Thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have cooled modestly in Baltimore County since a dramatic social media-induced spike in 2023, according to new police data.

County saw 2,640 Hyundai and Kia thefts in 2023, up more than 1,100% from 2022 and previous years, according to data from the Baltimore County Police Department.

from January through September 2024, however, the county 1,463 Hyundai and Kia thefts were recorded, marking 21% down from 1,841 thefts during the same period in 2023.

Nationally, Hyundai and Kia thefts have increased since 2021, when a social media trend exposed security vulnerabilities in certain past car models.

These vehicles have keyless ignitions that are not equipped with electronic immobilizers, a device that confirms that a key fits the vehicle. Thieves have started posting videos online of them ripping off the steering column cover and gluing it on a USB cable into a rectangular port to start the engine and then go for rides in the stolen cars.

The security exploit affected nearly 4 million Hyundai vehicles, Hyundai Motor America spokesman Ira Gabriel said. Kia representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

Baltimore County police data shows car thefts in the region plummeted in 2023, when they reached a peak of 4,143 cases. over 63% of these cases were from Hyundai and Kia thefts. By this year, that figure had dropped to about 50 percent. Baltimore City experienced a similar drop in car thefts among 2023 Hyundai and Kia models, according to an emailed statement from the Police Department.

Thefts eased slightly, in part, because manufacturers began offering a software upgrade that patched the security exploit. The updates, implemented around February 2023, have helped cut theft of upgraded models by more than half compared to their non-updated counterparts, according to National. research from the Highway Loss Data Institute.

“The bottom line is that while theft generally remains high for these vehicles, anti-theft software helps reduce theft of affected models,” said Joe Young, a spokesman for the institute.

However, some Hyundai and Kia owners have yet to take advantage of the software update, Young said. About 64% of Hyundai vehicles have the software upgrade, which is more than 1.4 million vehicles, said Gabriel, the Hyundai spokesman. Kia has previously claimed similar statistics.

“Outdated contact information can make it difficult to simply communicate the problem to some owners, while others may face logistical hurdles to complete the repair,” Young said. “Others may not feel the need to take advantage of this upgrade if they live in an area with low vehicle theft rates.”

Any affected Hyundai vehicle that cannot accommodate the software update may be eligible for free ignition cylinder protection, Gabriel said.

“The failure of Hyundai and Kia to equip these vehicles with the proper anti-theft technology” has strained the Police Department and other public resources, county Police Chief Robert McCullough said at a public hearing last week.

Baltimore City and other jurisdictions filed lawsuits against car manufacturers last year to recover the expenditure on these resources. Baltimore County is considering legal options at this time, said Joy Lepola-Stewart, county police spokeswoman.

In October, a federal court granted law firm Hagens Berman final approval aa May 2023 settlement valued at over $200 million for a separate class action against Hyundai and Kia.