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801 views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  MonsterSoul 
#1 ·
THEFTS - a real problem
Hello - I like the Kia Soul, was thinking I might get it for my next vehicle, but after my recent experience might have to stay away from Kia's altogether.

My Kia Sportage was stolen out of my driveway on Labor Day (night). The police were tracking another stolen Kia from Minneapolis and it went to my neighborhood, where they split up thier group and stole mine also. They busted out a window and ripped open the steering column and put a USB in there to start it, like a key. The car does NOT know it is not the key - that is the unique problematic characterisitic of this model (and also the Hyundai models) being stolen. (Other car models would know that it is not the key and would not start that way.)
It's much faster than "hotwiring" any other car.

My car was found with only steering column and window damage, BUT the thieves cooked/smoked a lot of drugs in it and now it is being totaled because it's unsafe for anyone to be in.
(they only had it 24 hours)

I was not aware of the Kia Theft ring and had I been notified by Kia I would have gotten it into our small garage (where we were hiding our Hyundai Santa Fe from the Catalytic Converter thieves) or would have gotten a steering wheel lock or something.

My one year old car is gone and I have to start over, and cars cost much more than they did when I got that one :(
 
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#4 ·
#3 ·
What year was your Sportage Jo9876? How do you know they actually used a USB to start it?

All new KIA's come with an immobilizer, so you won't have to avoid the brand. Remember that even cars with them can still be vandalized, stolen or carjacked.
 
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#6 ·
It was a 2022 but I got it a year ago. There was a USB charging cord in the car that did not belong to us, I was just repeating what the police had said to me. Anyway whether they jammed that or a screwdriver or a toothbrush into it makes no difference, I was told that it doesn't realize it's not the key, whereas most car models would and therefore is easier to steal. Of course any car can be stolen. I am not saying it's Kia's fault I just think a brief email to owners maybe making people aware would have been helpful. The Kia dealership told me they had seen 150 Kia models in for repairs after being stolen, just in September. That's a lot. The Kia's are good cars, I like them, I don't want to feel like I have a car with a target on it though.
 
#8 ·
It's not Kia's fault, I just thought an email making people aware could have been helpful. As they end up with a lot of the stolen cars back in their service center for repair, it's not as if they didn't know it was happening in large numbers. I still like the Kia's they are great cars.
 
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