GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids woman wants answers after someone stole her KIA not once, but twice.
She describes the entire ordeal as a nightmare.
This summer, FOX 17 told you about a trend on Tiktok that taught people how to take KIA and Hyundai cars with standard key igniations.
It led to an extraordinarily high number of car thefts in West Michigan over the summer. New numbers show thefts are still happening.
No one understands the impact of this trend better than Amy-Sue Smith. She says a group called the "KIA Boyz" first took her Sportage in July, causing extensive body damage.
She was left for weeks without a car.
"It's really devastating for me. It was the first brand-new car I ever bought in my life, and it was just, and I loved it," said Smith.
Then, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it was stolen a second time.
"I just instantly started crying. Like I just cried for, like, two days," she said.
Smith finds herself most frustrated with what she calls a lack of action from the manufacturers. She thinks they should issue a recall or provide compensation.
Law enforcement attributes the problem to design flaws in the vehicle, which lacks anti-theft devices that are standard for other automakers.
From May until July of this year, Grand Rapids police reported nearly 400 attempted and successful thefts of KIAs or Hyundais.
That number has increased to 700 through November. But the rate of thefts has dropped from an average of 5 per day to just 1.
Amy-Sue Smith bought a new car, this time a Chevy Equinox, hoping the thefts wouldn't happen again.
However, her new car costs an extra 200 dollars a month, she says, which puts a strain on her budget.
She hopes someone does something soon to halt the thefts.
"People are being financially hurt and emotionally hurt, and no one wants to do anything about it, and I guess I just don't understand that. I just don't," she says.
Now, KIA is giving away steering wheel locks in some cities, but it's not clear if Grand Rapids or other West Michigan sites are included.
FOX 17 did reach out to the company but has not heard back at this time.
Meanwhile, GRPD says it's combined an auto-theft team, which works with other local agencies, continues to investigate these crimes.
For now, GRPD encourages car owners to park in secure locations, lock their vehicle, and activate any alarm system if possible.
