Because of the Tiktok challenge: security update for Hyundai and Kia vehicles

by time news

Do you own a Hyundai or Kia car? pay attention. After a wave of car thefts and accidents that occurred in recent weeks, Hyundai and Kia are offering an important security update to vehicle owners.

The wave of thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles began after a new TikTok challenge revealed that many models of these vehicles do not have an immobilizer device that disables the vehicle’s systems until a suitable key or other identification mechanism is connected.

Following the exposure, a wave of thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles took place, followed by numerous accidents that resulted in eight deaths and many injuries.

Hyundai and Kia are now offering a free security update to millions of vehicles without an immobilizer, in an effort to combat the wave of theft. The update includes extending the length of the alarm tone from 30 seconds to one minute, and requiring the key to be in the ignition switch to start the vehicle.

“We’ve put in place a system that prioritizes security upgrades for owners and lessees of our best-selling vehicles, and those most targeted by thieves, so that dealers will address those vehicle models first,” said Hyundai Motor America CEO Randy Parker.

Hyundai said that all the company’s models manufactured starting from November 2021 have an immobilizer as a standard device, so the security update is offered to models manufactured before that.

The Tiktok challenge that exposed the lack of immobilizers in Hyundai and Kia vehicles even presented viewers with ways to start the vehicles using simple items.

The police in the USA suspect that a number of fatal accidents that happened recently involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles, occurred as a result of the Tiktok challenge.

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