PHOENIX — Vehicle thefts are nothing new, but Kia and Hyundai vehicles are at the top of Arizona’s list of most cars stolen.
So far this year, thieves have stolen 1,339 Kia vehicles and 1,083 Hyundai vehicles. While Chevrolet is the top vehicle targeted, Kia and Hyundai took the number one and number two spots in July and August, with crooks taking 749 of those cars, according to data obtained by 12News.
“Social media has contributed to it,” said Erik Axlund, captain for the Arizona Department of Public Safety and head of the Vehicle Theft Task Force District.
“It seems like they’re just joyriding them, using them. Run the gas up and they’ll pick up another one,” he said. “Kind of use it as a crime of opportunity.”
The top models targeted by thieves have been Kia Optima, Kia Soul, and Kia Fortes. For Hyundai, the most stolen models have been the Elantra, Sonata, and Tucson.
To mitigate the problem, the automakers encourage people to get the free recall done or use steering wheel locks. Police tell 12News that most of the people who are stealing vehicles are teens or young adults.
“It is frustrating, the juvenile court system I believe is overworked,” Axlund said. “The consequences are not as severe as an adult. So, they just get right back out there. We don’t necessarily incarcerate these individuals for property crimes.”
In 2022, of the 19,282 vehicles that were stolen in Arizona, 12,240 were recovered. So far this year, of the 16,616 that have been reported stolen, 9,330 were recovered.
To those committing the crimes, Axlund tells them to stop.
“None of this worth someone getting hurt,” he said. “These people that are stealing cars and wrecking other cars, and running from police, it's just not worth it.”
Gilbert Police handed out free steering wheel locks Wednesday afternoon. The department told 12News they reached out to Hyundai when they found out the company would ship them the product to hand out for free.
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