CLEVELAND — Following a rash of thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles, Cleveland City Council has passed a resolution calling for Mayor Justin Bibb to sue the two car manufacturers.
The resolution, which was introduced at last week's council meeting, was approved on Monday and originally sponsored by Councilman Kris Harsh of Ward 13. The resolution notes that the number of insured Kias and Hyundais stolen in Cuyahoga County jumped by more than 233% from October to December, 2022, with 656 cars stolen in the county, including 459 thefts of the two makes in Cleveland in December 2022 alone.
"At this point, it's really a manufacturer's defect," Harsh told 3News at City Hall last week. "They ought to issue a recall, bring these cars back into the dealership, equip them with proper anti-theft devices so that this problem stops, and until they do, we really need to put the heat on them to be responsible for their mistake."
Harsh said he hopes recalls are issued, but if they are not, he believes the city should pursue the automakers for monetary damages, citing the cost not only to victims of car theft, but the resources used by the city to look into these thefts.
"I have nurses in my neighborhood that have missed shifts because they go outside and their car is stolen," Harsh said. "I had one person who just emailed me just a couple hours ago, their car was stolen twice in one week last year."
The resolution states that Kia and Hyundai "failed to equip their vehicles manufactured between 2015-2021 with industry-standard security features, including engine immobilizers and other anti-theft systems, which could have helped prevent the thefts" and calls on the Bibb Administration to "follow the lead of Columbus and other cities across the country by filing suit against Kia and Hyundai in order to alleviate the cost of damages sustained by the City while responding to the rising thefts."
Ultimately, Harsh hopes Mayor Bibb and the law director will move forward with a lawsuit.
Last week, 3News reached out to the mayor's office and was told they "take this issue very seriously and are actively exploring all options."
You can read the full resolution below:
Earlier this month, the City of Columbus filed lawsuits against the two car manufacturers, citing skyrocketing thefts on vehicle models that lack industry-standard anti-theft technology. In response to a related TikTok challenge that has only amplified the thefts, Kia and Hyundai have rolled out free software updates for their vehicles, while several area police departments, including Cleveland's, have begun to provide free anti-theft safety devices to citizens with such vehicles.