WASHINGTON, USA — Although there has been a recurring theme of stolen Kia vehicles being involved in armed robberies around western Washington, the manufacturer did not have a car among the 10 most commonly stolen in the state in 2023.
Per Washington State Patrol (WSP) data from the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force, the Honda Civic and Honda Accord were the two makes and models stolen most often in Washington from January through November of 2023.
King County saw over 16,500 reported car thefts in the first 11 months of last year, while Pierce County saw 7,827. In Snohomish County, there were 2,875.
Interestingly, the state's two largest counties by population (King and Pierce) both had Kia and Hyundai models as the two most commonly stolen vehicles. In Snohomish County (third-largest) two Kia and two Hyundai models make up 4 of the 5 most often stolen vehicles.
Yet on the statewide data from WSP, only one model from the two companies (Hyundai Elantra) was in the top 10 in 2023.
Per crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington saw a nearly 40% increase in motor vehicle thefts from 2021-2022. Washington has always been well over the national average for motor vehicle theft in the U.S., but the data shows a significant leap in 2022.
The frequency of Kias and Hyundais being stolen became such an issue in Seattle that City Attorney Ann Davison filed a lawsuit against the car companies.
According to a lawsuit, the explosion of stealing Kias and Hyundais started as a TikTok challenge with young people showing off and joyriding.
In Seattle, from 2021 to 2022 thefts of Hyundais increased by 363% and Kia’s by 503%.
The Kia Boyz challenge on social media is making it easy for thieves to pull off the crimes. The videos feature tutorials on exactly how to steal the cars.
"The manufacturer chose from 2011 to 2021, for a 10-year timespan, to exclude nearly universal anti-theft technology in those vehicles as they sold them,” Davison told KING 5 in November.
The Seattle City Council considered a resolution in December that would urge a recall of two carmakers' vehicles that have been involved in a stunning number of thefts.
Councilmember Lisa Herbold's resolution would call on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall certain Hyundai and Kia models more susceptible to thefts. Some vehicles made between 2011 and 2021 lack immobilizer technology, allowing them to be very easily stolen.
Herbold shared a chart with local media that illustrated how often Kias and Hyundais are stolen in the city.
As for what the car companies are doing to respond to the steep rise in thefts? Hyundai announced it would hold five free clinics across the country to provide anti-theft software upgrades. None of the clinics were held in the Pacific Northwest, however.
Kia said it would offer free software upgrades on most of the affected vehicles, but Councilmember Herbold said there are still some owners whose cars are not eligible.
"Not all vehicles are sort of compatible with the software fix that they're promoting," Herbold said during a virtual press conference in December. "There are, you know, tens, hundreds of thousands of vehicles that are still out there that that fix won't work."
Below are the top 10 makes and models stolen in Washington state from January-November 2023.
1. Honda Civic
2. Honda Accord
3. Chevy Silverado
4. Ford F35
5. Ford F25
6. Ford F15
7. Honda motorcycle
8. Hyundai Elantra
9. Honda CRV
10. Ford Ranger