LORTON, Va. โ In response to an uptick in thefts targeting Hyundai and Kia vehicles, a steering wheel lock distribution event has been scheduled for Saturday, February 4.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the Lorton Community Center located at 9520 Richmond Highway in Fairfax County.
Supervisor Dan Storck, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Franconia Police District have partnered with Hyundai Motor America to distribute free steering wheel locks to residents who own or lease impacted models.
The video above is from a Jan. 19, 2023 report.
The decision to hold the event comes amid an uptick in Hyundai and Kia thefts across D.C., Maryland and Virginia. In January, Fairfax County Police told WUSA9 they had received more than 37 reports of stolen Kia and Hyundai vehicles since November.
It's a growing problem across the country. An insurance industry group says Kia and Hyundai vehicles are stolen at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the auto industry because their keys lack computer chips for theft โimmobilizerโ systems.
The thefts apparently started in the Milwaukee area two years ago and spread to multiple Midwest cities and as far away as Colorado and New Mexico after instructional videos appeared on social media.
A Kia spokesperson told WUSA9 some global supply chain issues are at play and they are working through them as fast as possible. They sent WUSA9 the following statement:
Kia remains concerned about the recent trend among youth in some areas, encouraged by social media, to target certain Kia cars with a steel key and โturn-to-startโ ignition systems. In many cases, the vehicles are stolen solely for the purpose of operating in a reckless manner. Such criminal conduct endangers our local communities and violates property rights.
While no car can be made completely theft-proof, Kia continues to make steering wheel locks available to customers through interested local law enforcement agencies, subject to available supply, at no cost to concerned owners of these vehicles.
Kia also continues its efforts to develop additional solutions for vehicles not originally equipped with an immobilizer, including the development and testing of enhanced security software, and will have an update to share in the near future.
All 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the year or as a running change, and all Kia vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Kia customers with questions regarding their Kia vehicle should contact the Kia Consumer Assistance Center directly at 1-800-333-4542 (Kia).
Hyundai said all models produced after Nov. 1, 2021 have immobilizers as standard equipment.
Police recommend not leaving charging chords in your car, and to consider buying anti-theft devices.