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☆ Thieves are still targeting Hyundai and Kia cars but new software is stopping them
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-07 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The cars in question are certain older Hyundai and Kia models made before 2023 that are particularly vulnerable to theft. So far, more than 2 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles have gotten the update, according to the automakers. By now, around 61% of eligible Hyundai vehicles have the software upgrade, a Hyundai spokesperson said. That said, not all of the vulnerable Hyundai and Kia models have the proper hardware to enable the software upgrade. For those vehicles that can’t get the software, Hyundai and Kia have been providing steering wheel locks.

Persons: ” Matt Moore, Kia —, South Korea —, Moore, Tok, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Hyundai, Kia, Data Locations: South Korea

☆ Nearly half of online pharmacies selling weight loss drugs are operating illegally, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Liz Szabo | Liz Szabo Is An Independent Health | Science Journalist. Her Work Has Won Multiple National Awards. One Of Her Investigations Led To A New State Law In Virginia. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Consumers who try to buy popular weight loss drugs online without a prescription risk being scammed or receiving unsafe products, a new study shows. Shortages of the popular weight loss medication, which belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1s, have led to “a black market of illegal knockoffs,” said Dr. Christopher McGowan, the founder, medical director and research director of True You Weight Loss, a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina. Medicare doesn’t cover the drugs when prescribed for weight loss, and many state Medicaid plans heavily restrict coverage. Online scamsSome websites purporting to be online pharmacies take consumers’ money but never deliver the medications, according to the study. Consumers won’t get that sort of care if they buy drugs online without seeing a health care provider.

Persons: ”, Tim Mackey, Christopher McGowan, McGowan, semaglutide, won’t, Mackey, ” McGowan, “, Shabbir Safdar, Scott Brunner, Safdar, Brunner, Consumers won’t, it’s Organizations: Nordisk’s, University of California, Global Health, Data Institute, University of Pecs, FDA, Manufacturers can’t, Medicare, JAMA, Food and Drug Administration, semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, telltale, Partnership, Safe Medicines, Alliance, Pharmacy, Consumers Locations: San Diego, Hungary, Cary , North Carolina, U.S

☆ The methodology behind The Breakthrough polling project
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Jennifer Agiesta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Breakthrough is a project from CNN, Georgetown University, the University of Michigan, SSRS and Verasight. Each week, 1,000 Americans are asked to share what they have seen, read or heard about major presidential candidates in their own words. Results from the two surveys are combined using SSRS’s Encipher Hybrid methodology for blending probability and non-probability samples. Respondents have also been asked the same question about Biden since the start of the project. To develop topics, topic words are manually identified and augmented with words and topics identified using a combination of Noiseless Latent Dirichlet Allocation (NLDA) and Guided Topic-Noise Model (GTM).

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr, Harris, Biden, Lisa Singh, Josh Pasek, Michael Traugott, Budak, RoBERTa pretrained, Jennifer Agiesta, Ariel Edwards, Levy, Edward Wu, Dana Elobaid, Le Bao, Yanchen Wang, Mohamed Ahmed, Akilah Evans, Hope Wilson, Cameron McPhee, Peter K, Enns, Gretchen Streett, Amelia Goranson, Jake Rothschild Organizations: CNN, Georgetown University, University of Michigan, Massive Data, Technical, Science Locations: Verasight

☆ Hyundai and Kia models topped US auto theft rankings last year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In all, six of the top 10 most-stolen vehicles in America last year were Hyundai and Kia models. The list included the Kia Soul, Kia Forte, and Kia Sportage. Certain older Hyundai and Kia models made before 2023 are particularly vulnerable to car thieves. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. More than 1.1 million Kia vehicles nationwide have had anti-theft software installed, according to Kia.

Persons: Kia, Kia Forte, Kia Sportage, ” Kia, James Bell Organizations: CNN, National Insurance, Hyundai, Kia, Chevrolet Silverado, Silverado, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Ford, Crime Information Center, Data, Hyundai Motor Group Locations: America, United States

☆ Car repairs are getting more expensive. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Robert Ferris | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Your eyes aren't fooling you — your car repair bill really is getting more expensive. Repair costs are rising relative to the overall rate of inflation. Motor vehicle maintenance and repair costs increased 4.1% per year from November 2013 to November 2023, compared with just 2.8% for the overall consumer price index. Meanwhile, talent to repair cars is scarce. Many in the auto space think costs can't continue to rise at these rates.

