BATON ROUGE – Attorney General Liz Murrill has announced Louisiana and 34 other states have reached a settlement with automobile manufacturers Hyundai and Kia over their sale of millions of vehicles nationwide that lacked industry-standard, anti-theft technology.
The AGs say this failure resulted in an epidemic of car thefts and joy riding across the country that continues to threaten public safety.
Under the settlement, announced earlier this month, Hyundai and Kia have agreed to:
Equip all future vehicles sold in the United States with industry-standard, engine immobilizer anti-theft technology;
Offer free zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors to owners or lessees of eligible vehicles, including vehicles that previously were only eligible for the companies’ software updates;
Provide up to $4.5 million in restitution to eligible consumers whose cars are damaged by thieves; and
Pay $4.5 million to the states to defray the costs of the investigation.
Murrill
“Hyundai and Kia’s decision to abandon typical measures to prevent car thefts have led to detrimental consequences,” Murrill said. “The company’s omission of engine mobilizers led to its vehicles being vulnerable to theft and joyriding.
“We will continue to hold companies accountable when its decisions lead to Louisiana consumers being negatively affected.”
The AGs pressed Hyundai and Kia to do more to protect consumers, and Murrill says the settlement ensures all consumers with eligible vehicles can have zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors installed on their vehicle free of charge.
Eligible consumers will have one year from the date of notice from the companies to make an appointment to have the zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector installed at their local Hyundai or Kia authorized dealerships. Attorney General Liz Murrill urges consumers to schedule the installation of the zinc-reinforce ignition cylinder protector as soon as possible.
In addition, consumers who previously installed the software update on their vehicles (or were scheduled to do so) but nonetheless experienced a theft or attempted theft of their vehicle on or after April 29, 2025, are eligible to file a claim for restitution for certain theft and attempted-theft related expenses.
For more information about eligibility and how to submit a claim for compensation from Hyundai or Kia, visit www.HKMultistateimmobilizersettlement.com
The multistate settlement was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
