Victims of TikTok Kia challenge sue Kia and Hyundai after wave of car thefts

Victims of the TikTok Kia challenge are suing Kia and Hyundai after the trend caused a rise in vehicle thefts across the nation.

Back in July 2022, the Kia Challenge surfaced as the latest viral trend on TikTok, resulting in car thefts across the USA.

The trend began after a creator on the app uploaded a video showing how he started his Kia by only using a USB cable, and others quickly realized it worked on Hyundai vehicles as well.

Both companies responded in early September, but now victims of the trend are suing the automotive giants.

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Kia Challenge Victims sue Hyundai and Kia

On September 21, California-based MLG Attorneys at Law issued a press release regarding the National Class Action lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that cars manufactured between 2011 and 2021 by Kia and Hyundai were made without an “engine immobilizer” which prohibits cars from being hot-wired and stolen.

“It’s time to centralize the fight with Kia and Hyundai,” said Jonathan Michaels, founder of MLG Attorneys at Law. “We filed the class action in federal court in Orange County to bring it to the doorstep of these two massive auto manufacturers.”

The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages against the Korean automakers, as well as a nationwide recall of all affected vehicles.

The MLG website offers detailed facts and statistics surrounding the influx of car thefts after the challenge went viral on TikTok, as well as a way to join the national class action lawsuit if you were one of the affected customers.

For more TikTok-related news and other viral stories, head over to our hub.