Further proving the power of TikTok, more than eight-million cars are eligible for a free anti-theft software upgrade after the “Kia Challenge” went viral, resulting in thousands of car thefts, as well as at least 14 crashes and eight fatalities.
Both Hyundai and Kia are offering the free upgrade in response to instructional videos posted by a group of thieves known as The Kia Boyz, showing how to bypass the vehicles’ security system with tools as basic as a USB cable.
The thefts are said to be simple, as many 2015-2019 Hyundai and Kia cars don’t have electronic immobilisers to stop thieves breaking in and bypassing the ignition.
That feature is standard on most vehicles from the same period by other car makers, so now Hyundai and their subsidiary Kia will update their “theft alarm software logic” to lengthen the alarm sound from 30 seconds to one minute.
The cars will also be updated so they need a key in the ignition to turn them on.
Around 3.8 million Hyundais and 4.5 million Kias are eligible for the free software update. Upgraded vehicles will also get a free sticker to say they have been boosted with the anti-theft tech.
While it’s unclear how many vehicles have been tampered with in total as a result of the TikTok clips, in the US city Milwaukee, police report that 426 Hyundais and 469 Kias were stolen in 2020. That number grew in 2021 to 3406 Hyundais and 3557 Kias.
