(NewsNation) — The city of Milwaukee this week became the latest to move to sue car manufacturers Kia and Hyundai over a defect that makes it easier for thieves to steal vehicles.
Seattle, Cleveland, San Diego and Columbus, Ohio, are the other municipalities that are taking action. They want Kia and Hyundai to reimburse them for the costs of policing and damage to their communities.
From 2011 to 2022, Hyundai and Kia did not equip cars sold in the U.S. with “engine immobilizers,” an anti-theft device that is standard in most vehicles, making the vehicles easy targets for thieves.
Alderwoman Meliele Coggs told NewsNation that Milwaukee is ground zero for Kia and Hyundai thefts.
“Sixty-eight percent of the car thefts a little over a year and a half ago, almost two years ago, were just Kia and Hyundai,” she said.
The city has exhausted resources and will be asking the companies to address the issue.
“It’s spreading because of a problem they could have fixed and they chose not to,” Coggs said. “So, what we’re looking for is as a municipality, is of course to fix the problem. But then also for repayment … whatever the extent of the law will allow for the damages that have been caused over the last two years because of their negligence and not correcting the problem with their vehicles.”
Earlier this week in an unrelated action, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul joined 22 other attorneys general calling on the companies to make changes.
“I’m announcing that I have led a multistate letter with more than 20 AGs, a bipartisan group of agents from around the country who are calling on Kia and Hyundai to step on to do more to protect vehicle owners,” he said in a news conference. “I think a lot of folks know how significant this issue has been.”
NewsNation reached out to Kia and Hyundai, which said they are committed to working with officials and with law enforcement agencies at the state and local level to ensure vehicle security. They said they have worked with consumers to upgrade safety features to meet federal standards.
Milwaukee is the latest — but likely won’t be the last — city to take action against Kia and Hyundai.
St. Louis and Madison, Wisconsin, are also considering filing suit against the carmakers.
It’s not just cities. NewsNation is aware of at least 26 class-action lawsuits on behalf of individuals who have been victims of car theft. Some have estimated this could cost the company $5 billion to rectify.
NewsNation’s Van Gaetto contributed to this article.