COLUMBUS — Columbus City Council is expected to approve a $1 million settlement with Kia and Hyundai at its Monday meeting, closing the city’s 2023 lawsuit over the automakers’ theft-prone vehicles. The money would go to the city’s general fund.
The city sued the automakers in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, alleging they knowingly sold vehicles without electronic immobilizers — the devices that prevent cars from starting without the correct key. About 9 million Kia and Hyundai vehicles built from 2011 to 2022 were unusually easy to steal, a flaw that fueled the viral “Kia Boys” trend in which teenagers stole cars with USB cables or screwdrivers and posted joyride videos online.
“Kia and Hyundai cut corners and sold cars to customers they knew weren’t up to industry standards,” Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said in a news release. “Taxpayers and the City should not foot the bill to pay for the problems these corporations created.” At the height of the theft wave in September 2023, more than half of all vehicles stolen in Columbus that year were Kias or Hyundais.
Both automakers have since rolled out free anti-theft software upgrades and offered owners free steering wheel locks. In 2023 they also agreed to pay about $200 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from car owners over the same thefts.
City officials say the theft epidemic drained police resources for years. Monday’s vote would convert years of litigation into a seven-figure payment to the city.