Persons: David Goldsmith, Mitchell, hasn't, Matt Moore, Goldsmith, Ryan Mandell, Mandell, Alan Amici Organizations: Urban, Data, Insurance Institute for Highway, Mitchell, Technicians, Center for Automotive Research Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, U.S

☆ Teslas crash more than gas-powered cars. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr noted that the costs of repairs of an electric vehicle are also much higher. Scherr’s statements echoed findings by insurance analysts at LexisNexis who found that, when vehicle owners switch from gasoline-powered cars to electric cars, they tend to crash more. Drivers also tend to crash somewhat more when switching to gas-powered vehicles, too, but the increase is more pronounced with EVs. Mostly a Tesla thingIn both cases – with Hertz and with LexisNexis – “electric vehicles” largely means Teslas. That suggests there may be something about Teslas that’s causing people to crash more than other cars.

Persons: CNN — Hertz, Stephen Scherr, Teslas, Xiaohui Lu, Lu, Tesla, ” Organizations: CNN, Hertz, EV, LexisNexis, Drivers, Data, Tesla, BMW Locations: China, US

☆ Tesla launched its own car insurance. These drivers say it's a lemon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Tesla Insurance, launched in 2019 by the electric-car company, has promised policyholders “vastly better” service than rivals, as Tesla chief Elon Musk put it in April 2022. “What do they have, three people answering phone calls?”Complaints about Tesla Insurance are drawing scrutiny from state regulators and the plaintiffs’ bar. And there’s no way to know exactly how many have been made against Tesla Insurance and how its record compares with competitors’. That fall, Tesla launched InsureMyTesla, a new insurance offering for U.S. Tesla owners, in partnership with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Lester F. Aponte, a Los Angeles attorney who signed up for Tesla Insurance in August, described a maddening ordeal to obtain proof of insurance.

Persons: Mark Bova, lurched, “ I’m, ” Bova, policyholders “, Elon Musk, Musk, Bova, he’s, Tesla, ”, Musk’s, Virginia –, Phil Fioresi, Tesla’s adjusters, adjusters, ” Zachary Kirkhorn, ” Kirkhorn, Teslas, InsureMyTesla, it’s, It’s, Chanda Santiago, ” Santiago, Lester F, Aponte, haven't, Understaffed, “, —, Policyholders, Jonathan Garcia, Garcia, adjuster, Scott Sawyer, Sawyer, Lauren Lee Sawyer, ” Sawyer, –, Steve Stecklow, Koh Gui Qing, Norihiko, Mike Scarcella, John Emerson, Brian Thevenot Organizations: Green, U.S . Army Special Forces, Tesla Insurance, Tesla, Reuters, Bureau, Twitter, U.S, SpaceX, Ohio Department of Insurance, California Department of Insurance, Data, AAA, The Auto Club Group, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co, Liberty Mutual, Markel, National Insurance Company, State National, State, Facebook, Better, policyholders, Better Business Bureau Locations: Maryland, That’s, California , Utah , Illinois, Virginia, South San Francisco , California, California, Draper , Utah, Texas, policyholders, InsureMyTesla, U.S, Illinois, Colorado, Ohio, Florida , Georgia, Washington, Santiago, Los Angeles, Draper, North Carolina, Riverside , California

☆ OpenAI's 'unreasonable claims' exhaust AI-ethics researchers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Monica Melton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ali Alkhatib, an AI-ethics researcher, says large AI systems should not work for everything. Companies make grand claims about what their models can do, but this can cause significant harm. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Researchers are spending more time critiquing artificial-intelligence systems for their grandiose claims and unacknowledged harms. Because inherently, what OpenAI is doing is sort of unreasonable, which is a challenging thing for them to acknowledge or face."

