SHEBOYGAN, Wis — Sheboygan Police have made four arrests in connection with the five car theft cases involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles, and the department is urging owners to take action to protect their vehicles.
This comes as the city is seeing a rise in car thefts involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles, leaving local owners questioning whether their cars are safe.
Sheboygan Police Patrol Captain Joel Kuszynski said that since Aug. 15, 15 car theft cases took place involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles, with the cases equally distributed across the city. So far this year, the city has seen 34 car theft cases in total.
"It's easy for people to actually break into the steering column and start the car, even without the key present," said Kuszynski. "A couple weeks ago, we had a car that was driven into a house on a hit and run. That was a stolen Hyundai."
He added that the thefts surged in 2021 and 2022, dropped in 2023 through 2025, and have come back.
"We're asking the public to please go to the dealership and get those upgrades to at least stop this dangerous behavior by the people that are stealing the cars," said Kuszynski.
Tyler Reineking owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra, and he and his wife use the car every day. His wife, Meka, also has a 2022 Hyundai Tucson. Both of them shared concerns about the increase in car theft cases involving Hyundai and Kia cars in Sheboygan.
"I just learned about it few days ago," said Meka Reineking. "We don't know exactly if his car could be a target, or if my car could be a target, and I'm questioning if our vehicles are fine or if they're not, if I need to be more cautious?"
A total of 35 states, including Wisconsin, settled with Hyundai and Kia to offer free hardware upgrades for cars without anti-theft technology. John Heal, general manager for Van Horn Kia Sheboygan, says there are specific types of vehicle that are more targeted.
"What we've noticed is vehicles that have turnkey are pretty much the easiest to discern from, from the model years," said Heal.
Heal suggested checking your car's vehicle identification number first at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, before bringing your car to the dealer.
"You can take that in and just place it into there," said Heal. "It would actually spit out if there are any recalls with that vehicle, and if there are any remedies available."
You can go to NHTSA.gov to check if your vehicle has any recalls.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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