AG Ellison announced today that he has led a bipartisan coalition of 35 attorneys general in reaching a settlement with automobile manufacturers Hyundai and Kia for their sale of millions of vehicles nationwide that lack industry-standard, anti-theft technology. Hyundai and Kia’s knowing failure to provide this standard technology created the conditions for an epidemic of car thefts that were used in the commission of other crimes and in some cases led to deaths in Minnesota and across the country. Under the settlement, Hyundai and Kia will: 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, equip all future vehicles sold in the United States with industry-standard, engine immobilizer anti-theft technology, 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. 
 
“Maintaining public safety means holding people who commit crimes accountable, but it also means holding corporations accountable when their greed helps criminals harm the people of Minnesota. By failing to include industry-standard anti-theft technology in their vehicles, Hyundai and Kia unleashed a wave of auto thefts that cost Minnesotans their cars, their hard-earned money, and sometimes even their lives. In short, they put their profits ahead of people’s safety.” – AG Ellison