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Kia, Hyundai thefts on the rise
Hyundai says it’s issuing a security kit this weekend to help prevent thefts after a design flaw makes them easy targets.
MINNEAPOLIS — Hyundai and Kia vehicles continue to be a target for thieves. New data shows thefts continue to skyrocket because some models are so easy to steal.
It happened to one Minneapolis woman in broad daylight.
Melissa Winship could see it all unfolding from her front window on Sept. 18 — thieves caught on a security camera, stealing her Hyundai SUV and her neighbor’s Kia.
“There are so many reasons it could have been worse, but it’s definitely still a big inconvenience in my life,” said Winship. “All I could do was sit here and hope police come and interrupt it.”
What happened to Winship is part of a nationwide trend that shows Hyundai and Kia thefts spiking.
In St. Paul, police report 622 of those vehicles were stolen January through August, compared to 79 that same time last year. Minneapolis Police say, last year at this time, there were 40 Kia vehicles stolen and this year, that number has soared to more than 200.
“They came and did it because they could and it’s all over TikTok and YouTube telling them they could,” said Winship.
A class action lawsuit filed this month alleges that there’s an issue with a traditional key, making certain models easy to start — with even a USB port, screwdriver or pocketknife.
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“They take off the whole steering area and the shape fits perfectly into the little metal piece and to turn it,” said Winship. “If nothing is done and this just keeps happening, I can see myself not wanting that car anymore.”
In a statement, both Kia and Hyundai say their newer models have “push button to start” systems making them harder to steal.
“Hyundai Motor America is concerned about the recent rise in auto thefts of certain Hyundai model vehicles. While all of our vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, unfortunately, our vehicles have been targeted in a coordinated effort on social media. Criminals are targeting our vehicles without engine immobilizers. Immobilizers became standard on all vehicles produced after November 1, 2021,” writes Ira Gabriel, head of Corporate and Marketing PR for Hyundai Motor America.
“While no car can be made theft-proof, criminals are seeking vehicles solely equipped with a steel key and “turn-to-start” ignition system. The majority of Kia vehicles in the United States are equipped with a key fob and “push-button-to-start” system, making them more difficult to steal. All 2022 Kia models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the model year or as a running change,” writes James Bell, head of communications for Kia America.
The two are also offering steering wheel locks to law enforcement, like the St. Paul Police Department that gave one to Winship for free.
And starting October 1st, Hyundai will start distributing security kits, but its spokesman wouldn’t say how much they might cost to buy or install, writing instead, “Beginning October 1, 2022, this security kit will be available for purchase and installation at Hyundai dealerships and Compustar authorized installers across the country. Hyundai will provide additional details soon, and customers who have questions can always contact the Hyundai Consumer Assistance Center at 800-633-5151.”
Kia says it’s not announcing a similar kit at this time.
“If there’s a way from to prevent this from happening, why wouldn’t they just give it out to those people,” asked Winship, who is hopeful that telling her story leads to more accountability from the automakers.
“I’m that angry, I’m that frustrated, I’m that pissed off that it has to get out there,” said Winship. “I think it’s the only way something is going to happen if those of us that experienced this get out there and make a fuss about it.”
Police eventually found Winship’s SUV, but it needs to be repaired. And with lingering supply chain issues, the parts are on back order and she says it could be at least a month before she gets it back.
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While the school building was impacted, police say no students or staffers were hurt in the incident.
DULUTH, Minn. — Students and staffers at a Duluth elementary school encountered a bit of unexpected – and unwanted – excitement Friday morning when a vehicle smashed through a wall of their gym.
Northern News Now/KBJR reports that the incident unfolded at Myers-Wilkins Elementary on N. 8th Ave. E. just before 8:30 a.m. Duluth police told the station that two people were inside the vehicle when it ran a stop sign, went through the intersection and down an embankment, then careened through the gym wall.
No one inside the school was hurt, but the two people in the car were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Duluth Public School District tells Northern News Now the gymnasium will be closed for an undetermined time while engineers examine its structural integrity.
Meanwhile the school is on a secure protocol, meaning access to the building is limited while students go about their day.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for scratches and bite wounds to the head, face and legs.
BREMERTON, Wash. — A child and their mother were attacked by a river otter at the Bremerton Marina Thursday morning.
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), a woman and her young child were walking on a dock around 9:30 a.m. when the river otter pulled the child into the water. The woman said the child was underwater for a few moments before resurfacing.
WDFW officials say the otter kept attacking the woman while she pulled the child out of the water.
The child was treated at a hospital in Silverdale for scratches and bite wounds to the head, face and legs. The woman was bit on the arm.
