Carfax is partnering with Hyundai and Kia to help customers better secure their vehicles after a recent rise in car thefts, the companies announced on Wednesday.
Both automakers are offering free steering-wheel locks or a free software upgrade to help prevent thefts after viral online videos lead to an increase. Carfax estimates over 4.9 million owners still need locks or a software upgrade.
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Drivers shopping for a used Hyundai or Kia vehicles can see if the vehicle has the software upgrade by checking the free vehicle history reports that come with each Carfax used-car listing. The upgrade fixes alarm-theft software that viral videos circulating on social media have shown how to break. The upgrade extends the length of the alarm sound by 30 seconds, and requires the key to be in the ignition switch to turn the vehicle on.
Carfax says it is providing detailed information about the problem and “how to get it fixed for free” using their vehicle history reports. Click here to get a vehicle history report.
The affected Kia and Hyundai vehicles are models from 2010 through 2022 that have keyed ignitions. The following models are affected:
Affected Kia models
- 2010-2022 Soul
- 2011-2020 Optima
- 2011-2021 Forte
- 2011-2021 Rio
- 2011-2021 Sedona
- 2021-2022 Seltos
- 2011-2022 Sorento
- 2011-2022 Sportage
- 2021-2022 K5
Affected Hyundai models
- 2011-2019 Sonata
- 2011-2022 Tucson
- 2011-2022 Elantra
- 2013-2014 Genesis Coupe
- 2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport
- 2013-2020 Elantra GT
- 2013-2022 Santa Fe
- 2018-2021 Veloster
- 2018-2022 Accent
- 2018-2022 Kona
- 2019 Santa Fe XL
- 2020-2021 Venue
- 2020-2021 Palisade
“Both automakers began adding immobilizers to all new vehicles in late 2021,” Carfax officials said Wednesday.