(WSB photo from September day when stolen Hyundai, Kia were dumped together)
At her final full City Council meeting tomorrow, District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold plans a resolution urging the feds to recall the much-stolen Kia and Hyundai models. Here’s the announcement from council staff:
Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold (District 1 – West Seattle) will propose a resolution calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall specific Kia and Hyundai models and require the manufacturers to install industry standard anti-theft technology.
The lack of immobilizer technology in some models made between 2011 and 2021 has made the vehicles vulnerable to theft. That has negatively impacted public safety in cities across the country – including Seattle.
Earlier this year, the Seattle Police Department said that, from 2021 to 2022, there had been a 363 percent increase in reports of stolen Kias and a 503 percent increase in reports of stolen Hyundais. A more recent investigative report found astounding trends in 68 other cities in the U.S.
In January, Seattle became the first city in the nation to file a lawsuit against the automakers. That lawsuit, which is still pending, is seeking to recover damages for the City from the automakers.
If passed, the City of Seattle would join cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia in passing a resolution urging a recall.
The NHTSA, however, is not currently contemplating a recall, according to what they told us in response to our inquiry after getting the announcement above. They note that the heart of the theft problem is “intentional criminal conduct,” while adding, “However, since last year, NHTSA has repeatedly met with Hyundai and Kia to discuss the causes contributing to the theft vulnerability, review the scope of differing software and hardware in the affected models, and receive regular updates on the companies’ action plans. NHTSA will continue to monitor this issue, spread awareness of further updates to local authorities, and lend its expertise in efforts to strengthen motor vehicle safety.”
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