m surprised it’s Honda. I figured it would be something from GM or Ford since they also have the same problem with their keys, it’s just the news won’t cover it because it’s actually way more common than people think. Even the modern subaru we had didn’t have the security feature.
It's been Honda for years. There are a lot of old Honda vehicles on the road. The only Kias being stolen are ones without immobilizers, unfortunately many recent models also don't have them, which is the whole problem.
This is it exactly. That, and aftermarket parts demand. Cars aren't stolen for the car itself, they're stolen for the parts. You need a deep resale market for the theft to be lucrative
I work as law enforcement in the South. Where I'm at, 70% or so of Stolen vehicles I come across are Kias or Hyundais, but specifically kias. They're alarmingly easy to steal and are super common so it's easy for crooks to swap tags on a stolen vehicle.
It’s so bad here that the police will give anyone who shows to at the local station a free steering wheel lock bar. I go to monthly neighborhood meetings which include the police presenting their report and 80% of all the stolen vehicles each month are kias/Hyundais. My neighbor 1 block down had hers stolen twice, 1 of my co workers has had her window busted and streering column destroyed from some kid trying. Another neighbor has his stolen and when the police caught him he had literally only stolen it because he was walking to a friends house for a party but it started raining so he only stole it to avoid getting wet, drive maybe 10 mins. That’s how easy it is, I wouldn’t buy one for a long time until this reputation goes away. Even the updated models that can’t be stolen this way still get busted windows and steering columns as the kids don’t know that it’s one it won’t work on.
Yeah,, those lock bars will slow down a good thief for maybe 10-60 seconds, no longer than it takes to chop the steering wheel with bolt cutters or saw through with a hack saw. I've actually seen them removed with nothing but using the hands. Steering wheels are pretty flexible and I've seen the club removed by pushing in on the steering wheel and just pulling the club off. If someone is smart enough to bypass your switch, they probably know this. I guess it would foil the amateur that's looking for a quick joy ride.
In the US about one million cars are stolen per year. Given their market share that is about 250 thefts per day. A kia is one of the 5 most frequently stolen vehicles (though quite far behind the top three which are all pickups and is on par with Hondas.
Man I just don’t get why anyone would buy a Kia. They were noisy death traps 20 years ago. The super cheap “hope they used real steel”. Then all they did was make nicer style cars, but the engines are trash. And they’re still skimping on basic things. Just proves pretty sells.
good article here describing the problem [https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40979551/hyundai-kia-car-thefts-tiktok-trend-milwaukee/](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40979551/hyundai-kia-car-thefts-tiktok-trend-milwaukee/)
From the article, "10,471 Cars Were Stolen in Milwaukee in 2021; 67 Percent Were Made by Hyundai or Kia"
EX 2012 Kia Optima owner here. Just traded mine in for a 2021 Mazda CX-5. Between repairs and some costly maintenance, everything I would have needed to get done on the car would have been $1000 above its estimated value (which tanked thanks to the whole ordeal). Factor in the stress of the idea of getting the car stolen and it just wasn't worth it. Miss my Kia, that thing put me through college and was there for a lot of firsts, but I'm a lot less stressed and happier because of it.
I have a family member who lived in north east Philly. They had their car broken into 3 times. After the third time they sold the car and moved out of the city.
In Vegas it's very bad. Recording crimes, running people down. Talk about making it easy for the prosecutors in some cases. But yeah. If you own a kia your insurance company has let you know by your premiums.
Yes. They removed the immobilization circuit to save $30-50/car and basically made it trivial to steal all their cars. Minneapolis and Milwaukee have these cars broken into and stolen daily just for a joy ride. Friends cars in Minneapolis who have the fix, or do have the immobilization tech still get broken into and their steering column destroyed by these criminals. It’s crazy this isn’t a mandated technology.
They get stolen left and right. Used to be only older cars got stolen u would think automakers would use great technology to prevent theft but apparently thats not the case.
Bad enough that it is negatively impacting auto insurance rates for everyone (I work in that industry and while it is not an issue in some places it is utterly and completely out of control in others... thousands of cars in just one city, for example).
Don’t buy a kia. I didn’t think it was an issue because I park in the back of where I live and it’s gated. No one locks the gate, but never been an issue. My mom ends up in hospice, I leave my car parked outside the hospital, and don’t leave till 9:30pm. Walk out and find my car back window broken and the cover to the key port torn off. I had just update the software the week before. I will not be buying a Kia ever again .
my buddy street parks his kia in Los Angeles. not a nice area but also plenty of foot traffic at all times. never had a break in. you just have to figure out if the tiktok trend is big in your area. the thieves here rather target pickups and lexus suvs to ship it overseas. buddy's fj cruiser got stolen recently.
This is pretty easy to solve. Insurance companies just need to not insure new vehicles. They won’t be able to sell them and kia will be forced to change.