Persons: Ali Alkhatib, —, Alkhatib, They're, OpenAI, ethicists Organizations: Companies, Service, Google, University of San Francisco's Data

☆ How a Google loophole lets drug dealers hijack nearly any website — including our own
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Nor does it always appear to pay attention to other signals webmasters code in asking Google not to index their search results. It's why someone advertised how to buy cocaine and fentanyl in Pittsburgh on a National Institutes of Health website. It directs searchers to the Telegram user who offered to sell Insider cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. The proliferation of drug ads in search results lands amid a growing upswell of discontent with what some users and website owners say is the declining quality of Google Search. For now, a simple Google search leads prospective drug buyers to markets on Telegram.

Persons: Jake Swearingen, Jane, Ted Kubaitis, Katherine Long, Monica Barratt, Barratt, Kubaitis, Davis, Timothy Mackey, Mackey, Erin Lalor, Eric Schwartzman, They're, Zack Onisko, Dribbble Organizations: Google, Food and Drug Administration, Interpol, United Nations, Food, FDA, Ontario, UN, Drugs, US Postal Service, Cash, Telegram, Scottish, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Cleveland Clinic, Drug, Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation, IRS, Tricare, Alabama Department of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, University of California, University of Chicago, The New York Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Washington Post, UC San Diego's Global Health, Data, Alcohol, Drug Foundation, East Tennessee University Locations: Ontario, Canada, cryptocurrency, Fresno , California, Pittsburgh, Clairton , Pennsylvania, New York, Dayton , Ohio, Goodlettsville , Tennessee, Alabama, Maine, Seattle

The lawsuits come after thousands of Hyundai and Kia thefts that use a method popularized on TikTok and other social media channels. The cities suing Kia and Hyundai include New York, Cleveland, San Diego, Milwaukee, Columbus and Seattle. Kia and Hyundai vehicles represent a large share of stolen cars in many U.S. cities, according to data from police and state officials. Many Hyundai and Kia vehicles have no electronic immobilizers, which prevent break-ins and bypassing the ignition. In May, the automakers agreed to a consumer class-action lawsuit settlement worth $200 million over rampant car thefts of the Korean automakers' vehicles.

Persons: Edgar Su, Immobilizers, David Shepardson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Singapore, REUTERS, Rights, Korean, Hyundai Motor, Kia Corp, Hyundai, Kia, Traffic Safety Administration, Insurance Institute, Highway, Data, Thomson Locations: Singapore, New York, Cleveland, San Diego, Milwaukee, Columbus, Seattle, U.S

☆ A Dodge Charger is 60 times more likely to be stolen than any other vehicle in the US. It's now taken the most-stolen crown from Hyundai and Kia.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hellcats from 2020 to 2022 are 60 times more likely to be stolen than other cars, data shows. Kia and Hyundai owners were previously plagued by theft issues thanks to a TikTok trend. The Hyundai Elantra is among the models affected by thefts sparked by the "Kia Boyz" TikTok trend, the automaker announced. Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty ImagesThe trend was popularized by the "Kia Boyz," who posted stealing the certain Kia and Hyundai models using a screwdriver and USB cord. Affected drivers included owners of certain Kia models made between 2011 and 2021 and certain Hyundai models from 2016 to 2021.

Persons: Raymond Boyd, HLDI, Matt Moore, Dodge, it's Kia, Kia Sportage, Sjoerd van Organizations: SRT Hellcat, Kia, Hyundai, Data, Stellantis, Hellcats, Wal, Getty Locations: Stellantis North America

☆ Hyundai and Kia agree to $200 million legal settlement over theft issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai have agreed to an estimated $200 million class action legal settlement over claims that many of the companies’ cars and SUVs are much too easy to steal. The settlement, which could cover up to nine million vehicle owners, provides a total of up to $145 million that will be distributed to owners whose vehicles have been stolen to help cover their out-of-pocket losses. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. Hyundai dealers will also affix window stickers stating that the vehicle has anti-theft software installed. As part of the agreement, installation of the anti-theft software will now be done automatically along with any dealer service appointment without the owner having to specifically request it.

