LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Clea Grubb was in complete denial when someone stole her 2016 Hyundai Accent in July.
"I looked at my parking spot and I saw a pile of glass; I had no idea where my car was," she said.
Luckily, Louisville Metro Police found her Hyundai the next day.
However, Grubb was not pleased with the condition it was in once it was found.
"The back window on the passenger side was broken, it was trash, like, there was so much trash everywhere, it smelled like smoke," she said.
The steering wheel column was broken, leaving her with thousands of dollars worth of damage.
She still has the screwdriver that was used in her ignition. Grubb is one of many Louisvillians that fell victim to auto theft.
Thursday, metro government filed a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai due to the rise of stolen vehicles.
"Louisville is saying through this lawsuit Hyundai and Kia have made our streets, sidewalks and neighborhoods less safe," Mayor Craig Greenberg said.
He said Kia and Hyundai vehicles have become easier to steal due to the lack of engine immobilizers. Those are anti-theft devices that prevent cars from being started unless the key matches.
Grubb said this lawsuit gives her some sense of relief.
"It makes me feel some hope that there will be some justice in this situation," she said.
LMPD said more than 2,100 Hyundais and Kias were reported stolen from January to July in 2023. That's about 11 cars a day.
"Officers have found juveniles as young as 10 and 12 years old stealing the cars due to the poor security features," Lt. Matt Keller said.
Grubb now has a steering lock on her wheel.
She hopes this lawsuit is a wakeup call to Kia and Hyundai to design their future vehicles with features to keep them from being stolen.
"They just need to make sure they have all the safety features there," Grubb said.
Louisville joins several other major cities like New York, Chicago, and Seattle that have already filed similar lawsuits against Kia and Hyundai.
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