AUSTIN, Texas — The "Kia Challenge" is a relatively new – and illegal – trend circulating on social media. It involves thieves targeting Kia and Hyundai vehicles and stealing them within a matter of minutes.
At Tech One Auto, getting these cars is now a weekly occurrence for the shop – and they don't see it slowing down.
"We see them at least once, twice a week. So it is becoming a major problem," said Andrew West, a service advisor for Tech One Auto.
West told KVUE it's stemming from a social media trend called the "Kia Challenge." Thieves are breaking into the steering columns and starting up certain Kia and Hyundai models in a matter of minutes.
"Without an immobilizer, anything that resembles a key can be used to start the vehicle," West said.
Cars like Kias are very popular, and that popularity also makes them a target.
When it comes to this illegal trend circulating social media, thieves are taking cables like what you would use to charge a phone, breaking into the steering column and jamming the USB into parts of the car to start it, allowing them to take off without much time to notice.
In an update on Monday, May 22, the Austin Police Department said auto thefts involving Kias and Hyundais have been consistently increasing every month. Thieves often use the stolen cars to commit other crimes, such as robberies, burglaries or homicides, police said.
The majority of arrests in these cases are made by patrol officers, and many of the suspects involved are minors, according to APD.
APD said owners can take steps to protect their vehicles, including buying a locking bar for the steering wheel, using tracking devices such as AirTags and investing in a car alarm system.
South Austin resident Nick Strole was a victim of the crime.
Strole parked his 2021 Hyundai Tucson at his apartment complex after work, just like any other night. However, when he went to use it the next morning, it was nowhere to be found.
"I was like, 'Maybe it's somewhere else.' So I walk around the whole complex for like 25 minutes and I'm like, 'My car is nowhere to be found.' So I didn't know what to do. So I immediately called the police," Strole said.
After a week of the police working to find Strole's car, he got the call.
"They're like, 'You know, hey, we just found your car. It didn't have any plates on it. It's totally damaged. It looks like it was in a hit-and-run collision with another vehicle,'" Strole said. "Everything was there, but it was completely damaged, wrecked, smelt terrible. It's like someone was just living in it. Yeah, it was just a wild scenario."
Last summer is when the trend began to gain a lot of traction, and West said his shop still sees these issues every single day.
So what can be done to deter these criminals?
"The Club is going to be the most common. That's going to be old-school tech, but it's about the only thing that's going to really prevent besides, you know, parking in a well-lit area," said West in reference to a steering wheel lock.
Read more about Kia and Hyundai's responses to the problem.