Hyundai and Kia Settle U.S. 'Theft Challenge' Lawsuit for $1 Million

Published 30 Sep.2026 15:30(KST)

Vehicle Theft Surges Due to Substandard Anti-Theft Technology

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have reached a settlement with the city of Columbus, Ohio, in a lawsuit related to vehicle theft.

On September 25, 2026 (local time), the Columbus City Attorney announced that Hyundai Motor Company and Kia had agreed to a settlement worth 1 million dollars (approximately 1.36 billion won). The Columbus City Council approved the ordinance to authorize the settlement on September 28.

In 2022, the so-called "Kia Challenge," in which the process of stealing cars was shared like a game mainly through social media in the United States, became popular. Screenshot from TikTok.

The amount Columbus will receive is $1,002,117.34. Once the ordinance is approved by the mayor of Columbus and comes into effect, the city will drop its claims against Hyundai and Kia and will be barred from refiling the lawsuit under the terms of the settlement.

In 2022, the so-called "Kia Challenge," where the process of stealing Hyundai and Kia vehicles was shared like a game mainly on social media in the United States, became popular. As a result, incidents of vehicle theft spiked.

On February 15, 2023, the city of Columbus filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against the American branches of Hyundai Motor Company and Kia (case number 2:23-cv-654). The city claimed that the two companies sold vehicles with anti-theft technology that fell short of industry standards, which led to a surge in thefts and the depletion of police and public resources.

According to the complaint submitted by the city, from January 1 to October 18, 2022, there were about 8,000 attempted and successful vehicle theft cases in Columbus. Hyundai and Kia vehicles accounted for roughly two-thirds of the attempted cases and 42 percent of the successful thefts.