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As car thefts in Chattanooga go down, more Kias and Hyundais are being stolen in the city because of information online about how to start certain models without a key, police said Thursday.

Overall, stolen cars in Chattanooga are down about 30% from this time last year, Executive Chief of Police Harry Sommers said during a media briefing Thursday.

But thefts of Kias and Hyundais are up 47% in the same time frame, Sommers said.

"That's a pretty big jump over last year," he said.

(READ MORE: Thefts prompt 17 states to urge recall of Kia, Hyundai cars)

The area including East Brainerd, Hamilton Place, Shallowford Road and Highway 58 has seen the biggest increase in stolen Kias and Hyundais, according to data from the Chattanooga Police Department. In the first four months 0f 2022, 21 of those cars were reported stolen there. So far this year, there have been 50.

In total, 63 Kias and Hyundais have been reported stolen in Chattanooga in 2023. There were 43 stolen in the same time last year, police said.

Data shows slightly more Hyundais are being stolen in Chattanooga than Kias 35 this year compared to 28.

(READ MORE: Chattanooga, Southern U.S. grow electric vehicle production but lag the nation so far in EV sales)

People who own models of those cars made between 2010 and 2021 should consider installing steering wheel locks or kill switches to make them more difficult to steal, Sommers said.

After information about how to start these cars began to spread on the China-based social media app TikTok, attorneys general in 17 states sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urging a recall on the cars. No Southern states signed onto that letter.

The NHTSA has tied the TikTok social media challenge to 14 crashes and eight deaths involving stolen Kias and Hyundais.

The thefts are possible in models that use a mechanical key, not a fob or push start, because the keys made during that period don't have electronic immobilizers that stop the car from starting if they're not detected inside it, according to NHTSA.

(READ MORE: Chattanooga ranks high in guns stolen from cars. The numbers are only going up.)

Both car manufacturers in February announced free software updates aimed at making their cars harder to steal. The software increases the time that car alarms go off and require the key to be inside the car before starting, a February release from NHTSA said. Hyundai also announced it would send out window stickers showing the car is equipped with anti-theft protection.

Stolen cars, if returned to their owners, are often in worse shape, Assistant Chief Jerri Sutton said following Thursday's briefing.

Sutton said the city began noticing the uptick in stolen Kias and Hyundais after the TikTok trend began making national news in February.

Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.

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Chattanooga police say thefts of Kias and Hyundais are up after ... - Chattanooga Times Free Press