Press Releases

12/16/2025

Attorney General Tong Leads Multistate Settlement with Hyundai and Kia for their Sales of Vehicles Lacking Industry-Standard Anti-Theft Technology

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

(Hartford, CT) -- Attorney General William Tong today led a coalition of 35 other attorneys general announcing a settlement with automobile manufacturers Hyundai and Kia for 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 agree to:

• Equip all future vehicles sold in the United States with industry-standard, engine immobilizer anti-theft technology;
• Offer free zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors to owners or lessees of eligible vehicles, including vehicles that previously were only eligible for the companies' software updates;
• Provide up to $4.5 million in restitution to eligible consumers whose cars are damaged by thieves; and
• Pay $4.5 million to the states to defray the costs of the investigation.

"Hyundai and Kia sold cars with a glaring lack of basic anti-theft technology, and we're holding them accountable for the harm they caused to consumers and public safety. All it took was a few minutes on social media for kids to learn how to hotwire these defective cars, and to spur an epidemic of car thefts, reckless driving, and needless injuries and deaths. Today, Hyundai and Kia are paying millions of dollars to states and consumers, and they will finally provide a real fix, free of charge, to stop these thefts. If you have an effected vehicle, I urge you to submit a claim and get your vehicle protected as soon as possible," said Attorney General Tong.

Connecticut will receive $197,038 through today's settlement. There were 93,393 impacted vehicles sold in Connecticut.

"Stopping reckless drivers and reducing vehicle thefts has been a top priority for the Connecticut State Police. Through intense targeted enforcement we have made progress - vehicle thefts are down and highway fatalities have declined,'' said DESPP Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins. "Thanks to Attorney General Tong and the coalition of attorneys general, this new settlement with Kia and Hyundai provides an opportunity to further reduce thefts and reckless driving."

"Joy riding in a stolen car may be a joke to some people trying to get social media views, but to victims, it's a serious disruption to daily life that impacts the ability to get to work, take their kids to school, buy groceries and so much more," said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli." We are happy that Kia and Hyundai have agreed not only to help consumers whose cars are damaged by thieves and provide updates to eligible vehicles, but also to equip all future vehicles sold in the U.S. with technology that prevents this problem from happening again. Thank you to the Attorney General's office for their work on this important issue."

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 Connecticut. 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. Hyundai and Kia, thus, lagged behind industry standards.

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

Car thieves devised a quick and simple way to access these vehicles' ignition cylinder and start these cars without a key. This method quickly went viral, leading to a drastic increase in Kia and Hyundai vehicle thefts throughout the nation. Not only did the number of thefts explode, but many of the vehicles were used in connection with other crimes and were involved in many traffic collisions, some fatal. These are not just numbers; they represent a public safety crisis that has caused substantial and serious harm to our neighbors and 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 most of the 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 was effective at preventing the viral theft method, the states alleged that the software update could be, and in fact was, easily bypassed by thieves.

The Settlement Secures Availability of Zinc-Reinforced Ignition Cylinder Protectors for All Affected Vehicles.

The Attorneys General pressed Hyundai and Kia to do more to protect consumers and their communities. As a result, Attorney General Tong has ensured that consumers with eligible vehicles can have zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors, which prevents thieves from accessing the ignition assembly, installed on their vehicle free of charge.

Eligible consumers will be notified by the companies that they will have one year from the date of the notice to make an appointment to have the zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector installed at their local Hyundai or Kia authorized dealerships. Attorney General Tong 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, please visit the following:

• For Hyundai - Visit www.HKMultistateimmobilizersettlement.com
• For Kia - Visit https://customercare.kiausa.com/SWLD or call (800) 333-4Kia(4542)

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

Assistant Attorney General Brendan Flynn and Deputy Associate Attorney General Michael Wertheimer, Chief of the Consumer Protection Section assisted Attorney General Tong in this matter.
Twitter: @AGWilliamTong Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton [email protected]

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318 [email protected]

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Email
• Print