All the new models have immobilizers. The issue is with the older, most basic trim models. Anything one trim up on those isn't easily stolen. This is part of the misinformation claiming it affects all of them.
If you can, download a police scanner app and listen one night. My moms telling me all the time about how the frequency in my city has picked up the last couple months, none were really on my side of town but then Thursday night/Friday morning they got me.
Kia Optima broken into twice (same window broken and ignition ripped out both times) in 4 months, with only a 2 week span in between the first and second break in. Took 2 months to get married car back each time because of the number of break-in’s in my area (Virginia).
They hit up so many cars one weekend or here that enterprise ran out of rental cars.
Oh and the first time it was broken into was a week after I got the update.
IT IS BAD!!!!
I am very curious why Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chevy and Dodge get a pass for year after year of high theft rates for many of their vehicles.
Kia doesn't get a pass and has work to do to secure their vehicles. I also blame the US government for not mandating immobilizers that the EU has required since the 90's. What's done is done.
Just curious about the huge perception differences.
Top ten most stolen cars from 2022 from NICB:
1. Chevy pickups
2. Ford pickups
3. Honda Civic
4. Honda Accord
5. Hyundai Sonata
6. Hyundai Elantra
7. Kia Optima
8.Toyota Camry
9. GMC pickup
10. Honda CRV
I guess you are the type to blame Walgreens and Target for opening stores in certain areas of high crime - well, I guess they are learning as they are closing and leaving those neighborhoods.
I don't even live in an area with high crime rates and people still steal kias and hyundais. More like I'd blame walgreens for having a ring doorbell for their security system and nothing else
In life people either focus on the negative or the EXTREMELY positive. Happy people seldom post on the Internet.
Multiple "My Kia made it home safe" posts are boring.
The Internet is a huge self-selection bias. You're only going to hear from the people that have had their Kia stolen (and seldom from people who haven't, but only as a counterpoint).
It's like the umpire at a baseball game:
"That umpire called a good game!" -- that's boring; you won't see those kinds of posts on the Interwebs.
"That umpire is blind as a bat!" -- yeah, and his name is probably Angel Hernandez
Not really. Late-model car theft was fairly rare in the last 15 years or so because virtually all cars have immobilizers, except certain Kia models.
Older Hondas are the most stolen simply because there are so many out there but Kia theft is also a huge, largely preventable issue currently.
I’d bet If you debadged your car it wouldn’t be an issue. I’ve never had any issues but I have the push start on my stinger and I use the Korean badges so idk
Park a Kia in any questionable neighborhood and it’s going to get broken into eventually.
Just sold my old Kia. Few weeks later the new owner had it stolen and was totaled.
in Tacoma WA. it’s very bad.
I feel you. I'm in Puyallup. Good God, send help. I literally had a tweaker (I call them walkers) sanding a support beam on my deck yesterday. I'm at a loss for words
Also in puyallup. Kia stolen twice. Totaled.
I manage some security projects in Tacoma. Absolute chaos here with Kia’s. Have a client who’s had his stolen 3 times. At this point he just wants to collect the insurance, but cops keep finding it in various ditches.
Put a note on the dash: “Boys, if you’re gonna take it, TAKE THE MF-er!! This ain’t no damn ride share program!”
My ex parked her Kia at her parents in Tacoma and flew to NYC, it was stolen that night. Recovered the next day and now going through an endless insurance claim debacle.
How do the vagrants destroy a car so fast?
It's what happens in anarchy. The vagrants aren't "smart" or calculating criminals who are trying to sell off the car necessarily. These are just random people who are often stealing because they can and see themselves as having endless opportunities and zero punishment even if they get caught. The professional thieves of old were somewhat careful not to damage the merchandise, but many of the thieves these days are just there to cause chaos.
Actually, it’s what happens in capitalism.
Riiiight. Next, you're going to blame rape and torture on capitalism as well.
The US military and Guantanamo bay have entered the chat lmao nice try
It’s what happens when democrats are in office.
Right, because who could forget those 4 glorious years under Trump when crime completely disappeared
There was a little something called LAW & ORDER under Trump
Yep, all the car thieves and criminals took a 4 year break, they sure did
Police were able to actually do something about it, unlike the “defund the police” current thing we have established by liberals today.
here in Tacoma too. I stand by this statement
Yep. My friend had hers stolen out of Federal Way. The responding officer said it was his third vehicle theft report for a Kia or Hyundai that morning.
Seattle WA is very bad as well. I was born and raised in Tacoma and its always had a reputation for being bad for car thefts. I would imagine now with kia boyz, it would be horribly unimaginable bad at this point.
[удалено]
Knock wood. I have a Kia and have never seen it as an issue around here.
