WEST PALM BEACH, FL – In response to a popular trend on TikTok and other social media platforms where young teens steal certain cars off the street using a USB cord, sibling automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. are introducing new software updates to over 8 million of their vehicles in an attempt to curb the spread of the so-called “Kia Boys” challenge.
According to reports, certain makes and models of 2010-2021 Kia and Hyundai vehicles without immobilizing anti-theft devices that use a mechanical key – not a key fob and push-button to start the car – have been the target of the TikTok challenge, with the number of cars stolen having surged since last year.
The trend challenges teens – many not even old enough to legally drive – to steal a car by breaking into it, removing the steering wheel column and hot wiring the vehicle using a USB cable; the stolen cars are then used to joyride or commit other crimes, often to be abandoned on the side of the road afterwards.
To date, the challenge has resulted in at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities, authorities say.
In response, Hyundai announced that it is “introducing a free anti-theft software upgrade to prevent the vehicles from starting during a method of theft popularized on TikTok and other social media channels.”
The upgrade will be made available to 3.8 million Hyundai and 4.5 million Kia vehicles, which will also receive stickers to put on their windows to inform would-be thieves that the car now has “anti-theft protection” installed.
The software “updates the theft alarm software logic to extend the length of the alarm sound from 30 seconds to one minute and requires the key to be in the ignition switch to turn the vehicle on.”
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.