DETROIT (WXYZ) — "I saw the red lights from my tail light out of my bedroom window and I just heard it. It was like NASCAR and my car was gone," said Nykia Rhine, describing the light and sound of her white 2018 Kia Optima speeding away with a thief in the driver's seat.
It happened Thursday night outside her home in the area of Warren Avenue and the Southfield freeway.
It was the third time in just four months that Rhine's Kia was stolen in the city of Detroit.
"When the police came today, I told them if I did something and I was owed this karma, I wouldn't even call you guys, but I don't," she told 7 Action News.
Nykia Rhine and her teenage son took the city bus long enough for her to save enough money to buy a Kia Optima in 2021.
It was a 2018 model but it was brand new to the single working mom.
What Rhine and some other Kia owners could not have predicted is that their vehicles would be among those that could be easily stolen by thieves armed with a simple USB cord. Details on how to start the particular Kia and Hyundai vehicles spread quickly across social media in 2022.
Countless law enforcement agencies across America have been trying to keep up with the surge in stolen vehicles.
In 2021, there were 130 Kia and Hyundai vehicles stolen in Detroit. In 2022, that number skyrocketed to 1,450.
Earlier this week, the City of Cleveland filed a lawsuit against the companies of Kia and Hyundai, accusing the automakers of making vehicles that could be so easily stolen that they are draining public resources.
"When it comes to working-class people, they put profits over people," said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. "They went cheap even though they knew this was a risk."
In the lawsuit, attorneys for the City of Cleveland wrote, "The failure of Defendants to install an industry-standard anti-theft device, notwithstanding decades of academic literature and research supporting the deterrent effects of such technology, has opened the floodgates to vehicle theft, crime sprees, reckless driving, and public harm."
Last month, Kia and Hyundai began rolling out free upgrades including immobilizers on the model vehicles at risk.
The software updates the theft alarm software logic to extend the length of the alarm sound from 30 seconds to one minute and requires the key to be in the ignition switch to turn the vehicle on, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA urges owners of these vehicles to contact Hyundai toll-free at 800-633-5151 or Kia toll-free at 800-333-4542 for information on the FREE update. NHTSA adds that the companies will also be providing its customers with a "window sticker alerting would-be thieves that the vehicle is equipped with anti-theft protection."
Rhine just finds it hard to believe that a company as tech-savvy as Kia would make an automobile with an issue that has cost her so much more than she can afford with outrageously high insurance rates due to the risk of theft.
She's just hoping her vehicle will be found a third time as she continues to save enough money to make the necessary repairs.
The blue and yellow Michigan license plate on her white 2018 Kia Optima S is 4PK R15. If you have any information on it, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP (1-800-773-2587).
"If your car has been stolen, just keep the faith," said Rhine. "Like my mother always told me, there's nothing lost in the spirit. And I say that all the time and every time I do, somebody calls me to say your car is here and the damage is minimal. I'm satisfied with just getting my car back."
Representatives for Kia released the following statement Friday in response to Cleveland's lawsuit:
Kia remains deeply concerned that car theft targeting certain models – encouraged by social media content promoting criminal conduct – is an issue. To address these crimes, we continue to roll out a free, enhanced security software upgrade to restrict the unauthorized operation of vehicle ignition systems and we are also providing steering wheel locks for impacted owners at no cost through local law enforcement agencies. To date, Kia has already contacted over 1 million owners and lessees of Kia vehicles to let them know of the availability of the software upgrade and to advise them to schedule a free installation at any Kia dealer. We have also shipped or are in the process of shipping over 23,000 free steering wheel locks to over 120 law enforcement agencies across the country and we will provide additional locks as they are needed.
Potential lawsuits against Kia by municipalities are without merit. All Kia vehicles are subject to and comply fully with rigorous testing rules and regulations outlined in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including under FMVSS 114 that governs ignition security systems and theft protection. Kia has been and continues to be willing to work cooperatively with local officials in Cleveland and law enforcement agencies across the city to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it.
Customers should visit https://ksupport.kiausa.com/ConsumerAffairs/SWLD to check on their eligibility for the upgrade or to learn more about directly obtaining a steering wheel lock.
