New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez (courtesy photo)
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Tuesday announced a $9 million multi-state settlement after he and 34 other attorneys general sued car manufacturers Hyundai and Kia for allegedly building vehicles without proper anti-theft technology.
For years the National Insurance Crime Bureau ranked Albuquerque as the worst city in the nation for car theft. Officials blamed Hyundai and Kia, in particular, and said viral videos showed how easy it is to steal those compared to other vehicles.
As part of the recent settlement, Hyundai and Kia will pay up to $4.5 million to customers whose cars were recently stolen or damaged and will pay an additional $4.5 million in penalties to states across the U.S.
Both manufacturers will equip all vehicles sold in the U.S. with industry standard anti-theft technology and offer free ignition cylinder protectors to people who drive eligible models.
“Consumers should never have to worry that their vehicle is an easy target because manufacturers failed to include basic, industry-standard safeguards,” Torrez said in a statement. “New Mexicans rely on their cars every day, and when companies cut corners, it puts families and public safety at risk.”
Residents who previously downloaded software updates but still had their cars stolen on or after April 29 are eligible to file a restitution claim, Torrez’s office said. Hyundai drivers can do so online at HKMultistateimmobilizersettlement.com and Kia users can do so online at customercare.kiausa.com/SWLD or by phone at 1-800-333-4542.
Torrez first signed on to a letter to Kia and Hyundai in 2023 and urged the manufacturers to immediately remedy the problem. Torrez and 22 other attorneys general characterized the companies’ recent moves — which included software updates on affected vehicles and ignition cylinder protectors for the cars that couldn’t download the software patch — as insufficient.
“The recent announcement of a customer service campaign – not a recall – which combines warning stickers, longer alarms and a software upgrade, is positive news but less than is called for under the circumstances. Our concerns with the adequacy of the newly-announced measures are informed by your companies’ slow response and lack of acceptance of responsibility for the crisis over the past few years,” they wrote. “Your companies’ decisions not to install anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment on certain vehicles sold in the United States has caused ongoing consumer harm and undermined public safety in communities across the country. It is well past time that you acknowledge your companies’ role and take swift and comprehensive action to remedy it.”
by Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
December 23, 2025
by Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
December 23, 2025
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Tuesday announced a $9 million multi-state settlement after he and 34 other attorneys general sued car manufacturers Hyundai and Kia for allegedly building vehicles without proper anti-theft technology.
For years the National Insurance Crime Bureau ranked Albuquerque as the worst city in the nation for car theft. Officials blamed Hyundai and Kia, in particular, and said viral videos showed how easy it is to steal those compared to other vehicles.
As part of the recent settlement, Hyundai and Kia will pay up to $4.5 million to customers whose cars were recently stolen or damaged and will pay an additional $4.5 million in penalties to states across the U.S.
Both manufacturers will equip all vehicles sold in the U.S. with industry standard anti-theft technology and offer free ignition cylinder protectors to people who drive eligible models.
“Consumers should never have to worry that their vehicle is an easy target because manufacturers failed to include basic, industry-standard safeguards,” Torrez said in a statement. “New Mexicans rely on their cars every day, and when companies cut corners, it puts families and public safety at risk.”
Residents who previously downloaded software updates but still had their cars stolen on or after April 29 are eligible to file a restitution claim, Torrez’s office said. Hyundai drivers can do so online at HKMultistateimmobilizersettlement.com and Kia users can do so online at customercare.kiausa.com/SWLD or by phone at 1-800-333-4542.
Torrez first signed on to a letter to Kia and Hyundai in 2023 and urged the manufacturers to immediately remedy the problem. Torrez and 22 other attorneys general characterized the companies’ recent moves — which included software updates on affected vehicles and ignition cylinder protectors for the cars that couldn’t download the software patch — as insufficient.
“The recent announcement of a customer service campaign – not a recall – which combines warning stickers, longer alarms and a software upgrade, is positive news but less than is called for under the circumstances. Our concerns with the adequacy of the newly-announced measures are informed by your companies’ slow response and lack of acceptance of responsibility for the crisis over the past few years,” they wrote. “Your companies’ decisions not to install anti-theft immobilizers as standard equipment on certain vehicles sold in the United States has caused ongoing consumer harm and undermined public safety in communities across the country. It is well past time that you acknowledge your companies’ role and take swift and comprehensive action to remedy it.”
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
Joshua Bowling is a senior reporter for Source New Mexico. He’s reported in New Mexico, where he broke stories of lavish spending at Western New Mexico University and more, since 2022.
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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