TONAWANDA, N.Y. โ On Monday, the Town of Tonawanda Town Board voted unanimously to sue Kia America and Hyundai Motor America. The town is joining many other municipalities nationwide seeking to hold the major auto corporations responsible for vehicle thefts that have plagued the area for months.
The lawsuit claims that the vehicles are easy to steal because of their "deviation from industry norms and failure to install engine immobiliser' in a majority of their vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States between 2011 and 2021.โ
"The Town has been experiencing an inordinate number of thefts of Hyundais and Kias," said Town Supervisor Joseph Emminger. "Most significantly, over Memorial Day Weekend, one of our police officers was severely injured and dragged 30 feet by someone who stole a Kia. He is still not back to work. We feel there are damages that should be awarded, and we think it's in the best interests of the residents and taxpayers of the Town of Tonawanda to file this lawsuit."
The town is being represented by Keller Rohrback L.L.P., which is also representing many other governments that have been facing high rates of Kia and Hyundais being stolen, including Buffalo, Rochester, New York City, Yonkers, Seattle, Cleveland, Cincinnati, San Diego, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis.