Young thieves who often target cars with a known security flaw are part of a recent auto theft trend that's driven up the number of stolen cars in parts of the San Fernando Valley.
The I-Team reported last week that the LAPD's Foothill and North Hollywood Divisions had experienced increases of 51.6% and 39% in stolen car reports in the first months of 2024.
"This is a problem that's nationwide," said North Hollywood Area Capt. Warner A. Castillo, who explained that many of the cars being stolen are specific models of Kias and Hyundais that have an easily correctable flaw in their antitheft systems.
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"It's not specific to Los Angeles or even the state of California," he said of the trend, that's been fueled by so-called "Kia boys" posts on social media, that show how to 'hot wire' the cars using a screwdriver and a simple electronic technique.
LAPD data shows dozens of teens -- many under 16 -- have been arrested on suspicion of car theft charges in 2024, including some as young as 12 in the North Valley, but detectives say that statistical information is incomplete because of efforts to prevent teens and kids from entering the justice system on first offenses.
“Because of their juvenile age, we certainly want to try to surround them with wraparound services, we want to try to divert them," said North Hollywood detective Lt. Ryan Lee.
He said those involved often learned the theft techniques online.
"It's particularly fueled through social media, and kids are using that, and they're using social media to kind of show their joy-riding and stuff," Lee said.
More than 700 cars have been reported stolen from the two divisions so far this year, and police say the specific Kias and Hyundais targeted for the ignition vulnerability, those sold between 2010 and 2021, are the biggest targets, driving up citywide auto theft rates by 68% since 2019.
“If that back-to-back increase had been interrupted or had not occurred, we would have seen a 7% decrease in auto thefts," former Chief Michel Moore said of the trend in January.
Both Kia and Hyundai have been trying to reach the owners for years to fix the problem, which can be corrected with a free software update that takes less than 30 minutes to install.
"Kia continues to take comprehensive action to enhance the security of our vehicles in an effort to better protect our customers and prevent criminals from using methods of theft popularized on social media to break the law and steal or attempt to steal certain vehicle models," the company told the I-Team this week.
Kia said it's already updated more than 1.2 million cars.
At an anti-theft clinic organized by the LAPD in Eagle Rock last weekend Hyundai explained its update works with the car's existing key fobs, so the car is automatically immobilized when it's locked.
"So the software package, once it's on, won't allow the vehicle to start until it sees the immobilizer signal from the customer," said Hyundai vice president Dave VandeLinde.
Police say they know the anti-theft software updates are working because officers take many car break-in reports where windows are smashed and ignitions are destroyed but the cars aren't stolen.
“We ask follow up questions like, 'hey did you recently get an upgrade or recall notice about the ignition?' 'Oh yes, we did!,'" Castillo said.
Both manufacturers are putting stickers on car windows to signal would-be thieves that the security systems have been upgraded, in an effort to prevent the break-ins and attempted car thefts, which are costly to drivers.
“It’s very frustrating because it's like, I have to come out my pocket and my insurance doesn't cover it," said Hyundai owner Keisha McNeal, who said her car was targeted three times before she had the security system upgraded.
