NATIONAL NEWS

Kia/Hyundia settle class-action lawsuit over security flaw in vehicles

May 19, 2023, 11:34 AM

FILE- This combination of file photos shows the logo of Kia Motors Dec. 13, 2017, in Seoul, South K...

FILE- This combination of file photos shows the logo of Kia Motors Dec. 13, 2017, in Seoul, South Korea, top, and Hyundai logo April 15, 2018, in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo., bottom. Hyundai Motor America and Kia America will resolve class-action lawsuit prompted by a surge in vehicle thefts with a settlement agreement that could be valued at $200 million, the automakers announced Friday, May 19, 2023. (AP Photo, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo, File)

Hyundai Motor America and Kia America will resolve class-action lawsuit prompted by a surge in vehicle thefts with a settlement agreement that could be valued at $200 million, the automakers announced Friday.

The settlement covers about 9 million 2011-2022 model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S. today, according to the companies. The cars are not equipped with push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices — which has allowed them to be stolen easily by using just a screwdriver and a USB cord, creating a recent auto-theft outbreak across the country.

Here are the vehicles involved:

____

Hyundai:

2018-2022 Accent

2011-2022 Elantra

2013-2020 Elantra GT

2018-2022 Kona

2013-2022 Santa Fe

2013-2018 Santa Fe Sport

2019 Santa Fe XL

2011-2019 Sonata

2011-2022 Tucson

2012-2017 and 2019-2021 Veloster

2020-2021 Venue

2013-2014 Genesis Coupe

2020-2021 Palisade.

_____

Kia:

2011-2022 Sportage

2011-2020 Optima

2011-2022 Sorento,

2011-2021 Forte

2020-2022 Soul,

2012-2021 Rio

2011-2021 Sedona,

2021-2022 Seltos

2021-2022 K5.

Kia says it began adding immobilizers in the factory in 2021, so few 2022 model year vehicles were built without them.

National News

Associated Press

Georgia joins states seeking parental permission before children join social media

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia could join other states in requiring children younger than 16 to have their parents’ explicit permission to create social media accounts. Lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to Senate Bill 351, which also would ban social media use on school devices and internet services, require porn sites to verify users are […]

5 hours ago

Associated Press

Cranes arriving to start removing wreckage from deadly Baltimore bridge collapse

BALTIMORE (AP) — The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews on Friday can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city’s vital port from operating. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Georgia House approves new election rules that could impact 2024 presidential contest

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday approved new rules for challenging voters and qualifying for the state’s presidential ballot that could impact the 2024 presidential race in the battleground state. The House passed Senate Bill 189 by a vote of 101 to 73. It now goes to the state Senate for […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Ex-Caltrain employee and contractor charged with building secret homes with public funds

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former employee of Caltrain, a mass transit system that connects Silicon Valley with San Francisco, and a former contractor for the transit agency allegedly used public funds to build two small apartments for themselves inside two train stations, authorities said Thursday. San Mateo County prosecutors charged Joseph Vincent Navarro, a […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Oregon city can’t limit church’s homeless meal services, federal judge rules

BROOKINGS, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a southern Oregon city can’t limit a local church’s homeless meal services. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke found that an ordinance passed by the small city of Brookings, on the southern Oregon coast, violated the religious freedom rights of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, KGW reported. […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Baltimore bridge collapse puts the highly specialized role of ship’s pilot under the spotlight

The expert pilots who navigate massive ships in and out of Baltimore’s port must often maneuver with just 2 feet (0.6 meter) of clearance from the channel floor and memorize charts, currents and every other possible maritime variable. The highly specialized role — in which a pilot temporarily takes control of a ship from its […]

10 hours ago

Kia/Hyundia settle class-action lawsuit over security flaw in vehicles