(Reuters) — Hyundai Motor Group and Kia Corp. Tuesday asked a U.S. judge to reject lawsuits filed by 17 cities against the Korean automakers for failing to install anti-theft technology in millions of their vehicles.
The lawsuits came after thousands of Hyundai and Kia thefts that use a method popularized on TikTok and other social media channels. The cities suing Kia and Hyundai include New York, Cleveland, San Diego, Milwaukee and Seattle.
The automakers, controlled by the same conglomerate, said in a court filing they should not be held liable for thefts “resulting from an unprecedented criminal social-media phenomenon.”
They added that cities’ “lax policing and prosecution policies” and “budgetary decision-making that diverted public safety resources away from the prevention and disruption of auto theft and reckless joyriding” was more relevant than Hyundai or Kia failing to equip vehicles with anti-theft immobilizers.
In February, the automakers said they would offer software upgrades to 8.3 million U.S. vehicles to help curb thefts.
TikTok and other social media videos that show how to steal Kia and Hyundai cars without push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices have spread nationwide.
This had led to car thefts that resulted in at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities in the Korean automakers’ vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in February.
