South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are being sued for inflicting a “public nuisance,” in response to a grievance filed in Manhattan federal court docket.

New York Metropolis is accusing the 2 companies of failing to put in gadgets that stop automobiles from being stolen, after a social media problem prompted younger teenagers to steal automobiles off the road by scorching wiring them utilizing a USB cable.

A viral TikTok problem began in 2021 and spurred an increase in thefts of Hyundai and Kia automobiles. Chicago noticed a soar of 800% year-on-year within the theft of those automobiles for the month of August 2022, officers advised CNBC on the time. Los Angeles officers additionally noticed an 85% soar in contrast with the 12 months earlier than.

“In electing income over security and deviating from business norms by not together with engine immobilizers as a normal security characteristic, Defendants created and maintained a public nuisance,” the town stated within the submitting made within the U.S. District Court docket within the Southern District of New York.

New York accused the 2 firms of enabling “this spiraling epidemic” of automobile thefts.

“This case is a transparent instance of what occurs to public security when automobile producers select to not embrace normal anti-theft expertise of their automobiles,” the submitting stated. “Ensuring automobiles aren’t simple to steal protects each property and the general public by maintaining harmful drivers in stolen automobiles off the roads,” it stated.

In response, Hyundai stated it made immobilizers normal on all automobiles from November 2021 and had taken measures to cut back the specter of thefts. It additionally stated it’s speaking with the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration to help its clients.

Kia added that the corporate is working with regulation enforcement to fight “automobile theft and the function social media has performed in encouraging it,” and that it’s “dedicated to supporting our clients and to automobile safety.” 

Highlighting the businesses’ “failure” to put in an anti-theft system, the grievance accused them of getting “opened the floodgates to automobile theft, crime sprees, reckless driving, and public hurt.”

Shares of South Korea’s largest automakers fell on Wednesday. Hyundai Motors slid by greater than 2% whereas Kia Corp dropped by greater than 5%.

Hyundai and Kia final month agreed to a $200 million shopper class-action lawsuit settlement, in response to Reuters, which coated roughly 9 million automobile house owners and included as much as $145 million for out-of-pocket losses for patrons.

New York Metropolis in its submitting stated that the thefts are nonetheless persevering with, and that it’s searching for “compensation for the financial losses,” with out specifying a precise determine.

“In 2023, compared to previous years, there was a digital explosion of thefts of Kias and Hyundais,” it stated. Round 977 Hyundai and Kia automobiles have been reported stolen within the first 4 months of the 12 months, in response to the submitting.

“This represents a roughly 660% enhance in thefts of Kia and Hyundai automobiles as in comparison with those self same months in 2022, when there have been solely 148 such thefts,” it stated.

New York Metropolis joins a lot of cities that took related measures towards the 2 automakers, together with Baltimore, St. Louis, Milwaukee, San Diego and Seattle.

In a launch, Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott stated in Might: “These cost-cutting measures employed by Hyundai and Kia on the expense of public security are unacceptable.”