A controversial challenge has been wreaking havoc on TikTok for several months: the “Kia challenge”. The principle of the latter is simple. Film yourself stealing a car from the brand and then share the video on the Chinese social network. Needless to say, this little challenge turned out to be particularly dangerous. Last October, four teenagers were killed in a car crash as a result of one of these notorious thefts.
Although the popularity of the challenge still doesn’t seem to decline, the authorities decided to take action. It’s conceivable that TikTok would be targeted for retaliation, but in reality, it’s Kia and its sidekick Hyundai, for which complaints of negligence are currently piling up. Indeed, several American states accuse manufacturers of: failing to adequately protect their vehicles against theft.
TikTok’s Kia Challenge raises legal concerns for automakers
As a matter of fact, Kia and Hyundai cars produced between 2015-2019 do not have an electronic system that prevents the thief from seizing the vehicle, as in the competition. This explains the popularity of the two brands among TikTok users, who follow the challenge. The result: Kia and Hyundai alone accounted for 19.3% of car thefts in New York this year, while only 2.9 percent of the cars registered in the city came from these manufacturers.
The American city joined the California city of Milwaukee and Cleveland to initiate legal action against the two companies. The latter also recently agreed to pay $200 million to amicably settle a dispute between victims of theft. Theft of Kia and Hyundai cars in the United States increased 660% from the previous year.
Source : Border
