TEXAS, USA — A screwdriver and USB cable shouldn’t be able to start a vehicle. But thieves have used those tools to steal thousands of Kias and Hyundais in connection with the so-called "Kia challenge."
The Kia challenge began in 2021, with social media posts showing the world how to crank up cars in seconds using simple tools.
In May 2023, the two automakers agreed to a $200 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit that could benefit millions of Kia and Hyundai owners. That settlement is now in its final stages, so relief may be here soon for those whose vehicles were taken.
If yours wasn’t taken, the settlement also includes reimbursements if you have installed an anti-theft system to make your automobile less vulnerable. The settlement also provides for software upgrades aimed at preventing the vehicles from being stolen this way.
There is a trove of information here about the settlement.
Many of the unfixed vehicles are on Texas roads
CARFAX now estimates there are 433,000 Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Texas that have this vulnerability and have not been fixed, including 191,000 of them in DFW (the 4th most of all the metros in the country) and 132,000 in Houston (9th most of metros across the country).
If you want to check whether your vehicle is one of them, or if you’d like to see if a used Hyundai or Kia you are about to buy is still at risk or has already been fixed, Carfax says it is now partnering with both of the manufacturers to include that info for each vehicle’s Carfax report.