‘They put profits over people; they went cheap’: Cleveland files lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia over stolen vehicles

'They will get you’: Vehicle theft surges in Cuyahoga County suburbs, as thieves loot Kias or Hyundais

Julianne Mellon’s stolen Kia Forte was branded by a pair of teenagers who made off with her car from the Cleveland’s Edgewater neighborhood.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Hyundai Motor America and Kia America Inc., alleging that the companies produced vehicles with poor antitheft devices that enabled thieves to terrorize motorists while forcing police officers to spend countless calls tracking stolen cars.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in California, is among several brought there by cities across the country against the companies. Cleveland accused the businesses of prioritizing profits over public safety, a move that prompted an unprecedented surge in thefts, Mayor Justin Bibb said Wednesday.

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