Thief-less in Seattle: Kia and Hyundai called upon to help fight local car theft

In Seattle, reports of stolen Hyundais and Kias have soared in recent years, spurred on by a viral TikTok trend that shows how easy the cars are to steal.

City Councilmember Lisa Herbold wants the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to force the two automakers to act.

Herbold proposed a resolution on Monday asking the federal agency to recall certain Kia and Hyundai models that are easy to steal. The measure, which is nonbinding, also calls on companies to install better anti-theft technology.

"Not only are people of limited means having their vehicles stolen at a much higher rate, but we also know these vehicles are being used to commit other crimes,' Herbold said in a press conference.

There is data to back up Herbold’s concerns.

From 2021-2022 reports of stolen Hyundais jumped 503%, and reports of stolen Kias were up 363%, according to Seattle police. On TikTok, viral videos show cars being stolen in seconds.

Herbold's resolution builds on a lawsuit filed this year against the car companies by Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison and other cities over the car thefts.

For its part, Kia has released a software update to try and address the problem, but Herbold said it doesn't work for many of their cars that are still on the road and still vulnerable.

The full council is expected to vote on the resolution Tuesday.

To be clear, this is just a request. Unlike a law, resolutions don't have any teeth. But if it passes, Seattle will join other cities including Baltimore in calling for federal action on these car thefts.

KUOW reached out to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which did not agree to comment on the record.