Due to the Kia Challenge, which became popular in TikTok towards the end of 2022, it was revealed that some Kia models produced between 2011-2021 and some Hyundai models released between 2016-2021 can be operated with a screwdriver and USB cable. A gang calling themselves the Kia Boyz after the videos went viral caused thousands of vehicles to be stolen and 14 crashes, 8 of which were fatal, across the US.
Kia and Hyundai, on the other hand, tried to protect the vehicles by offering the steering lock feature to their users, and even tried to sell a “safety kit” for about 500 dollars with the installation cost. As a last resort, the National Transportation and Safety Agency gave 26,000 steering locks to Kia and Hyundai owners free of charge.
Kia and Hyundai announced that they are developing a security update that will work this time
In the statement made by Hyundai, the parent company of Kia, it was stated that the company has developed an “anti-theft” software for vehicles and this update will be distributed to all Kia and Hyundai owners. According to the statement, with this new update, the alarm of the vehicle has been increased from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Of course, aware that this is not a solution, Hyundai announced that they will distribute a security software that allows the vehicles to lock themselves and completely turn off the ignition system if they do not recognize the keys, free of charge.
Vehicle owners will apply to authorized technical services for this update, which covers 8.3 million vehicles in total in the USA. After about 1 hour of updating, users will be able to start using their updated software.
Hyundai did not make a statement about whether the security update it offered for this problem, which is mostly seen in vehicles in the USA, will be offered to users in other regions, including Europe and our country.
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