Erie police offer locks to owners of Kias targeted in TikTok challenge

The Erie Bureau of Police's auto theft investigator said he hasn't seen in his cases any evidence of a nationwide social media prank involving the theft of certain vehicles playing out in the city.

Nevertheless, Detective Sgt. Chris Clement said he decided to take advantage of an offer from one of the affected auto makers by obtaining some antitheft devices and providing them at no cost to owners of the targeted vehicles.

On Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., owners of 2011 to 2021 Kia vehicles with steel turnkey ignitions can receive a free steering wheel lock device to use as an interim safety measure as Kia Corp. and Hyundai Motor Group continue to roll out updated antitheft software.

Clement said he received 50 of the devices from Kia. They will be given out, first-come, first-served, to Kia owners. Owners must bring their vehicles, along with proof of ownership and proof of residency or employment in Erie, to the west parking lot of Erie City Hall, 626 State St. The lot is located outside of the Erie police station.

Certain models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have been targeted by thieves because of the models' lack of an immobilizer. The theft spree has been driven in large part by a TikTok social media challenge that has spread nationwide and has resulted in at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in a February news release.

Kia and Hyundai have developed theft deterrent software for vehicles that lack an immobilizer and are providing it free of charge to vehicle owners, with Kia rolling out the updates in a phased approach, NHTSA reported in the release. The agency urges owners of the vehicles to contact Hyundai at 800-633-5151 or Kia at 800-333-4542 for information on the software update.

According to NHTSA, the car companies have also been working with law enforcement since November to provide steering wheel locks, with more than 26,000 provided to 77 law enforcement agencies in 12 states as of February.

Contact Tim Hahn at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.