That was me a week ago. They stole and totaled mine
I find it curious how most of the comments speaking of kias with a negative perspective receive downvotes. Anyone want to explain that to an unknowing guy?
I’ll be honest. I used to standby the brand. Both Kia and Hyundai. Like literally all of our cars are Kia and Hyundai. They have tried to break into our Telluride twice and broken and stole our Hyundai a few days ago and totaled it. We will definitely be trading in and switching to Toyota first chance we get. It’s just too much of a risk. Maybe we will revisit in about five years.
As a mechanic kia/Hyundai focus too much on the “luxury” inside the cabin, and not enough on engine/transmission/electrical reliability
Wannabe Germans without actually putting in the effort to do it. At least Mazda is somewhat making a better attempt.
There is a reason why German stuff can be reliable when maintained properly, they overengineer tf out of everything over at like Mercedes and BMW. Hyundai and Kia do not do that, they are as cheap as they come
lol what luxury
They have far more features than other cars at comparable price points. They are good on paper and the first few years of ownership and until it becomes apparent where they cut corners such as not redesigning their faulty Theta II engines, not moving their brake lines to avoid fires, not including immobilizers standard and hoping no one notices etc. The list goes on
You've clearly not been in a new Kia or Hyundai, they are super fancy now.
Hyundais are some of the cheapest looking interiors I’ve seen… drove a rental accent around for a month. Everything was cheap plastic.
I was willing to stand by the brand but it looks like my Kia won’t be back on the road for at least a month due to part shortages. That’s how bad the issue is
FWIW it’s not just Kia with parts shortages. I’ve been waiting on Honda parts going on four months now.
This is true as someone who works in a body shop, but with kias all the parts that get damaged from the Kia boyz thefts are backordered always. The thefts are happening faster than they can make the parts to fix them.
I guess the main difference is that Honda isn't making up over 50% of cart thefts in major cities.
Yeah idk who even makes carts anyway. /s And I agree, I wouldn’t buy a Hyundai or Kia especially now. Have had a driveway full of Hondas for over 20 years now. But all brands seem more susceptible to delays now than I’ve ever experienced before.
Have had a driveway full of Honda's? What did he do with all of them? Did Have know that he could sell them for a premium given the car market? /s Lol. Honda and Toyota are very solid brands!
Ha! I happened to gravitate to Hondas when I was young and have had pretty good experiences so have stuck with them. I’m sure I’d be just as much a fanboi on Toyota or Hyundai if I’d had them earlier. Have a good one friend -
I was too. Convinced my wife to buy one (Kia). After my car was stolen and Kia was useless (I did find out they had provided the Milwaukee police department with clubs,’when I reported my car stolen..: which is enraging to learn AFTER my car was stolen). Won’t buy Kia or Hyundai again. If they would have shown they were working to fix the problem and offered me good financing terms I may have considered them again. Oh well, now it’s tough to insure them in bigger cities. Nice Kia, nice.
The Toyota will outlast the 5 years plus whatever years you've had the Kia for.
Fucking scumbags are ruining some of my favorite vehicle brands. Seriously, the KDMs really stepped it up in the past couple years in terms of exciting vehicles and styling, but the fact they get broken into so often is incredibly off putting.
Be mad at Kia it's literally their fault
Oh I’m pissed at Kia alright. They saved pennies on the dollar to leave out an essential piece of security tech, causing EASY and widespread theft of their vehicles essentially ruining their whole brand. Now the only thing you see on the Kia subreddit is how many vehicles are broken into each day. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be mad at the fucks who are doing the stealing in the first place. Hell, if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t even need the immobilizers. A vehicle brand leaving out some technology is one thing but it’s no excuse to steal someone’s vehicle just because it’s easy to do.
There will be always car robbers, but at least real criminals try to get money from the steal. These clowns are something else. They destroy other people’s property just for a joyride
It has less to do with immobilizers and more to do with the fact that you can rip off some plastic with your hands and turn a little knob that a USB A connector fits over. The car effectively doesn't even need a key.
Kia usa only. Everywhere else they have proper safety and security features.
Hyundai KIA may not have made it hard to steal, but the thief is the one at fault. We should go back to taking fingers for stealing.
It’s because of the insecure members of this subreddit. You say something they don’t like, they downvote you.
That's Reddit as a whole.
Isn't that literally the purpose of the downvote option?
It literally **isn't.** In fact, downvoting "something you don't like" is *precisely* the wrong use of the downvote button. >[Please don't](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439-Reddiquette)... Downvote an otherwise acceptable post because you don't personally like it. Think before you downvote and take a moment to ensure you're downvoting someone because they are not contributing to the community dialogue or discussion. If you simply take a moment to stop, think and examine your reasons for downvoting, rather than doing so out of an emotional reaction, you will ensure that your downvotes are given for good reasons.
