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(Des Moines, IA) -- A Tik Tok car theft challenge has led two Iowa women to sue Kia and Hyundai--claiming their cars are too easy to steal. The lawsuit could have repercussions across the Midwest and the country.
Ann Brady of Polk County and Leah Price of Decatur County are suing Kia and Hyundai--alleging the companies produced a defect in their vehicles that makes them easy to steal with knives or USB drives.
Both women want refunds for their cars and other damages.
Police have issued warnings about Kia and Hyundai thefts in multiple cities across the country--including Des Moines and Davenport in Iowa and Omaha and Lincoln in Nebraska.
In recent weeks, several videos have been uploaded to TikTok, YouTube and other social-media platforms instructing people on the best methods for using a USB cord to steal a KIA manufactured from 2011 to 2021, or a Hyundai made from 2015 to 2021.
The videos have given rise to the “Kia Challenge”--where a group of individuals calling themselves the “Kia Boyz” challenge others to steal a vehicle using the USB method while recording the theft to video.
In Lincoln, Nebraska-- two teenagers recently recorded themselves trying to steal a 2013 Hyundai from the parking lot of the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.
Omaha police say there have been 230 Hyundais or Kias stolen this year - as compared to 131 in the first seven months of 2021.
The court has yet to rule on the plaintiffs’ request for class-action status, and the auto makers have not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.