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Richland County Sheriff's Department works with Kia, Hyundai to tackle vehicle thefts in the area

Kia officials and the Richland County Sheriff's Department are cooperating to address the surge in thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles.

UPDATE: The Richland County Sheriff's Department has given away all of its free steering wheel locks.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Kia officials and the Richland County Sheriff's Department are collaborating in an effort to bring down the number of Kia and Hyundai vehicles stolen in the area.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced on Friday that his department had received 240 steering wheel locks - also known as a "club" - for the vehicles that have been heavily targeted for theft due to an exploit that went viral online.

"It's a nationwide phenomenom that they're able to go in and it tends to be mostly young people who are going into Kias and doing something to them and stealing them," Lott said.

And while the issue may be national, Lott said Richland County has seen the problem first-hand with the number of vehicles stolen using the exploit spiking from 10 last year to 48 already in 2023.

An update is available for both Kia and Hyundai vehicles that will fix the issue with certain models - and the companies provide a way for drivers to determine if their cars and trucks are impacted and have been alerting some by mail.

However, the sheriff said the wheel locks said that many are still a target of theft attempts. So not only does the sheriff hope the bright yellow devices will physically prevent theft, but he also hopes they will act as a deterrent.

Lott is asking both Kia and Hyundai owners who use a key and are impacted by the issue to come to the sheriff's department. He said drivers need only to show their key and they can have a wheel lock for free.

Drivers with further questions about the free update to their vehicles can call Hyundai toll-free at 800-633-5151 or Kia toll-free at 800-333-4542.

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