ST. LOUIS — A federal lawsuit filed Monday by the city of St. Louis accuses automakers Kia and Hyundai of failing to install industry-standard anti-theft technology, resulting in thousands of ...

Hyundai and Kia thefts spiked to alarming rates last year nationwide, especially in the St. Louis area. Starting next year, those who had their Hyundai and Kia vehicles stolen might be able to clai… ...

ST. LOUIS - Hyundai and Kia thefts spiked to alarming rates last year in the St. Louis area, almost 10 times more than in previous years. One St. Louis car dealer is looking to combat the problem.

The city’s suit is still pending in federal court. In 2022, St. Louis County police reported 1,621 Kias and Hyundais stolen, making up almost 60% of the 2,775 total cars reported stolen that year.

Hyundai is the parent company of Kia, and the company says it has been using engine immobilizers on all its vehicles since November 2021. This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 7:00 AM.

Hyundai said in a statement that immobilizers are now standard on cars produced after Nov.1, 2021, while Kia added immobilizers for the 2022 model year.

The St. Cloud Police Department said Thursday there have been 30 car thefts or theft attempts "over the past several weeks," with many of them being notoriously vulnerable Kia or Hyundai models.