“I didn’t think anyone would come in my driveway and steal my Kia.”Ĭertain Hyundai and Kia models made from 2010 to 2021 lack a device called a standard engine immobilizer, which prevents a car from starting without the key present.Īs a result, thieves discovered they could start and steal these cars easily, in some cases using just a USB cord.Īfter their cars were stolen, both Savage-Russell and Evans turned to a Facebook group called “Illinois Kia/Hyundai Theft-Vandalism Victims,” which was created to share emotional support and resources with hundreds of other Hyundai and Kia drivers statewide, looking for solutions. “I felt violated, I was shocked,” Savage-Russell said.
Monique Savage-Russell also had her Kia Sportage stolen from her suburban Markham home last December, leaving her without words. “It was traumatizing when you go through that experience,” she shared. Chicago police discovered the vehicle a day later, badly damaged with the engine still running, Evans said. The device acts as her security blanket after her Kia Sportage was stolen right from outside of her home last October. “If I’m making a quick run in, I’m putting a lock on,” Evans explained. "And the watchdog agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has apparently brokered a deal that doesn't require to do a recall." Chicago Drivers Caught In The MiddleĪfter a painful lesson last year, Shawnesse Evans out of North Lawndale said she no longer leaves the home without her large and heavy steering wheel lock. It's happening all over the country," said safety advocate Sean Kane with Strategies & Research, Inc. While the announcement of a free software upgrade is good news for drivers who previously faced costly options for fixing the problem, auto safety groups tell NBC 5 they believe federal regulators should have done more to protect the public. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here. Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know.
0 kommentar(er)