“We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency,” said WDFW Sergeant Ken Balazs said in a prepared statement. “We would also like to thank the Port of Bremerton for their quick coordination and communication to their marina tenants.”
According to WDFW, the otters in the marina will be “trapped and lethally removed” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, then tested for rabies.
River otter attacks are rare, and WDFW officials advise against instigating any close encounters. There have been six documented human-river otter incidents in Washington state in the last decade.
“When we do see this on the rare occasion that it does occur, it’s for territoriality or protecting its pups. If it’s a female, protecting its pups,” said Matt Blankenship with the WDFW.
And while many think of them as cute, curious creatures. They can cause serious injuries.
Jen Royce, who lives in Bozeman, Montana, was attacked by a river otter last summer. The damage was extensive.
“I had really large bite wounds on each cheek. A really big gash on this left side of my eye here.. luckily it didn’t get my eye.. it bit through my nose,” Royce said.
She wants to urge others to be cautious around the animal.
“My main goal is to spread awareness. I don’t want people to go out and kill otters. That’s not what this is about. It’s about trying to be more prepared in nature,” Royce said. “Not to let your guard down and hopefully, if someone learns something from my story. I feel like that’s why I’m still here.”
Medtronic’s latest Deep Brain Stimulation device allows Bruce Lunde to control his tremors remotely, with a cell phone, and that’s not all.
MERRIFIELD, Minn. — Bruce Lunde has never let his age stop him from staying active, so when Parkinson’s Disease threatened to slow him down at the age of 81, he decided to take action.
Lunde recently underwent surgery in order to become the first patient in the upper Midwest to receive Medtronic’s latest Deep Brain Stimulation device.
“Within seconds my tremor was gone,” Lunde said, recalling the moment doctors activated the device, which was implanted via surgery. “It’s amazing what they can do.”
A Very Active Octogenarian
After teaching in Edina for 35 years, Bruce and his wife, Gail Lunde, retired to the woods of central Minnesota, where they remain today.
“I enjoy cutting wood and I enjoy splitting wood,” said Lunde, who relies on a wood-burning stove to heat their home. “I like to have enough on hand to stay a year ahead, so I don’t sit around too much.”
Lunde is also active in his church choir and enjoys running and boxing, so it didn’t take long for his tremors to begin to impact his life.
“The tremor was bothering me more, particularly when I was singing,” he recalled. “I couldn’t hold my sheet music. I tried medication but I felt like my tremor didn’t improve.”
When doctors first diagnosed Bruce with Parkinson’s Disease a few years ago, they told him he might be a good candidate for deep brain stimulation.
“It’s changing the way that the brain networks work, enhancing the pathways that help you move,” said Dr. Robert McGovern, a neurosurgeon at M Health Fairview.
But brain surgery is required in order to make that possible.
“It’s one long kind of wire that gets sent into the brain,” Dr. McGovern said. “We implant two tiny electrodes and calibrate them. They are connected to that wire which then connects to the device.”
Though Brain Stimulation Devices have been around for many years, Dr. McGovern says early batteries often didn’t last beyond just 2-3 years and required additional surgeries to replace.
When Medtronic began introducing wireless charging capabilities in recent years, it was a game changer for many patients, including Bruce.
“It’s charging right now and I just sit like this,” Bruce said, showing off the charging pad draped over his shoulder that indicated that it was connected to the DBS device implanted in the upper part of his chest.
“I wasn’t interested in undergoing multiple surgeries,” he said. “This battery is expected to last more than 10 years.”
In addition to the wireless charging, Bruce can also calibrate his own device with nothing more than a few taps on a cell phone. That means he can consult his doctors from his home and dial in his treatment around his lifestyle.
“The tremor isn’t 100% gone,” he said. “But what a blessing it has been. I feel normal again.”
Dr. McGovern said the most exciting aspect of the device may be yet to come. It features Medtronic’s new BrainSense Technology.
Dr. McGovern: “One of the cool things about it is it actually records the brain signals on the device to individualize the therapy.”
Kent Erdahl: “So, in a sense, the device is getting smarter?”
Dr. McGovern: “Yeah. One, we can learn more about what’s happening in the brain throughout the course of the disease. Two, we know that it works already, but this is potentially a way to make it a lot better.”
Despite all of that promise, Dr. McGovern said he is grateful for Bruce’s courage to embrace the new technology at his age, something even Gail struggled with initially.
“It’s something I have a hard time thinking about,” Gail said, recalling the first time she learned about the surgery. “I didn’t want it to be done, but Bruce was ready for it. So we did it.”
They are both grateful they did.
“I don’t worry too much about it,” Bruce said. “I feel confident that I’m going to be able to function for a long time.”
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