Tech & Gadgets

Hyundai Launches Free Anti-Theft Software Upgrade for Nearly 4 Million Vehicles.

by Philip Lee

Updated May 21, 2023

Hyundai Launches Free Anti-Theft Software Upgrade for Nearly 4 Million Vehicles. — Photo by The Punisher / Unsplash

Hyundai is launching a free anti-theft software upgrade for almost 4 million vehicles in response to a rise in theft incidents targeting vehicles without push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices in the US.

The upgrade is being rolled out first to over 1 million 2017-2020 Elantra, 2015-2019 Sonata, and 2020-2021 Venue vehicles and is scheduled to be available for all eligible vehicles by June 2023.

The free upgrade, which takes less than an hour to install, will be performed by Hyundai dealers and will feature an “ignition kill” feature that prevents the vehicles from starting when subjected to a popularized theft method.

Hyundai must notify customers about the anti-theft service campaign through the mail, email, outbound phone contact, and a dedicated website.

The software upgrade modifies specific vehicle control modules and requires customers to use their key fob to unlock their vehicles and deactivate the “ignition kill” feature.

More information is available on Hyundai’s dedicated anti-theft website, where customers can determine when their vehicle is eligible for the software upgrade.

The company also provides free steering wheel locks to law enforcement agencies for distribution to residents who own or lease affected models.

For vehicles that cannot accommodate the software upgrade, Hyundai is finalizing a program to reimburse customers for their purchase of steering wheel locks.