SEATTLE — An average of 71 cars per day were stolen in King and Pierce Counties in September, according to the latest report by a state-funded task force.
Simultaneously, some of Seattle's most frequented auto body and repair shops are telling KING 5 that they are getting slammed with Hyundais and Kias that have been hit by thieves.
The thefts, according to shop owners, are creating a ripple effect that is hurting their abilities to meet their customers’ needs.
"I hope they find a cure for it soon because if they don't, there is going to be a lot of unhappy car owners out there," said Mike Goebel, owner, of Budd & Company Automotive.
Goebel said the automotive service industry is also dealing with a shortage, particularly when it comes to replacing the stolen or vandalized parts on Hyundais and Kias, like broken windows and door handles for example.
"I've been told they can't keep up with the demand," he said of the manufacturers. "Could be anywhere from six months to a year."
He continued, "We can do the repairs, I just can't produce the parts."
An additional challenge, he said, is his business does not have the room to store the cars long-term, while they wait for the parts. As a result, he has decided to stop accepting Hyundai and Kia customers altogether.
"I can't afford to keep them here for extended periods of time with no parts," said Goebel. "I'd continue to love and work on the cars, except for this particular problem."
For this reason and others, options are slim in Seattle for people who are trying to get their parts replaced after a theft or attempted theft: people like Erica Lee and her mother, from Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.
"There are certain things that are still wrong with it that can't be fixed because the Hyundai shop is backed up till January," said Lee. "There was a different Hyundai retailer that we also tried and they also said pretty much the same thing because so many people are having so many problems with their cars."
A month ago, Lee witnessed her mother's 2017 Hyundai being stolen in the middle of the night. The car was parked right outside of their residence on the street.
"People were getting inside mom's car... it's like 'Wait, what?'" she said. "They were wearing hoods so it was really hard to tell but they were about four people."
Police found the car the same morning and they eventually got the car back. But this wasn't its first attempted theft.
"A few months ago before it was actually stolen, the handle part was kind of broken off," said Lee.
This same strange thing happened to another Seattle woman.
"The driver's side door handle of my 2015 Hyundai Sonata," said Natalie Rodriguez. "I found [the handle] beside my car, just in the middle of the street."
Rodriguez also scrambled to get the parts replaced, however, she too had a tough time.
"I called my insurance, and I let them know what happened. And they sent me a long list of dealerships that they recommended and approved, and I started to call those. What I found was that most dealerships could not even get me in for an estimate until November. And some were even telling me they couldn't get me in for an estimate until December," said Rodriguez.
Like the other women, Rodriguez heavily relies on having her car each day to get around.
Eventually, she found that Gerber Collision and Glass in Ballard was able to take her car in for repairs. She is hoping she will be back on the road soon because right now, she is renting a car through her insurance.
"If you're put in that situation, and then you're scrambling, you know, it's really a test of your patience," said Rodriguez.
In the meantime, Rodriguez said she has plans to head to her local police department precinct to pick up a free steering wheel lock.
According to the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force, steering wheel locks are strongly recommended for owners of Hyundai and Kia models that are vulnerable to theft.
"Even if you have already upgraded your software, we still suggest using a steering wheel lock as a visual deterrent," the task force wrote on their website.
Lee and her mom recently got one, too, and they're putting it to constant use.
"That's pretty much what we can do at this point to try to not have it stolen again," said Lee.