☆ NYC to give out 500 Apple AirTags for residents to put in their cars to combat car theft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Laura Ly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Some Kia, Hyundai, and Honda models are getting stolen in New York City so often that the Mayor is giving out Apple AirTags to help residents track their vehicles. The city plans to distribute 500 AirTags to residents to place in their cars to combat car thefts in target neighborhoods, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced at a press conference on Sunday. Adams made the announcement in a Bronx neighborhood that has seen over 200 car thefts this year alone – the highest of any precinct in the city. The Hyundai and Kia vehicles in question include the Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson, and the Kia Forte and Sportage, with 2015-2019 model years. So far this year, the NYPD has recorded thefts of 966 Kia and Hyundai cars – marking an increase of 819 cars since last year, Chell said.

CNN —A coalition of attorneys general for 17 states and the District of Columbia on Thursday called for a federal recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles that they say are unsafe and too easy to steal. “Hyundai and Kia announced that they will initiate voluntary service campaigns to offer software updates for certain vehicles with this starting-system vulnerability. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. “The bottom line is, Kia’s and Hyundai’s failure to install standard safety features on many of their vehicles have put vehicle owners and the public at risk,” Attorney General Bonta said. The attorneys general’s letter asserts that the ease of theft of these Hyundai and Kia vehicles constitutes a safety hazard and the vehicles fail to meet federal standards for theft prevention.

☆ California, other states seek recall of Hyundai, Kia vehicles over theft
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Doyinsola Oladipo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) and Kia Corp (000270.KS) vehicles represent a large share of stolen cars in multiple U.S. cities, according to data from police and state officials. While most cars in recent years have been installed with industry standard anti-theft devices, the Korean automakers have no push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices. Hyundai said its vehicles have engine immobilizers that prevent a vehicle from starting unless the correct key or fob is used, making it compliant with federal anti-theft requirements. "These specific models comply fully with all applicable federal standards, a recall is neither appropriate nor necessary under federal law," said Kia in a statement. U.S. theft claims were nearly twice as common for Hyundai and Kia vehicles compared with all other manufacturers among 2015-2019 model-year vehicles, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute said last year.

☆ Hyundai and Kia thefts trend reached New York City
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Spikes in car thefts of certain Hyundai and Kia models, a trend that began in the American midwest and was spread by how-to videos on social media, has reached America’s biggest city. About 100 of these particularly vulnerable Hyundai and Kia vehicles were stolen in the month of December alone in New York City, according to New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell. Joy rides on Tik TokThese models became the subject of a viral social media trend in which thieves filmed themselves and others stealing Hyundai and Kia vehicles and taking them for a drive. The New York thefts first began to be noticed in The Bronx, the commissioner said, but soon were also happening in other parts of the city. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering.

[1/3] The Gateway Arch is seen across from snow covered banks of the Mississippi River during cold weather in St Louis, Missouri, U.S. February 11, 2021. "Big corporations like Kia and Hyundai must be held accountable for endangering our residents and putting profit over people,” said St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. Many Hyundai and Kia vehicles have no electronic immobilizers, which prevent break-ins and bypassing the ignition. Since May 2022, St. Louis police received more than 4,500 reports of thefts of Kia or Hyundai vehicles. Sixty-one percent of vehicles stolen in St. Louis have been Kias and Hyundais, St. Louis said.

☆ Kia and Hyundai Thefts Are Soaring — and It's TikTok's Fault
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Britta Lokting | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Lebeau-Chorn and Jenkins are just two victims of an unprecedented surge in car thefts that has swept across US cities in the past two years. The situation has become so critical that two major auto-insurance companies, State Farm and Progressive, have stopped insuring vulnerable Kia and Hyundai models. Safety shortcutsThe TikTok video that sparked the challenge — a how-to reportedly created by user @robbierayyy — exposed a security flaw in Kia models from 2011 to 2021 and Hyundai models from 2015 to 2021. All Kia vehicles are subject to and comply fully with rigorous testing rules and regulations outlined in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards." In Illinois last month, three 13-year-olds were arrested after being seen in a stolen Kia that hit and killed a 71-year-old man.

