Milwaukee will 'continue to weigh legal options' against Kia/Hyundai

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Two city of Milwaukee alders plan to pursue legal action against Kia and Hyundai, despite the announcement of an apparent solution to the rash of thefts involving their vehicles.

In a joint statement from Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs and Alderman Khalif J. Rainey, they say they are pleased to see this potential fix for the theft crisis but say "we believe Kia and Hyundai – through their own negligence – have caused harm to city residents and to the City of Milwaukee. For that, we fully expect the city to continue to weigh legal options and possible remedies."

According to a meeting agenda, the Judiciary and Legislation Committee will meet Monday and discuss a "resolution relating to the selection of outside counsel for the purpose of advising the city concerning nuisance levels of automobile thefts."

On Tuesday, the United States Department of Transportation announced that Hyundai and Kia will upgrade their software to prevent theft of millions of their vehicles that lack an immobilizer.

Stealing Kia and Hyundai cars has been the subject of a social media challenge. A group based in Milwaukee called the "Kia Boys" went viral after they were the subject of a YouTube documentary.

Class action lawsuits by vehicle owners have popped up across the country, including Milwaukee.

The problem got so bad that insurance companies -- State Farm and Progressive -- stopped writing policies for the vulnerable cars. When asked about the software fix, State Farm said in a statement that they are "monitoring this situation very closely and will adjust our approach as appropriate."

Over the past two years, more than half of all cars stolen in Milwaukee were made by Hyundai or Kia.

According to Milwaukee police data:

• In 2021 there were 3,561 Kias stolen and 3,409 Hyundais stolen.
• In 2022 there were 2,540 Kias stolen and 2,133 Hyundais stolen.
• And through Feb. 13, 2023, there were 239 Kias stolen and 188 Hyundais stolen.

For more information on the software fix, visit these links.

The NHTSA said owners of these vehicles should contact Hyundai (toll-free at 800-633-5151) or Kia (toll-free at 800-333-4542) for information on the update.