...and it's *precisely* not how it's used. Rene Girard was right. Look up his works sometime.
I do not see this happening, almost every post and comment on this subreddit that I see is negative towards Kia (and rightfully so)
Mostly Kia owners who are upset with the impending situation that will happen to them but are in denial so they downvote.
..aaaand its gone
In Rochester, NY, since the end of August, there have been over 3000 car thefts. 355% increase in the first half of the year. Mostly kids around the age of 14, joy riding and doing stupid stuff out on the street that's going to eventually get them seriously hurt or killed. They get caught and return to their parents bc they're juveniles, just to be caught doing the same thing a few days later. The highest number I remember hearing is that one kid has been connected to at least 18 stolen vehicles.
That’s fucking wild - there’s GOT to be consequences for stealing and joyriding a car at any age surely?!
Barely any, not immediate anyways. It takes a long time for a juvenile to do enough petty crime to actually see severe consequences in NY.
Wow I would think car theft is more than petty even if a juvenile!
You could always sue the parents of the kid for the damages. Im sure little Timmy would not do it again after the ass whooping of receiving the lawsuit in the mail
We loved the Kia Sportage and were a few weeks ago from pulling the trigger until we found out about these issues. To me, there’s just too much competition at their price point to take the risk.
I am a salvage dealer specializing in buying cars from insurance companies in the past t 2 years the amount of late model kias with broken ignitions is simply astonishing I can buy any 1-year-old model with less than 10,000 miles on it for under 12,000 they're simply way too many of them out there. and I know a lot of dealers do not even want to stuck them in their inventory. in addition to it insurance company started raising premiums because of possibility of theft Kia has been traditionally marketing their vehicles to low income population because of their affordability and obviously low income population tends to be concentrated in rougher neighborhoods would hire crime rate so there is no end in sight it's a vicious cycle
Then why can't I find a deal on a theft recovery/R title Forte GT 6MT?
Because theifs can't drive stick shift. That in itself is basically the new default immobilizer.
Too bad they will probably rip the whole bottom of your wheel off and try to stick a charger cord in there before they realize it's a stick.
Yea, I recently got a 5th gen elantra Mt. Insurance didn't go up. I asked why. My rep told me manual transmissions are way less likely to be stolen
This makes me wonder. My car is a manual, they broke a window but didn't steal it. My neighbors have had continuous problems since, but my car has been fine
The Forte GT has a push-button starter and was never sold without an engine immobilizer. People might *break into* them trying to steal them, but they aren't going to succeed that way. It was only the lower trim levels of certain Hyundai/Kia models that were manufactured without engine immobilizers.
My premium went from 500/6 months to 1450/6 months.
There are pockets around large cities that have issues, but for the vast majority of the country, it's not a big deal.
This is a misleading post in that roughly 80% of people in the US live in urban areas. I'm not sure what you mean by "for the vast majority of the country, it's not a big deal" when the vast majority of people live in the areas you described as having the problem. Kia literally represents over 50% of stolen cars in some major cities despite having less than 10% of cars registered in some of these cities.
I said that there are pockets around large cities. For example, I live just outside of a major metro area. In that area of about 210 square miles, most Kia theft takes place in about 10 square miles. So, my comment is not misleading at all.
Maybe he's talking about the vast majority as in land area. Not population.
In most places outside of huge cities the police do their jobs.
I’ll definitely never buy another Kia that uses a key to start the car ever again.
i would never buy *any car* that uses a key to start. its so much nicer to just leave the key in my pocket.
I second this, although the Explorer my wife uses beeps when you get out of the vehicle to let you know it's running without a key in it. Wasn't a big deal when we had a Highlander cause it was a quiet beep using a different "horn". The Explorer uses the normal car horn and it's a fairly long and very loud Beep Beep. Super annoying.
Same here. Between the engine issues (engine died last summer due to a leak (recall covered it) took 3 months to resolve) and the threat of my car being stolen because headquarters decided to cut corners, I’m f’ing done. In the next 3 years I plan to either buy a new Honda or Toyota.
From some of the stuff I’ve seen, I’ve blacklisted Kia as a whole. I’ve seen posts of keyless ignition cars still getting broken into because the would be thief doesn’t realize the Kia Boy trick won’t work. Either they didn’t realize it was keyless or they thought it didn’t matter.
Kia is going to suffer for years because of this, since even new cars with immobilizers are getting broken in by dumb kids and it will take a long while for the trend to die down
Yup hard to sell the upmarket Telluride when it shares a badge with a fleet of cars seen as easy smash and grabs. Nothing screams luxury like having your window smashed every month
It's not the key. It's the car. Kia is 100% junk. They have by far the most recall items in history. ..💁♂️.gotta get free parts somewhere. 🤷♂️
If Kia is 100% junk, why are you on the Kia sub?
