Columbus, Ohio has settled its lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai, closing a case the city filed over what it called substandard anti-theft technology. The payout is $1M.
The city attorney's office announced the agreement on Friday, nearly four years after it first signalled an intention to sue in November 2022. The complaint landed in February 2023 and moved through the courts into 2025.
Columbus argued the automakers knowingly sold vehicles missing engine immobilizers, reinforced steering columns and window-break sensors that most rivals fitted as standard. Thieves needed little more than a screwdriver and a USB cable.
The numbers behind the claim were stark. In 2022 the city recorded 1,946 thefts and 568 attempts, against 353 and four the year before. That works out to roughly 17 vehicles a day and a 450% jump, with volumes staying elevated into 2023.
The city also pointed to harm beyond property: juveniles seriously injured or killed during joyrides in stolen cars, plus costs pushed onto consumers, insurers, local government and police.
For automakers, the settlement is a reminder that physical security hardware is treated as a liability question, not just a specification line. Kia and Hyundai have spent years retrofitting protections onto older fleets, and insurers have pursued their own claims, with an appeals court recently reopening that route.
