Members of the Pennsylvania State Police regional auto theft task force will be handing steering wheel locks to Kia/Hyundai owners on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Classic Harley-Davidson along Route 183 in Bern Township.
The handout is for owners of 2010 or newer Hyundai and Kia owners with vehicles that have manual key ignitions. Classic Harley-Davidson will also be hosting a community event at the dealership during the handout.
Theft insurance claims for vulnerable Hyundais and Kias increased more than 1,000% between the first half of 2020 and the first half of 2023, according to data from the Highway Loss Data Institute, an industry group that tracks insurance statistics.
During the first half of 2023, Hyundai and Kia theft claims also were more than seven times higher than for cars from other manufacturers, according to the institute.
Certain older Hyundai and Kia models made between 2015 to 2019 are particularly vulnerable to car thieves, officials said.
Many of these vehicles lack some of the basic auto theft prevention technology, such as electronic immobilizers, included in most other vehicles even in those years, according to the institute. Electronic immobilizers rely on a computer chip in the car and another in the key that communicate to confirm that the key is authentic and belongs to that vehicle.
The theft began skyrocketing a few years ago due to social media posts showing how to steal these models.
Source: Berkshire mont
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