Our local news (central Florida) showed a clip from social media on how to steal these cars, the station redacted some of the details.
Appears very easy.
Yes. These vehicles aren’t being stolen moreso than other makes because there aren’t enough police or because jurisdictions are “soft on crime.” They’re being stolen because it’s easy to do.
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If I had one of these cars, I would install some type of remote battery disconnect that could be disabled/enabled by a smart remote and device hidden under the hood. Maybe put it the low power side of the starter relay/solenoid so the car doesn’t start and a failure of this during driving wouldn’t result in the shutdown of the car.
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I know this is old, but the lawyer Lehto got stopped and it was quite interesting what he had to say about what to do in a traffic stop. Hands on wheel, dome light on, ask permission to reach for billfold etc. They let him go.
Never heard of the guy but I appreciated the video. He’s right, of course. Not just cops but anyone who deals with the public. I do, and attitude makes a huge difference.
A couple of small points:
- I grew up in a part of Illinois that was all small towns and the local speed limit often stretches a long way out of town.
- There are cops who are very conscious of their power, and any perceived challenge of that power is not taken well.
Yeah I got a ticket going through a small town at night. 45 in a 30. All dark, no one around except the guy hiding in the shadows. On my 50th birthday.
I have a friend with one of these cars. Luckily they live in a pretty decent suburb of St. Louis so it isn’t a huge concern for them. Obviously people know which cars to target so that isn’t good.
I understand there is simply a USB port under a cover in the steering column. People plug something in to overvoltage and fry the circuitry that is supposed to prevent the car from starting if the proper key isn’t used. Instead of failing in a way that disables the car from starting, the car just simply starts without the chip or whatever that is required. So, one could bust the cylinder with a screwdriver or whatever and it would just start right up after that circuitry is fried.
As mentioned, my wife drives a 2016 Tucson and she got a Club free from the local PD. It’d be nice if Hyundai would at least do that much.
All they will do is smash the window and cut through the steering wheel. We have a whole new level of thieves at work now. I’m surprised the police would give these away. I suppose it makes it look like they are doing something so everyone feels better.
Which is pretty much worthless .
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Well, she can beat the thief with it if caught in the act. 
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Some believe your wife’s Tucson is just as venerable as the next vehicle that does not have a theft deterrent, has the vehicle been solen yet?
The car stealing kids on social media don’t possess or know how to use a hand saw (or bolt cutter or power tools for that matter [/edit]) to cut through anything.
No anti-theft device is perfect, but if it deters the thief to move on and look for an easier target that’s success.
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Exactly right, which car is going to have stuff stolen, the one that is locked or the one unlocked?
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The Club or whatever may not be 100% but if they see this, maybe they will move on to another car to try and take. Apparently the main issue is that the anti-theft electronics are easily defeated by over voltaging them. At this point the car will just start.
And just what would you have them do? For the most part, police departments aren’t responsible for redesigning motor vehicles. There must be thousands of Hyundais/Kias in the St. Louis area, essentially with a sign that says, “Please steal me.”
No, it hasn’t. Thanks for asking.
BTW, our PD gave away gun locks, the type with a cable you ran trough the barrel. I grab a couple. Was talking to someone from the department about the locks, they laughed, said they were being used on bicycles.
A hand saw takes too long. They’d use a battery powered saw or more likely a bolt cutter.
The thing they are now using around here to steal catalytic converters are those battery band saws. Apparently they can zip through metal way easier and cleaner than an angle grinder/cutoff or a sawzall. I would assume they would also work on the club or similar.
I am always amazed at the collections of high dollar power tools they confiscate and post pictures of when arresting folks for converter theft around here. You can be pretty sure they didn’t pay for those either.
I’m more amazed that salvage yards are taking converters in without any extra precautions. Heck, just saying one has to sign a paper and have their picture taken and attached to the paper for the converter turn in should be enough of a deterrent.