Well, well, well, it looks like Hyundai and Kia are in some legal trouble. The judicial panel on multidistrict litigation has added three cities' public nuisance suits to consolidated litigation in California. And what are these suits alleging, you ask? Oh, just the small matter of a nationwide "vehicular crime wave" jump-started by the failure of these automakers to install industry-standard anti-theft technology in their cars. No big deal, right?
The vulnerability that allowed users to easily break into Hyundai and Kia vehicles using just a USB cable was a security flaw in the technology used by these cars. This flaw was then exploited by social media users who popularized it by creating a nationwide TikTok trend that provided step-by-step instructions for exploiting it. The trend went viral and soon had hundreds of thousands of people following the instructions and learning how to break into these vehicles.
Read the full text of the California Court order below.
Who doesn't love a good crime wave to spice up their day? But in all seriousness, this is a pretty serious allegation. It's one thing to have a single car stolen, but when you're talking about a nationwide trend, that's a whole different ballgame. And it's not just any old crime wave - it's a "vehicular" crime wave. That means cars are being stolen left and right, and it's all thanks to Hyundai and Kia's negligence.
So what does this mean for the automakers? Well, they're now part of a consolidated litigation in California. That doesn't sound like a party I'd want to be invited to. And if they're found guilty of failing to install proper anti-theft technology in their cars, they could face hefty fines. Not to mention the damage to their reputation.
Watch the video below for more on the trend of theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
Let's look on the bright side - maybe this will finally be the wake-up call Hyundai and Kia need to step up their game and start taking car theft seriously. After all, if you're going to make a car, you might as well ensure it won't get stolen the second you turn your back. In the meantime, let's hope that "the vehicular crime wave" doesn't come knocking on our doors anytime soon.
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Have you, or anyone you know, been affected by the recent theft of Hyundai and Kia vehicles?
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