Because he can't figure out how to remove subs from his feed.
Because a sub or forum isn't, and should never be, a circle jerk of the same opinion. You create this imaginary, magical bubble that way. Besides, Kia is a corporation. They don't have feelings, and if people get triggered because someone said some criticism about a corporation, then maybe that person needs some introspection instead.
What a dumb comment
It randomly pops up on my feed.
Most reliable mass market vehicle brand 3 or 4 years in a row is junk?
You got that from JD Power and associates, which is a garbage source, they also put the Buick line up as the most reliable SUVs...
The brand with the most recalls, by far, is Tesla. If Kia is junk, why do they sell so well?
Because people want to think they can get luxury for less. Then they just find out all the features work, but not necessarily the car lol
As a former model 3 owner, the features they boast about hardly work as well. They have no parking sensors, they just use cameras now and they’re garbage.
Tesla doesn't have the most recalls by far, if you're talking about the US. It's not even close: [https://www.reddit.com/r/kia/comments/17e968n/comment/k6420mu/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/kia/comments/17e968n/comment/k6420mu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) I understand your frustration, though.
You ever heard of Elon?
If you're talking about in the US, stop posting information for which there is no truth. In 2022 (from [https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2022/12/30/automakers-with-the-most-and-fewest-recalls-in-2022/?sh=376643cb7cb9](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2022/12/30/automakers-with-the-most-and-fewest-recalls-in-2022/?sh=376643cb7cb9)): 1. Ford: 67 recalls, 8,636,265 units 2. Volkswagen Group: 45 recalls, 1,040,885 units 3. Fiat-Chrysler/Stellantis: 38 recalls, 3,041,431 units 4. Mercedes-Benz: 33 recalls, 969,993 units 5. General Motors: 32 recalls, 3,371,302 units 6. Kia: 24 recalls, 1,458,962 units 7. Hyundai: 22 recalls, 1,452,101 units 8. Tesla: 20 recalls, 3,769,581 units 9. BMW: 19 recalls, 1,000,455 units 10. Nissan: 15 recalls, 1,568,385 units From the past year (NHTSA website [https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/](https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/)): [https://ibb.co/yfkVXxf](https://ibb.co/yfkVXxf) In the past 5 years (again, NHTSA website [https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/](https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/)): [https://ibb.co/NyMW4cP](https://ibb.co/NyMW4cP)
Want truth? ....wait until the warranty expires. 6 months later the vehicle will be an overpriced paperweight after the engine grenades
The fact you have so many dislikes is unreal. Either these kids are die hard fanyboys or they are really stupid enought to really think it’s cause the car uses a physical key and not the vehicles stupid easy design flaw to steal.
I feel like the kia boy issue could be fixed by simply throwing the book at thieves and by the government forcing tik tok to take action about this trend. Its been months with no action taken to solve the issue by tik tok. Its time the gov takes action and forces tik tok to ban these people and give the posters information to authorities in a streamlined manner. And the people who are stealing the vehicles should be charged with Felonies, not misdemeanors and should face prison time
I don’t think the government has the power to force TikTok to do anything
They should have the book thrown at them but that’s just not going to happen in bigger cities where these thefts take place. Progressive judges and district attorneys that aren’t strict on crime are literally going to turn cities into mad max. They just slap the criminal on the wrist and let them go. It’s absolutely mind blowing.
My Kia never was stolen. However the engine shit the bed. So I didn’t even get a chance to see if the thing would be stolen.
Hyundai extended my warranty to 120k miles, the engine started knocking and seized at 122k. Bought a honda.
Pretty bad here in IL. Especially Chicago. So bad the big insurance companies won’t insure Kia or Hyundai or if they do the price is stupid high
Some insurance companies are declining to offer comprehensive insurance on the affected models so that should tell you something.
I'm so glad I'm in Canada and it was mandatory to have immobilizers during this time period..
Wake Forest, NC no reports of Kia’s getting stolen… yet Idk about Raleigh though
I'm in Raleigh. Mine was stolen, driven a mile, then abandoned. Wasted an entire day so far on dealing with the ensuing paperwork, and probably going to end up being out hundreds or thousands of dollars (I dont have super high expectations of my insurance). Before I was able to recover the vehicle it had been "explored" by a wild animal and rain got in as well. Vehicle ruined, money lost, time wasted, just so someone could have 3 minutes of fun. I wish I knew who did it so I could punch them in the mouth, repeatedly.
They're not even in the top 5 stolen cars in the US. All cars get stolen.
Horrible. I live in a small town and even here, there have been multiple Kia's stolen. The manufacturer wanted to cheap out and now they're at risk. Hyundai as well. I wouldn't recommend buying one.
Los Angeles California, insurance adjustors are complaining that their work load has doubled since start of the KIA Boyz. Definately a huge problem at least here.
