37 States, Including WA, Settle Over TikTok Hyndai, Kia Car Theft Issues

Lawsuits, including one considered by the City of Cleveland, were contemplated against Chinese-based social media TikTok, but were dropped because of Federal social media protections, and it was easier to sue car companies than irresponsible social media giants.

   37 states settle with Kia, Hyundai

In May of 2022, TikTok posters known as the 'Kia Boyz' put up reels showing how to use a USB cable and a 'naked' key slot  to start a car.  More copycat videos spread, and despite being taken down after a few weeks, certain models of Kia and Hyundai cars built between 2012 and 2022 saw their theft rates skyrocket.

Numerous states sued the car companies for not installing engine immobilizers, which prevent the vehicle being started without a certain 'smart' key.

How, a $200 million-dollar settlement is being divided between 37 states, including WA. According to the WA State AG's Office:

"The attorneys general of Connecticut, Minnesota, and New Hampshire led the multistate settlement, and were assisted by Washington, California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Nevada. The final settlement was also joined by Arizona, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaiʻi, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin."

The funds will be used for restitution for affected Kia and Hyundai models. During the theft crisis, numerous insurance companies stopped covering those models.

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If you own an affected KIA and need information about the settlement, click here.

If you own an affected Hyundai, click here.