Kia or Hyundai ignition broken in a theft? Keys and repair

Why were so many Kias and Hyundais stolen?

Many models sold in the US with a regular turn key, roughly the 2011 to 2022 model years, were built without an engine immobilizer.

Thieves learned to crack the plastic column cover, pull the ignition cylinder and start the car without a key. Memphis was one of the cities hit hard by that theft wave. Push-to-start versions have an immobilizer and were not the target of this method.

Is there a free fix for the Kia and Hyundai thefts?

Yes. Hyundai and Kia offer a free anti-theft software update for eligible cars, installed by their dealers.

After the update, the car expects to be unlocked with the remote before it will start, and the alarm sounds for longer.

Some cars cannot take the software. For those, the manufacturers offer a hardware fix instead, such as a reinforced ignition cylinder protector fitted at the dealer. Eligibility has changed over time, so check again even if you were told no before.

Check your car by VIN with a Hyundai or Kia dealer, or on the manufacturer's official website. The fix is free from the manufacturer, so do not pay a third party for it. We do not install it.

Once the update is in, the car wants the remote to unlock it before it will start. Keep a working remote and a spare. On these cars a lost remote is a real problem, not a small one.

What does a theft repair involve?

Usually a new ignition cylinder with two keys that work it, quoted as one all-in job at the car.

What the tech usually finds: a broken or missing ignition cylinder, a cracked column cover, and sometimes a broken window. What we fix at the car:

• A new ignition cylinder, with two keys that work it
• Door locks matched to the new keys where the car allows, so you carry one key
• A test that the car starts, shuts off and the steering lock engages

We quote it as one all-in job, with two keys. We tell you in the quote whether a new column cover is included. Broken glass is a job for an auto glass shop.

For a claim with your car insurance company, the tech photographs the damage and gives you an itemized invoice.

Which Hyundai or Kia key do you need?

It depends on whether the car is turn-key without an immobilizer, turn-key with one, or push-to-start.

• Turn-key cars without an immobilizer: the key has no chip. A spare is a cut metal key, the cheapest key job, plus a remote if yours is separate.
• Turn-key cars with an immobilizer: chip keys, often flip keys on trims of the Elantra, Sonata, Optima, Forte and Soul.
• Push-to-start trims: smart keys, common on upper trims and on most models in recent years.

Not sure if yours has an immobilizer? A push-button start means it does. For a turn key, our VIN check will tell us, and so will the manufacturer's eligibility checker. General ignition symptoms are on ignition repair.