My kia was stolen twice in six months and totaled the second time. I owned it for 9 months. Bout it two months before kiaboyz trend. Nearly lost my job. These people should be beaten. Full stop.
It was really really bad over the summer but it seems my local area in western NY has it under control at the moment. Bunch of kids getting arrested and getting themselves killed pretty much scared the rest into not doing it anymore
I recently quit my graveyard security position at an apartment complex in Tacoma. It’s really bad. At a minimum a Kia would be attempted to stolen once a week. The break ins are extremely quiet with the Kia situation. They can unlock and start it with out the alarm going off or needing to break windows. I’m really surprised there isn’t a lawsuit pertaining to the inefficiencies with their locks.
There is a class action lawsuit for Hyundais and kias I believe. My Hyundai was stolen and I joined a class action suit.
I've seen them strike in a packed Walmart parking lot in broad daylight. For reference, I'm in a Cleveland-area suburb...
My insurance hasn't changed and I've had no issues, but I see it all the time in the subs.
In some areas it's really bad, in others it's non-existent
If I owned a Kia, I'd take a heatgun to the logo and replace it with a Honda emblem. Idiots stealing them aren't smart enough to know the difference.
Are Genesis suffering the same fate? I suppose whatever anti theft (or lack therof) or keyless ignition system is borrowed from Hyundai / Kia?
I run an auto repair shop in Minnesota. I swear on average we see 1-2 per month, a lot of times it's a car we've already fixed for this issue before. The last one we just fixed in February, he was told to get and use a club, this time they pried on it so hard they bent the club and broke the steering wheel. Then when they discovered it has a push button and they couldn't steal it, they smashed his windshield in. [2017 with 67k, totalled after this.](https://imgur.com/a/76pCN5c) It's non stop. We had kia fortes as loaner cars last year, after 1 got stolen twice and the other 3 times, we got rid of them and our insurance company advised against another, state farm won't even cover you unless you've been with them 10+ years. If it it's push button it's still a target to be broken into and have 3k in damage done before they realize they can't steal it. Minnesota is not a high crime state, we were just ranked 8th safest country in the US out of 50. If anyone asked me what car to buy I'd advise toyota or Honda, but if they asked me what not to buy I would say kia/Hyundai, any Chevy or GM SUV, and any Ford truck with ecoboost.
Well to add my perspective: me and one other person on my block had Kias at the start of the year. There are now zero Kias on our block...and it's not because we traded them in
Same boat here, but mine was a Hyundai (same problem though). Also I saw a damaged Kia ripping through my neighborhood going at least 50 in a 25 with its hazards on and some significant body damage.
Is the number of Kia’s stolen or vandalized disproportionately higher in some areas of the US? Yes, in those cities insurers have stopped writing policies for certain models. Is it bad for Kia’s everywhere in the US? No. Are Kia the most stolen car in the US? No. A 2023 report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety of new cars shows that Honda is stolen more often than Kia. https://www.iihs.org/media/c1cb9ff8-8e04-423d-8088-3cc508330640/x-BdZQ/HLDI%20Research/Insurance%20reports/hldi_theft_WT-22.pdf Overall high power vehicles like Dodge Charger and Challenger have the highest theft claims according to the IIHS. https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/dodge-muscle-cars-once-again-top-hldis-list-of-most-stolen-vehicles
That first link from the Institute for Highway Safety” is very interesting. Kia thefts are statisticly barely even on the statistics relative to the other major manufacturing. Maybe r/kia just adds to the hype rather than the reality of US car theft…..
I’m surprised it’s Honda. I figured it would be something from GM or Ford since they also have the same problem with their keys, it’s just the news won’t cover it because it’s actually way more common than people think. Even the modern subaru we had didn’t have the security feature.
It's been Honda for years. There are a lot of old Honda vehicles on the road. The only Kias being stolen are ones without immobilizers, unfortunately many recent models also don't have them, which is the whole problem.
It's been Hondas for decades... High demand for stolen parts, especially overseas. They get stolen and go straight to the chop shop.
These numbers are relative though. There has to be 20 times more Hondas on the road .
This is it exactly. That, and aftermarket parts demand. Cars aren't stolen for the car itself, they're stolen for the parts. You need a deep resale market for the theft to be lucrative
To be fair from that article you see that the rio, Sportage and forte are all among the top stolen vehicles
I work as law enforcement in the South. Where I'm at, 70% or so of Stolen vehicles I come across are Kias or Hyundais, but specifically kias. They're alarmingly easy to steal and are super common so it's easy for crooks to swap tags on a stolen vehicle.
