Kia and Hyundai vehicles in Canada not affected by U.S. theft issue, automakers say

Kia and Hyundai autos offered in Canada wouldn’t have the identical anti-theft challenge as these within the United States due to Canadian laws, the automakers say.

On Friday, CNN reported that two giant U.S. auto insurers had been refusing to cowl some older Hyundai and Kia fashions in cities like Denver and St. Louis as a result of the vehicles and SUVs are too straightforward to steal. That’s as a result of they lack primary auto-theft prevention expertise referred to as digital immobilizers. These gadgets forestall a automobile from being began until somebody is utilizing a key that accommodates the right laptop chip that communicates with the car.

Not each car has this expertise within the U.S., notably these with key ignitions—but it surely has been required in all new autos offered in Canada since 2007.

“Kia models in Canada are unaffected by this theft issue,” a Kia Canada spokesperson advised CTVNews.ca. “Transport Canada regulation requires electronic immobilizers in all Canadian-market vehicles built from Sept. 1, 2007, onwards. Consequently, we can confirm that Kia vehicles in Canada, even those with keyed ignitions, have been equipped with electronic immobilization since Sept 1, 2007.”

In a separate assertion on Friday, a Hyundai Canada spokesperson additionally confirmed that its Canadian autos are geared up with digital immobilizers.

CNN reported that solely 26 per cent of Hyundai and Kia fashions from 2015 to 2019 had been geared up with digital immobilizers within the U.S., in contrast with 96 per cent of all different autos in these years, making the Hyundai and Kia fashions roughly twice as more likely to be stolen.

The automakers are actually each providing safety enhancements for all affected fashions

With information from CNN