Hyundai and Kia must offer free repairs to millions of models under a settlement announced Tuesday

Under the nationwide settlement, the companies will offer a free repair to all eligible vehicles at a cost that could top $500 million, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said. Hyundai and Kia must also outfit all future vehicles sold in the U.S. with a key piece of technology called an engine immobilizer and pay up to $4.5 million of restitution to people whose vehicles were damaged by thieves. 

 The settlement was reached by 35 states, including California, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The vehicles eligible for fixes date as far back as 2011 and as recently as 2022.

Thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles soared in part because beginning in 2021, videos posted to TikTok and other social media demonstrated how someone could steal a car with just a screwdriver and a USB cable. Minneapolis reported an 836% increase in Hyundai and Kia thefts from 2021 to 2022.

https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-kia-hyundai-theft-settlement-d2dc13dcee3fa65494d4df9f089dd386

Can this Kia possibly benefit from this diffuser? Or is it just a visually appealing design element?

 

it's already been 15 years since the Kia Soul dancing hamsters caused a commercial trend

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1230157825808979&set=a.599363832221718

the Kia EV6 trunk-mounted "Meridian" subwoofer is wired backwards, from the factory. But it's a simple 5 minute fix rearranging four wires that power the subwoofer.

locate the Meridian subwoofer underneath the EV’s false floor out back, remove an orange clip, and swap the corresponding pairs of wires so it shows black-red-black-red from top to bottom rather than the red-black-red-black pattern you’ll find in unmodified examples.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/kia-ev6-owners-are-rewiring-their-subwoofers-because-the-factory-set-them-up-wrong

Kia with Range Rover badging, LOL... thank you Ronald D!

a 2019 Elantra that State Farm and Progressive won't insure... ? Yup. Too many are stolen

 

https://www.wral.com/video/woman-dropped-by-insurance-due-to-car-s-make-model/21527513/

possible tear jerker... terrific way to sell their car... hit the audience in the feels with how useful your car is.

seen in the mall parking lot the other day, a Kia done up like Lightning McQueen

 

Milwaukee, Wi is facing an epidemic of stolen Hyundais and Kias. While total vehicle thefts are up in general 172%, Hyundai thefts were up by 1,715% and Kia thefts up 3,183%.

 There have been 2,949 stolen vehicles. Kia made up 973 of them while there were 947 missing Hyundais.

While it’s not certain why the South Korean brands are being targeted, it’s speculated that it’s due to the vehicles hot having an engine immobilizer, causing the alarm not to sound when the rear windows are broken. Once thieves are in, they peel back the cover of the steering column and start the car with their tool of choice.

Local authorities say the crime wave is being fueled by children, with half of the suspects being under the age of 16. The city is trying to get a hold of the situation however, Hyundai and Kia have said their vehicles meet or exceed all federal standards, and that their products would come standard with engine immobilizers starting with the 2022 model year.

https://www.powernationtv.com/post/why-milwaukee-thieves-are-going-crazy-for-hyundais-and-kias

Hyundai and Kia have issued a recall for over 500,000 vehicles for a software problem that could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended, leading to a higher risk of crash

Hyundai says the problem, which comes from a software issue, has caused no crashes that they’re aware of, and will tell vehicle owners that they can get the problem fixed at a dealership, but won’t be sending letters informing them until mid-November.

The recall affects several versions of a midsize car and a minivan: the 2015 through 2017 Hyundai Sonata, standard and plug-in versions of the 2016 and 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the 2015 through 2017 Kia Sedona.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/09/30/hyundai-and-kia-are-recalling-550000-vehicles-for-flashing-the-wrong-turn-signal/?sh=222c868362ab

A small town in Georgia making a great commercial

Through vertical integration - parts in via Savannah, autos out via Brunswick - Kia takes advantage of Georgia's extensive road and rail infrastructure, as well as its broader network of shipping line services.

"Their decision to export the Telluride via Brunswick highlights the benefits of having North America's largest container port and largest autoport within 85 miles of each other. Georgia provides the total package when it comes to auto manufacturing and global distribution."  Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch

the Luxury Car Experts... the valets

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/can-hollywood-valets-who-know-luxury-cars-inside-and-out-identify-a-kia-cadenza/

Kia had some crossovers dressed up for SEMA, they have a really big booth, and nothing to promote

Kia set out to honor the American Road Trip, because after all —they’ve been fueling their customer’s desires for freedom and travel with their very own vehicles for many years. Therefore Kia designed four completely new concepts that zero in on a particular region of the country and represent the culture and geography of that area.

http://lifeispoppin.com/2015-sema-show-las-vegas-kiawanderlust/

good beer, free samples a couple times a day... the Kia booth

Kia made a commercial for the Sedona van, and filled the van with Stig... clever! The BBC never secured the image of the stig

You don't expect to see a car this bad with a dealership license plate

Kia has maintained their above and beyond the call of SEMA for their featured vehicles, but this year? Free ice cream and beer!

Lawrence Fishburne is back, a Kia commercial spoofing the Matrix

Found on http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/29/kia-k900-matrix-spoof-super-bowl-commercial-video/#continued

Hold up... Hyundai and Kia are handing out debit cards for 2012 and 2013 cars? Where's mine? I didn't get one yet!

Hyundai Accent, Veloster and Elantra and Kia Soul. Before the admission a lawsuit had been filed by an entity called Consumer Watchdog, afterward there were "approximately 53" lawsuits filed in federal court that were eventually consolidated into one case in a California Central District court.

 The companies apologized profusely and gave customers prepaid gas cards that they could refill with funds for as long as they own their vehicle, as well as perks like free car washes and routine maintenance services.

The company has just announced that it has reached a preliminary settlement of the case by adding another method of reimbursement, a lump sum payment that would free drivers from having to go back to the dealership to have their mileage verified for debit card refills.

for the whole story http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/25/hyundai-fuel-economy-litigation/

Kia Superhero editions at Comic Con