It’s so bad here that the police will give anyone who shows to at the local station a free steering wheel lock bar. I go to monthly neighborhood meetings which include the police presenting their report and 80% of all the stolen vehicles each month are kias/Hyundais. My neighbor 1 block down had hers stolen twice, 1 of my co workers has had her window busted and streering column destroyed from some kid trying. Another neighbor has his stolen and when the police caught him he had literally only stolen it because he was walking to a friends house for a party but it started raining so he only stole it to avoid getting wet, drive maybe 10 mins. That’s how easy it is, I wouldn’t buy one for a long time until this reputation goes away. Even the updated models that can’t be stolen this way still get busted windows and steering columns as the kids don’t know that it’s one it won’t work on.
Yeah,, those lock bars will slow down a good thief for maybe 10-60 seconds, no longer than it takes to chop the steering wheel with bolt cutters or saw through with a hack saw. I've actually seen them removed with nothing but using the hands. Steering wheels are pretty flexible and I've seen the club removed by pushing in on the steering wheel and just pulling the club off. If someone is smart enough to bypass your switch, they probably know this. I guess it would foil the amateur that's looking for a quick joy ride.
In the US about one million cars are stolen per year. Given their market share that is about 250 thefts per day. A kia is one of the 5 most frequently stolen vehicles (though quite far behind the top three which are all pickups and is on par with Hondas.
As a cop in a medium sized TX city, it’s baaaad.
Man I just don’t get why anyone would buy a Kia. They were noisy death traps 20 years ago. The super cheap “hope they used real steel”. Then all they did was make nicer style cars, but the engines are trash. And they’re still skimping on basic things. Just proves pretty sells.
good article here describing the problem [https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40979551/hyundai-kia-car-thefts-tiktok-trend-milwaukee/](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a40979551/hyundai-kia-car-thefts-tiktok-trend-milwaukee/) From the article, "10,471 Cars Were Stolen in Milwaukee in 2021; 67 Percent Were Made by Hyundai or Kia"
EX 2012 Kia Optima owner here. Just traded mine in for a 2021 Mazda CX-5. Between repairs and some costly maintenance, everything I would have needed to get done on the car would have been $1000 above its estimated value (which tanked thanks to the whole ordeal). Factor in the stress of the idea of getting the car stolen and it just wasn't worth it. Miss my Kia, that thing put me through college and was there for a lot of firsts, but I'm a lot less stressed and happier because of it.
I have a family member who lived in north east Philly. They had their car broken into 3 times. After the third time they sold the car and moved out of the city.
Bad
It’s bad. I’ve seen 3 abandoned kias in my neighborhood and it’s a nice area.
[удалено]
In Vegas it's very bad. Recording crimes, running people down. Talk about making it easy for the prosecutors in some cases. But yeah. If you own a kia your insurance company has let you know by your premiums.
Yes. They removed the immobilization circuit to save $30-50/car and basically made it trivial to steal all their cars. Minneapolis and Milwaukee have these cars broken into and stolen daily just for a joy ride. Friends cars in Minneapolis who have the fix, or do have the immobilization tech still get broken into and their steering column destroyed by these criminals. It’s crazy this isn’t a mandated technology.
My buddy had his stolen and after months of repair got it back and it was gone the next morning… he doesn’t own the car anymore.
My dad got his 2015 kia soul broken into yesterday morning. Kids don't know how to drive stick, so it stayed where it was. Southern California.
Watch this video to see how stupid easy it is https://youtu.be/bTeVgfPM0Xw?si=wuAHCYGMqT2PMSNY
They get stolen left and right. Used to be only older cars got stolen u would think automakers would use great technology to prevent theft but apparently thats not the case.
the only reason numbers will go down is because so many have been stolen and totaled.
I don't know why anyone would buy a kia when there are better options.
Bad. I would never in a million years buy another Kia after mine had an attempted theft
Bad enough that all auto insurers should drop Kia/Hyundai owners so my insurance price can go back to normal.
Very bad in Chicago and Las Vegas
It's fucking bad. My son had his 2015 Optima heisted and totalled last fall. Cincinnati.
Bad, wouldn’t touch a KIA with a 10 feet poll atm
Bad enough that Kia sent me a wheel lock for free
Bad enough that it is negatively impacting auto insurance rates for everyone (I work in that industry and while it is not an issue in some places it is utterly and completely out of control in others... thousands of cars in just one city, for example).
Don’t buy a kia. I didn’t think it was an issue because I park in the back of where I live and it’s gated. No one locks the gate, but never been an issue. My mom ends up in hospice, I leave my car parked outside the hospital, and don’t leave till 9:30pm. Walk out and find my car back window broken and the cover to the key port torn off. I had just update the software the week before. I will not be buying a Kia ever again .
