COLUMBUS, Ohio — You can probably imagine how frustrating It would be to have your car stolen. How would you feel if you had more than one car stolen, in less than a week?
“I was like, are you kidding me, of all things, the car gets stolen,” said Katie Conn.
Conn woke up to a text from her parents on Saturday saying her dad's Kia Sportage had been stolen.
“It is just mind-boggling to me that this has happened,” Conn said.
Then, five days later, her mom's Kia, and the Kia her dad rented to replace his stolen Kia, were gone. Three stolen Kias from one family in less than a week.
“People need to be aware, don't let yourself fall victim to this,” Conn said.
The issue is with base model Kia and Hyundais that use a physical key to start the car. The cars are missing an anti-theft device, so it can be started without the key.
In a three-week span, there were just over 400 reported cars stolen in the city of Columbus.
Of those, there were 45 reported stolen Kias, and 68 reported stolen Hyundais.
“We were shocked to know it's an issue right now. No one was really aware of it,” Conn said.
Kia says they are fixing the issue with all new vehicles, but Columbus police said there is a way to protect your car from thieves.
"Go buy the club and put it on your cars to secure your car," Columbus Police Commander Duane Mabry said.
Conn says her family has always owned Kias, but that may change.
“They are going to pick up their next rental car. My dad told the rental car agency 'we do not want a Kia.'”
Kia sent 10TV a statement about this crime trend saying they say they are aware of the issue and the newer model Kias will all have an engine immobilizer.