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Kia offering free anti-theft upgrades
Kia owners, listen up. The car maker is offering free anti-theft upgrades.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Kia over the weekend was offering free anti-theft upgrades in Lakewood to help deter a skyrocketing number of thefts not just in this region but across the U.S.
This comes after a viral video showed how easy it is to steal certain keys with just a screwdriver or USB cable.
It might be a quick fix to a nationwide problem.
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Key owners pulled into Lakewood Center Mall and answered a few questions.
Then iPads were hooked up to their ignitions and minutes later, the software is updated free of charge to make their Kias harder to steal.
Janet Garcia wishes she'd gotten the upgrade months ago.
She is just one of many key owners who may have fallen victim to a TikTok trend where videos show how to steal Kias using a USB cable.
Kia says cars with ignition buttons and fobs were not affected, but some turn key ignition models between 2010 and 2021 did not have an immobilizer, which would have made it harder to start without a key.
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The brand, as well as Hyundai, saw thefts of some of their cars rise by 1,000% in just three years.
"I have heard about the TikTok challenge and all that, so you know, anything to make the car a little bit, you know, more anti-theft deterrent, then, hey, go ahead and just perform it and do it and don't have to worry about it," one Kia driver said.
That's why Kia offered the clinic in Lakewood to give owners free anti-theft software patches.
Although there are reports of Kias being stolen even with the upgrade, owners we spoke with were grateful to get it.
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"It's something I had in mind to do, but now that they made it easier to just drive in and do it, I just decided to come and do it."
"That's fine with me, because as long as my car is protected, you know, especially now in Lakewood."