Grand theft auto: 23 attorneys general tell automakers to make cars harder to steal as thefts spike

A coalition of attorneys general is calling on major automakers to take steps to address the nationwide spike in car thefts as crime continues to soar across the United States.

According to the Council on Criminal Justice, car thefts and carjackings have gone up 59% between 2019 and 2022. In a letter sent on Monday, 23 attorneys general, including Democrats Rob Bonta of California and Letitia James of New York, are urging car manufacturers to equip their vehicles with engine immobilizers to make it harder for thieves to steal them.

The rise is alarming with seven cities – Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, Norfolk, and San Francisco – seeing a 24% surge in carjackings in 2022 than 2021, according to the same Council on Criminal Justice report. The total car theft losses in 2020 for the United States are estimated to be worth $7.4 billion by the FBI.

In the state of California alone, a car is stolen every three minutes, according to the California Highway Patrol. Similarly, in December 2022, New York City had a 16-year high of car thefts.

In their letter, the attorneys general accused car manufacturers of not accepting responsibility for the ongoing crisis of thefts of Hyundai and Kia automobiles not equipped with anti-theft immobilizers. The request for immobilizers follows the recent announcement by Hyundai and Kia of a customer service campaign that only offers warning stickers, longer alarms, and a software upgrade, considered insufficient by attorneys general.

The attorneys general went on to state, “Your companies’ decisions not to install anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment on certain vehicles sold in the United States has caused ongoing consumer harm and undermined public safety in communities across the country.”

The letter concludes, “It is well past time that you acknowledge your companies’ role and take swift and comprehensive action to remedy it.”