The St. Louis City Hall announced on the 27th that it will formally sue Hyundai Motor and its subsidiary Kia Motors for failing to install anti-theft systems in millions of vehicles.

Information photo.

(Reuters)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] The city government of St. Louis, Missouri, USA announced on the 27th that it joined several major American cities in suing South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company and its subsidiary Kia Motors. Corporation) for failing to install anti-theft systems in millions of cars.

According to "Reuters" reports, recently on social platforms such as TikTok, simple theft methods of Hyundai and Kia Motors have been circulated, resulting in frequent theft of the products of the two companies.

Since May 2022, the St. Louis police have received more than 4,500 reports of theft of Hyundai and Kia vehicles; about 61% of the stolen vehicles in the city are cars produced by two South Korean companies.

Please read on...

According to 2015 data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), about 96% of American cars come standard with anti-theft systems; however, only 26% of Hyundai and Kia's 2015 models come standard with anti-theft systems.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones emphasized: "Big corporations like Hyundai and Kia must be held accountable for harming our citizens and putting their interests above their safety."

Before St. Louis filed its lawsuit in Missouri District Court, several cities in the United States had taken similar actions, including Cleveland, Ohio, San Diego, California, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Columbus, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. cities such as Seattle.

Kia Motors stated on the 27th that the lawsuits filed by cities across the United States are baseless. "Kia is willing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in St. Louis to combat car theft and the negative effects of social media, but our products comply with all anti-theft laws in the United States."

Hyundai said it had launched a series of investigative actions "in response to the theft of our vehicles lacking push-start, immobilized immobilizers within the United States."