JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In 2022, the police started telling people about a social media trend that is making Hyundai and Kia cars more likely to be stolen across the United States.
One Northside woman said her 2018 Hyundai Elantra was stolen when she woke up and saw it was gone from her garage.
Porsha Minton said that 12 hours later, the car was found badly broken and unable to be driven on the Southside of Jacksonville.
Thieves would break into Kia and Hyundai cars by taking apart the key and starting the car with a USB charger.
“When I found my car, it was way in the back of the apartment complex. So like my windows were down. “My windows were all down, and I couldn’t find anyone,” Minton said. It wouldn’t turn on. Everything would work, including the monitor, but it wouldn’t start.
Last year, more than a million cars were stolen, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Minton said that the thieves took a wire and bent it until the car started. She is glad to have her car back, but she hopes that her car insurance will cover the damage.
In February, Hyundai made a change to its anti-theft software that makes the cars unable to start.
It’s free to update. Owners just need to make an appointment for repairs.
