Hundreds of people in Baltimore victimized in Hyundai and Kia car theft trend

BALTIMORE -- Nearly 600 people in Baltimore have had their Hyundai or Kia stolen this year.

One of them—a woman who asked WJZ not to show her face for safety reasons—talked to investigative reporter Mike Hellgren about her experience.

"I opened up my front door and where my car was supposed to be—it was gone," she said.

The victim then accessed video from her camera. 

"You could see my car back up and drive down the street at 5:03 in the afternoon," she said. "I called the police right away. They didn't even come here, they called me on the phone."

She showed him pictures of her destroyed steering column and the mess the thieves left in her Hyundai Sonata, which would have been paid off in just a few months. 

The vehicle was totaled—and she only got a fraction of what she put into it through her insurance. 

"It's gone . . . It's like I threw that $22,000 down the drain," she said.

The woman is upset at the automaker and hopeful that a new settlement deal with offset some of the costs she has incurred in the aftermath of the theft. 

"I called Hyundai corporation myself and told them it's too damn late because they stole it already," she said.   

The $200 million proposed settlement covers the owners of 9 million stolen Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The settlement still needs the approval of a federal judge.

You can read more about the settlement here: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/kia-hyundai-car-theft-settlement-tiktok/

The settlement is separate from Baltimore City's lawsuit against the auto manufacturer.

This auto theft victim said she has a bone to pick with the city too.

She initially had to pay for multiple tickets the thieves wracked up—including for going 30 miles an hour over the speed limit.

But she was later reimbursed, she said.

"I had to go downtown ranting and raving to get my money back," she said.   

Additionally, her car spent 15 days in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department.

She said the police towed it because it was linked to felony crimes.

After that, the vehicle spent weeks trapped at the city's impound lot—where they would not let the insurance adjuster access it. 

For this car theft victim, the theft of her Hyundai Sonata had a domino effect—costing her money and peace of mind. 

She had only ten months left to pay off the stolen car, which had less than 40 thousand miles on the odometer. Now, she is just beginning five years of payments on a replacement.

"I'll be 80 years old paying the car off and that's not right!" she said. 

She said her car was later recovered in East Baltimore, but she was never notified that anyone was arrested or charged in the case. 

Baltimore police said earlier this month that auto thefts are up 95 percent over this time last year.

They said Kias and Hyundais represent 41 percent of all stolen vehicles.

The mayor's office sent WJZ the following statement Friday:

"Kia and Hyundai created a nationwide problem in order to save a few bucks. We are joining these other cities to hold them responsible," the statement said. "In addition to making our citizens vulnerable to theft, they have endangered their physical safety, as car thieves are more likely to engage in reckless driving in these stolen vehicles. We hope that this lawsuit not only forces Hyundai and Kia to come up with a viable solution to this problem of their own making but deters other companies in the future from putting profit over public safety."

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