Hyundai, Kia Cars Targeted In Fairfax County With Rise Of TikTok Trend

Jun 14, 2023

LORTON, VA — Fairfax County Police are seeing in an increase in the theft of Hyundai and Kia vehicles, a trend that could be growing due to the popularity of instructional videos on the social media platform TikTok on how to hot-wire the vehicles.

Last Saturday, police officers responded to numerous calls for service involving stolen or damaged vehicles in the Lorton area. The thieves appeared to target Hyundai and Kia vehicles, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The increase in calls for stolen and damaged vehicles in the Lorton area is consistent with a pattern seen across the Washington, D.C., area. Fairfax County police officers took 24 reports for stolen Hyundai vehicles and 13 reports for stolen Kia vehicles from Nov. 22 to Jan. 17, police said.

Over the past several months, thieves have posted videos to TikTok demonstrating that by inserting a USB cable into a broken steering column, they can hot-wire an engine. In the past, thieves have used a screwdriver to hot-wire an engine.

Local police are warning car owners of the TikTok challenge, which is exploiting a manufacturing defect that allows them to easily be hot-wired with a USB phone charger cord, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Facing class-action lawsuits, Hyundai and Kia have announced plans to address the security defect. A lawsuit filed in California against Hyundai and Kia stated that the vehicles “are so easy to steal, teenagers and children as young as 11 years old are stealing and joyriding cars, and posting their exploits on social media, including one TikTok video that has over 33 million views,” the Post reported.

Police in some jurisdictions are encouraging Hyundai and Kia owners to purchase a brake pedal club, alarm, or other theft-prevention device to protect their vehicles from the TikTok trend.

In Fairfax County, police discovered a 2013 Hyundai 4-door sedan in a parking lot in the 8900 block of Lorton Station Blvd. early last Saturday. The rear passenger window was shattered, and there was damage to the steering column.

Officers processed the car for evidence and released it to the owner. The car had been stolen from the 9200 block of Franklin Woods Place, police said.

In another theft last Saturday, a Kia Soul was found abandoned near Cherwek Drive and Capron Court in Lorton. The car had a shattered rear passenger window and damage to the steering column, police said. Officers processed the car for evidence and notified the owner. The car had been stolen from the 9200 block of Ashland Woods Lane in Lorton.

Fairfax County Police said its officers and Auto Crimes Enforcement Unit have increased their presence throughout the county.

Police are encouraging resident to keep information, such as the make, model, model year, license plate, and Vehicle Identification Number, easily accessible in case their vehicle is stolen. Car owners also should consider investing in a steering wheel lock, police said.

Owners of a Hyundai or Kia manufactured between 2010 and 2021 should contact a dealership to see what advanced auto prevention tools are available due to the rise in thefts, according to police.

Anyone with information about the auto thefts should call the Fairfax County Police non-emergency line at 703-691-2131. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web.