The city of St. Louis in Missouri plans to sue the automakers for the reckless TikTok trend that resulted in the indiscriminate theft of cars in the US, particularly Hyundai and Kia vehicle models.
According to reports, there has been a significant increase in car thefts in the city in recent months, and the city administration is now threatening legal action against the two companies for producing vehicles with flaws that make it simpler to steal them than other vehicles.
Up until this month, 2,409 Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been reported stolen
“With this letter, the city demands that Kia and Hyundai mitigate the defective conditions providing thieves, including teenagers as young as 13 – the instrumentalities by which they are destroying property, endangering city drivers and themselves, and, in some cases, committing violent felonies,” read a letter written by City Counselor Sheena Hamilton.
“Kia and Hyundai’s defective vehicles have caused a public safety crisis in the city, endangering the health, safety, and peace of all those who live, work or visit the city. Your companies are responsible for mitigating the public nuisance your negligence has created for the city and its residents,” further read the letter.
Up until last month, 2,409 Hyundai and Kia vehicles had been reported stolen, up from 205 at this time last year, a 1,075 percent increase.
Notably, Hyundai is Kia’s parent company, but the two businesses run independently.
The challenge on the app urges people to steal cars with the fewest possible resources
According to reports, the Kia and Hyundai vehicles manufactured between 2010 and 2021 that still use mechanical keys rather than electronic ones are the main targets of the TikTok challenge.
The challenge on the app asks users to take advantage of this increased theft vulnerability and steal cars with the fewest possible tools.
The thieves are recording their criminal activities on camera and posting the videos on TikTok with the hashtag “Kia Boys.” With time, it has developed into a significant trend, and internet users are showing an illogical amount of interest in the videos.