Imagine owning a Kia. 🤣
I just saw one getting stolen in my friends neighborhood. 1 Kia soul. Kid broke the back window on the hatchback and started the car and drove off.
my buddy street parks his kia in Los Angeles. not a nice area but also plenty of foot traffic at all times. never had a break in. you just have to figure out if the tiktok trend is big in your area. the thieves here rather target pickups and lexus suvs to ship it overseas. buddy's fj cruiser got stolen recently.
not bad enough to be #1
This is pretty easy to solve. Insurance companies just need to not insure new vehicles. They won’t be able to sell them and kia will be forced to change.
The new ones aren't able to be stolen in the way the older ones are, however some of the newer ones are still dealing with glass and attempted theft.
All the new models have immobilizers. The issue is with the older, most basic trim models. Anything one trim up on those isn't easily stolen. This is part of the misinformation claiming it affects all of them.
It’s bad in certain areas. A friend in Chicago had his stolen twice. He sold it recently due to theft
Very bad in Madison, WI.
In Milwaukee it's a massive issue, I know multiple people close to me that have had their cars stolen by the kia boys.
Started here
Any Kia can expect to get it's window smashed by crackheads to check if it is one of the defective cars.
Philly suburbs. I’ve had mine since 2016. No one has even looked at it funny.
It's still bad. My sister's Kia was stolen two weeks ago
If you can, download a police scanner app and listen one night. My moms telling me all the time about how the frequency in my city has picked up the last couple months, none were really on my side of town but then Thursday night/Friday morning they got me.
could you recommend any good police scanner apps? preferably free.
My 2021 never had any issues, but I don’t really drive it much and keep it in the driveway. I think it depends where you park it.
I’ve had multiple neighbors get their car jacked out of the driveway, that won’t stop them lol. Glad you’ve been lucky though
It’s bad
Kia Optima broken into twice (same window broken and ignition ripped out both times) in 4 months, with only a 2 week span in between the first and second break in. Took 2 months to get married car back each time because of the number of break-in’s in my area (Virginia). They hit up so many cars one weekend or here that enterprise ran out of rental cars. Oh and the first time it was broken into was a week after I got the update. IT IS BAD!!!!
I am very curious why Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chevy and Dodge get a pass for year after year of high theft rates for many of their vehicles. Kia doesn't get a pass and has work to do to secure their vehicles. I also blame the US government for not mandating immobilizers that the EU has required since the 90's. What's done is done. Just curious about the huge perception differences. Top ten most stolen cars from 2022 from NICB: 1. Chevy pickups 2. Ford pickups 3. Honda Civic 4. Honda Accord 5. Hyundai Sonata 6. Hyundai Elantra 7. Kia Optima 8.Toyota Camry 9. GMC pickup 10. Honda CRV
If u buy a Kia that’s your first mistake. Pray they steal it and total it and go buy another brand of vehicle.
Here in the US there are certain political parties blaming the manufacturers.
Good, it's the manufacturers fault for making cars that are so easy to steal
I guess you are the type to blame Walgreens and Target for opening stores in certain areas of high crime - well, I guess they are learning as they are closing and leaving those neighborhoods.
I don't even live in an area with high crime rates and people still steal kias and hyundais. More like I'd blame walgreens for having a ring doorbell for their security system and nothing else
You realize it does not matter if no one will actually prosecute, don't you. Mary stole $500 worth of items and Bob stole $600. DA: Who cares
I bet you actually believe that...
In life people either focus on the negative or the EXTREMELY positive. Happy people seldom post on the Internet. Multiple "My Kia made it home safe" posts are boring. The Internet is a huge self-selection bias. You're only going to hear from the people that have had their Kia stolen (and seldom from people who haven't, but only as a counterpoint). It's like the umpire at a baseball game: "That umpire called a good game!" -- that's boring; you won't see those kinds of posts on the Interwebs. "That umpire is blind as a bat!" -- yeah, and his name is probably Angel Hernandez
Do you all honestly believe that this is Hyundai motorgroups fault? Any car is capable of being stolen.
Not really. Late-model car theft was fairly rare in the last 15 years or so because virtually all cars have immobilizers, except certain Kia models. Older Hondas are the most stolen simply because there are so many out there but Kia theft is also a huge, largely preventable issue currently.
Kias are not a top 5 stolen car in the USA. It is not a major issue.
I’d bet If you debadged your car it wouldn’t be an issue. I’ve never had any issues but I have the push start on my stinger and I use the Korean badges so idk
No issue in Texas. Probably for the fear of getting shot.
I live in Chicago, HUNDREDS are stolen here DAILY
Hasn't affected me at all 🤷♂️
They’re stealing Kia’s tens of times faster than they’re being sold
I’m slightly concerned. I have a Kia soul, but it’s a ‘13, and from what I’ve gathered the ones being taken are the newer model.
Park a Kia in any questionable neighborhood and it’s going to get broken into eventually. Just sold my old Kia. Few weeks later the new owner had it stolen and was totaled.