Seattle sues Kia and Hyundai, accusing carmakers of omitting anti-theft tech, spurring thefts and public harm – GeekWire

Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison on Monday filed a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai, alleging that the automakers failed to install standard anti-theft technology in many of their vehicles, resulting in a spike in car thefts and harming public safety.The city didn’t specify whether they were Kia or Hyundai vehicles.” The city is calling on Kia and Hyundai to take multiple steps to resolve the issue, including: “To protect the hard-earned property of Seattle residents, car makers need to take this problem seriously and do all they can to prevent these thefts,” said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz, in a release announcing the suit.Seattle v Hyundai and Kia L… by GeekWire

The lawsuit alleges that the stolen vehicles can be used for joyriding, committing additional crimes and crashed, potentially harming property and people.The videos included teens engaged in reckless driving of the stolen vehicles.