“NHTSA will continue to monitor this issue, spread awareness of further updates to local authorities and lend its expertise in efforts to strengthen motor vehicle safety,” the agency said.īut Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said there is no way for the public to track the effectiveness of a company’s internal service campaign. The agency said it is getting regular updates on the companies’ plans. Even so, NHTSA said it has met with the automakers to discuss theft vulnerability as well as software and hardware in the affected models. The agency said the Hyundai and Kia thefts involve criminal conduct that falls under the jurisdiction of law enforcement. About 3.8 million Hyundai cars and 4.5 million Kia cars are eligible for the software update.īut the service campaign by the affiliated Korean automakers is not a recall, which comes with reporting requirements and is monitored closely by NHTSA. The change also updates the cars’ theft alarm software to extend the length of an alarm from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Hyundai and Kia announced in February that they would provide software updates for vehicles that require the key to be in the ignition switch to turn the car on. The rest of the industry combined had a rate of 1.21. In September, the Highway Loss Data Institute, a unit of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, found that Hyundai and Kia cars without immobilizers had a vehicle theft claim rate of 2.18 per 1,000 insured vehicle years. Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Diego, Seattle and Columbus, Ohio, have already sued the automakers. The letter adds to the growing pressure on the South Korea-based automakers. “We are communicating with NHTSA on our many actions to assist our customers,” the company statement said. The company says it rolled out the software upgrade to prevent the thefts two months ahead of schedule, but it did not answer a question about how many vehicles have received it. Hyundai also said its vehicles comply with federal anti-theft requirements. The company says the vehicles comply with federal safety standards, so a recall isn’t necessary. Kia said in a statement that it is focused on the issue, “and we continue to take action to address the concerns these attorneys general have raised.” The automaker says more than 165,000 customers have had the software installed, and over 2 million owners have been contacted about it. The letter also was signed by attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia. Bonta and the other attorneys general sent a letter on Thursday to NHTSA requesting a nationwide recall.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |