Hyundai and Kia are going to cough up more than $200 million to owners of about 9 million vehicles after a Tik-Tok trend led to a class action lawsuit.
In 2022, Tik-Tok users posted videos showing how easy it was to hotwire the vehicles in question as they lacked engine immobilisers, a crucial anti-theft device. The videos let to a spate of vehicle thefts across the US.
These devices were not included in certain 2011-2021 model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Thieves targeted these cars because they were easy to steal using a common USB charging cord or a similar metal object to start the engine. The spike in the theft of these models was partially attributed to a TikTok trend from the "Kia Boyz", which followed people breaking into Kia and Hyundai models only using a screwdriver and a USB cord.
$145 million of the settlement will go toward out-of-pocket losses experienced by owners, including vehicles lost or stolen, vehicles that incurred damages, loss of personal property and insurance-related expenses, said attorneys.
"The owners of these cars have experienced enough upset, and we worked to achieve a settlement that covers many types of losses — from those who were lucky enough to have never had their theft-prone car stolen, to those whose stolen cars were totalled completely owing to Hyundai and Kia's negligence," Steve Berman, managing partner at Hagens Berman, said in a statement.
Angola has taken a decisive step towards shaping its own industrial future with the launch of Opaia Motors, the nation’s first and only producer of domestically assembled cars and buses.
Hyundai Automotive South Africa has reaffirmed that the Hyundai Grand i10 complies with all safety and homologation requirements applicable in South Africa, as stipulated by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
Canada’s efforts to reduce its dependence on its southern neighbour, the United States, have gained fresh momentum with the announcement of a deal with China that will see tariffs on electric vehicles from the Asian giant significantly reduced.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
Angola has taken a decisive step towards shaping its own industrial future with the launch of Opaia Motors, the nation’s first and only producer of domestically assembled cars and buses.
Hyundai Automotive South Africa has reaffirmed that the Hyundai Grand i10 complies with all safety and homologation requirements applicable in South Africa, as stipulated by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has declared a dispute against Motus Retail, South Africa’s largest automotive retail group, following the company’s announcement of planned salary and benefit reductions affecting 532 employees.