☆ That shiny new electric car you bought will cost more to insure — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Car-buyers should understand the nuances of EV insurance and why it might cost more. Right now, new EVs cost more on average. The latest estimate from NerdWallet said the national average cost of car insurance stands at about $2,148 per year. Plus, there aren't as many shops with technicians trained to fix electric vehicles versus traditional vehicles." Where EV insurance and upfront costs look more than with a gas-powered car, drivers could see substantial fuel and maintenance costs-savings from going electric.

☆ Kia and Hyundai are rolling out software upgrades for models targeted by a viral challenge that taught people how to steal them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Kia and Hyundai are rolling out a free anti-theft software upgrade for models targeted by thieves. Eligible car owners are being notified by Kia and Hyundai about how to get the free upgrades. Car owners can deactivate the "ignition kill" feature by unlocking their car with the key fob. Car thefts in Denver have risen by 160% since 2018, and most of the thefts are Kia and Hyundai cars, Denver7 reported. Theft rates for some Kia and Hyundai models are so high that State Farm and Progressive temporarily stopped writing insurance policies for some of the models in some cities last month.

☆ Hyundai and Kia roll out free software patch to keep some cars from getting stolen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The vehicles in question, 2015-2019 Hyundai and Kia models with turn-key ignitions — as opposed to push-button start — are roughly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of a similar age. The two South Korean automakers have come up with a software patch to fix the problem, the automakers and NHTSA said Tuesday. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia, and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. The patch will be installed free of charge on vulnerable models, with software that requires an actual key in the ignition to turn the vehicle on. Hyundai will begin providing the software immediately for the most popular — and most frequently stolen — vulnerable models.

☆ Some Kia and Hyundai models get stolen so often that State Farm and Progressive said they'll no longer insure them in some cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

State Farm and Progressive are temporarily not writing new policies for some Hyundai and Kia cars, per reports. Since 2018, car thefts in Colorado rose by 160%, with Kia and Hyundai cars making up most of the thefts, Denver7 reported. Stolen car claims were almost twice as high for Kia and Hyundai models from 2015 to 2019, according to a report from the Highway Loss Data Institute. Some of the car models use traditional keys and don't have electronic immobilizers in them, meaning people can start the car without a key present. During the pandemic, a trend on TikTok and YouTube went viral teaching people how to hijack some Kia and Hyundai models with a screwdriver and USB charging cord.

☆ Some auto insurers are refusing to cover some Hyundai and Kia models
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Progressive and State Farm, two of America’s largest auto insurers, are refusing to write policies in certain cities for some older Hyundai and Kia models that have been deemed too easy to steal, according to one of the insurance companies and media reports. The insurance companies did not tell CNN which cities or states were involved. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. Engine immobilizers are now standard on all Kia vehicles, according to a statement by the automaker and the company says it has been developing and testing security software for vehicles not originally equipped with an immobilize. Hyundai said it is providing free steering wheel locks to some police departments around the country to give local residents who have easily stolen Hyundai models.

☆ Kia, Hyundais are easy targets for thieves, insurance data confirms
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In fact, 2015-2019 Hyundai and Kia models are roughly twice as likely to be stolen as other vehicles of similar age. Hyundai and Kia operate as separate companies in the United States, but Hyundai Motor Group owns a large stake in Kia and various Hyundai and Kia models share much of their engineering. Some videos posted on TikTok showed allegedly stolen Hyundai and Kia vehicles being driven recklessly and even crashing. HLDI’s estimates of theft frequency are based on the number of a given model on the road and the frequency of vehicle theft claims. Kia pointed out the majority of Kia vehicles in the United States have push-button start systems that make theft more difficult.

☆ U.S. theft claims soar for Hyundai, Kia vehicles, non-profit group says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hyundai vehicles are lined up in the company's presentation area during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Blinch/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - U.S. theft claims were nearly twice as common for Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Kia Corp (000270.KS) vehicles compared with all other manufacturers among 2015 through 2019 model-year vehicles, a non-profit group said Thursday. Hyundai said engine immobilizers became standard on all vehicles produced after Nov. 1, 2021, while Kia said it added immobilizers in all vehicles during the 2022 model year. The majority of Kia vehicles in the United States are equipped with a key fob and 'push-button-to-start' system, making them more difficult to steal." But they were standard on only 26% of 2015 model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles, it said.

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