A Minneapolis woman's Kia was stolen 5 times: 'I am going out of my mind' - strib

Nancy Cameron leased her white Kia Soul, the cute, boxy ones advertised by dancing hamsters, in May 2020, and sprang for personalized plates. At first, she was happy with her decision. "I just wanted a nice little car," she recalled. "And I love that car, even today."

Two years later, Cameron walked to her parking stall behind her apartment in Minneapolis' Whittier neighborhood and noticed her car was missing. She wondered if she'd parked it somewhere else. Then she saw glass on the ground. Her mind raced through the consequences: I can't go where I was going to go. I drive for my job. What am I going to do?

A couple days later, the car was recovered. Cameron had it repaired and, within a few weeks, was back behind the wheel. "I was like, 'That'll never happen again,'" she recalled.

At the time, Cameron had no idea that she'd become a repeat victim in the wave of Kia and Hyundai thefts sweeping the country.

After a security vulnerability in the cars' ignition system was shared widely on social media, the number of Kias and Hyundais stolen in Minneapolis and St. Paul jumped from roughly 350 in 2021 to nearly 3,500 in 2022. In 2023, Kia/Hyundai thefts decreased slightly in St. Paul to just shy of 700, while in Minneapolis, thefts leaped above 4,500.

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It is hard to believe that the police is not aware of the thieves. But it is easier to sue the manufacturers.