“KIA Challenge” Trending on TikTok And It’s Not a Dance

The Charlotte Observer, a daily in North Carolina, USA has reported that there was a nearly 30% increase in car thefts in the community of Charlotte in the last two weeks for this time of the year. This unusual spike is occurring across the country and attributed to stolen KIA and Hyundai cars. The reason, authorities believe, is TikTok.

Apparently, a TikTok video posted by @robbierayyy early this month had given instructions on how to hotwire these cars using nothing more than a USB cable to bypass the ignition switch, and this how-to video quickly spiralled into a viral “Kia Challenge” trend, encouraging viewers to try it for themselves. Kia models that are vulnerable are those made between 2011 and 2021 and Hyundai models from 2015 to 2021.

Of course, not everyone owns a Kia or Hyundai to test the tip on, so this has led to actual car break-ins by those who want to participate in the trend or outright theft after “aspiring” criminals learnt how easy it was.

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The original video had already been removed but the damage is already done. A victim, Alissa Smart, from Lapel, Indiana told Fox that someone had tried to steal her Kia Soul when her niece walked outside and scared them off. But her car window had already been smashed and repairs will cost her hundreds; Smart said that she cannot afford the bill, and she and her two children are left without any mode of transportation.

TikTokers are still filming themselves carrying out this “challenge” and uploading the video onto the app, which isn’t very smart of them as they are sharing evidence of their crime on a very public platform. TikTok is encouraging users to report any video of people carrying out the Kia Challenge as “Illegal Activities”.

Smart further commented, “This trend absolutely makes me feel disgusted. It’s really beyond me that people think it’s okay to post criminal acts, let alone participate in them after seeing them online.”