Every few weeks, Kia and Hyundai owners have been getting a little more help in the struggle against a wave of car thefts.
Now, a class action settlement may offer financial help to anyone whose car was vandalized, as part of a Tik Tok challenge over the past two years.
Carmen Ellis showed us where her Hyundai was stolen a few weeks ago, right outside of her apartment.
“I came out for work, to go to work, and my car was gone,” Ellis said.
She is one of the thousands of victims of the now famous TikTok challenge, where teenagers have stolen thousands of Kias and Hyundais, and damaged countless others, while trying to steal them.
“It was totally trashed, and the steering column was broken off,” Ellis said.
The good news was police found her car a few miles away. The bad news is that it suffered $4,000 in damage, of which insurance will only pay a small amount of the repair bill.
But, Ellis and many other victims may now qualify for help, thanks to a $200 million settlement from Hyundai and Kia. The companies have agreed to provide cash to reimburse thousands of ownersfor damage.
Victims of theft or break-in could receive up to $6,000 each.
The companies, at the same time,are providing free software updates and free steering "clubs" to prevent theft.
That is good news for others who are now in line to get a free software fix, hoping theirs is not stolen in the meantime.
So, if you own a Hyundai or Kia that still uses a metal key, check with your dealer to see what free repairs are available.
And if yours was damaged, ask about getting a share of the $200 million to help pay for repairs, so you don’t waste your money.
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