Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has reached a settlement Hyundai and Kia over their sale of vehicles lacking anti-theft technology.
The carmakers’ failure to include this technology in their vehicles fueled the number of car thefts in recent years “used in the commission of other crimes and in some cases led to deaths in Minnesota and across the country,” according to a statement from Ellison.
Those eligible have one year from the date of notice from the companies to schedule to have zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors installed at local Hyundai or Kia authorized dealerships. The notices are expected to go out in the first few months of 2026. Ellison is urging vehicle owners to set up an appointment as soon as they receive notices.
The cylinder protector deters thieves from accessing the ignition to essentially hot-wire a car. According to estimates from Hyundai and Kia, the cost of installing the ignition cylinder protectors on all eligible vehicles could exceed $500 million.
Where to get more information, submit a claim
For more information about eligibility and how to submit a claim from Hyundai or Kia go to: HKMultistateimmobilizersettlement.com.
Terms of settlement
Terms of the settlement the two car companies agreed to:
• Offer free ignition cylinder protectors for owners or lessees of eligible vehicles. These will include vehicles previously only eligible for software updates.
• Make sure all future vehicles sold in the U.S. have with industry-standard, “engine immobilizer anti-theft technology.”
• Provide up to $4.5 million in restitution to those eligible whose cars are damaged from theft.
• The companies will pay $4.5 million to the states to defray the costs of the investigation.
2023 investigation
This settlement comes after an investigation of the carmakers that Ellison announced in March 2023. Minnesota was the first state to investigate Kia and Hyundai for their knowing failure to include standard anti-theft technology in their cars.
According to Ellison, Hyundai and Kia chose not to include anti-theft “engine-immobilizer” technology in millions of their vehicles sold in the U.S., including in Minnesota. The immobilizer prevents thieves from starting an engine without a “smart” key, which stores an electronic security code.
Thefts of such vehicles increased 611% in St. Paul and 836% in Minneapolis in 2022 compared with 2021. Thieves have been able to break into Kia and Hyundai vehicles and start them relatively easily and quickly without keys.
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“Maintaining public safety means holding people who commit crimes accountable, but it also means holding corporations accountable when their greed helps criminals harm the people of Minnesota,” Ellison said in the statement. “By failing to include industry-standard anti-theft technology in their vehicles, Hyundai and Kia unleashed a wave of auto thefts that cost Minnesotans their cars, their hard-earned money, and sometimes even their lives. In short, they put their profits ahead of people’s safety.
Vehicles eligible to have the ignition cylinder protectors installed free of cost include all Hyundai and Kia models from 2011 to 2022 that were not factory-equipped with the engine immobilizers.
Ellison was joined by dozens of other state attorney generals in the investigation.
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