To prevent theft, Hyundai and Kia will offer a software update to owners of 8.3 million vehicles in the United States.
Both Hyundai and Kia will offer a software update to 8.3 million US vehicles in response to the rise in thefts targeting vehicles without push-button ignitions and immobilization anti-theft devices, US auto safety regulators said. USA
Hyundai said it is “introducing a free anti-theft software update to prevent vehicles from starting during a theft method popularized on TikTok and other social media channels.”
The update will cover 3.8 million Hyundai and 4.5 million Kia vehicles in the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said.
The agency said the effort is in response to a TikTok social media challenge that has swept across the country “and has resulted in at least 14 reported accidents and eight fatalities.”
Hyundai will also provide customers with a window sticker that will alert potential thieves that the vehicle is equipped with anti-theft protection.
The software “updates the anti-theft alarm software logic to extend the alarm sound duration from 30 seconds to one minute and requires the key to be in the ignition switch to start the vehicle.”
Hyundai’s initial update will cover more than 1 million model year Elantra vehicles from 2017 to 2020, Sonata from 2015 to 2019 and Venue from 2020 to 2021.
The software update is scheduled to be available for the remaining eligible affected vehicles in June.