Hatfield Township Police have announced a partnership with Kia and Hyundai auto manufacturers to provide residents with steering wheel locks to help deter would-be thieves.
Beginning March 20, owners of vehicles made by the two auto manufacturers are eligible to receive a free steering wheel lock so long as they can provide valid identification indicating they are a resident of Hatfield Township or Hatfield Borough, as well as vehicle registration showing the resident owns a Kia or Hyundai. One steering wheel lock will be provided per vehicle, and they can be picked up at the Hatfield Township Police Station at 2000 School Road from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The steering wheel locks cannot be reserved and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, police said.
According to a report by Business Insider, thefts of Kias and Hyundais have soared since a viral “Kia Challenge” video appeared on TikTok in 2021 showing how easily certain models of the vehicles could be hijacked using only a USB cord. The two companies were forced to update their software on millions of vehicles, but nor before hundreds of thousands of vehicles were reported stolen across the country.
The security vulnerability has even led to San Diego City Attorney to sue the two companies for failure to equip their vehicles with sufficient anti-theft technology, and similar lawsuits have been filed across the country from owners and municipalities.
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