‘A serious problem’
For 70-year-old Debbie Mcclung, the financial blow of car theft is outweighed by the psychological toll. The Green Valley Ranch resident suffered three car thefts over the past year and a half.
“The emotional impact on regular, ol’ Americans is tremendous,” she said. Thieves with access to garage door openers and home addresses on insurance paperwork leave victims “not knowing if you’re safe in your house.”
The thefts of her gray 2017 Kia Sportage occurred after everyday errands. In December 2021, she parked at an RTD light rail station before eating lunch at Union Station. Mcclung returned to find her car missing, only for it to be recovered days later.
In July 2022, she finished a shopping trip at the Town Center at Aurora, and realized her car was stolen again. After it reappeared, Mcclung was forced to wait weeks to use her vehicle, which was impounded as criminal evidence.
And this past February, Mcclung’s husband walked out of a restaurant to find a thief in the process of hijacking the car for a third time. The suspect fled the scene, but the car door lock and steering column were left in disrepair.
The incidents “absolutely” make Mcclung reconsider buying another Kia or Hyundai. “It, of course, gives you a creepy feeling.”
She’s not alone. Mcclung belongs to “Colorado Stolen Cars,” a Facebook group with more than 40,000 members.
Mcclung acknowledges that she’s in a better position than most theft victims, with good insurance, rental coverage and the means to buy another vehicle, if necessary. But she’s read countless anecdotes about uninsured and undocumented Coloradans left without their cars, hindering their ability to drive to work, school and the doctor’s office.
“It’s people without means that are being impacted,” she said. “Insurance companies must be just tearing their hair out.”
Allstate decided to pause new coverage of select Kia and Hyundai model years in certain states, including Colorado, “due to unusually high theft risk,” said spokesperson Tanya Robinson.
But current policyholders are in luck, as “we continue to support existing policies for these vehicles,” she added.
State Farm took a similar approach, as it’s “temporarily stopped accepting new customer applications in some states for certain model years and trim levels of Hyundai and Kia vehicles because theft losses for these vehicles have increased dramatically,” said spokesperson Sevag Sarkissian. He didn’t confirm if Colorado is one of the impacted states.
“This is a serious problem impacting our customers and the entire auto insurance industry.”
The insurance company is open to adjusting its approach as the situation evolves, but, “in this case, it became necessary to take action to protect our policyholders and our business,” Sarkissian added.
Progressive will also continue to insure its existing customers owning these models, but, in certain locations, have limited sales of new policies or boosted rates, spokesperson Jeff Sibel said.
Hyundai and Kia publicly acknowledged the rise in thefts, offering solutions in the meantime.
Both companies introduced free security software upgrades, and gave free steering wheel locks to law enforcement agencies to distribute to residents who own or rent the impacted models.
“Hyundai Motor America regrets this decision by insurers and its impact on select Hyundai vehicle owners and lessees, which we anticipate will be temporary,” said spokesperson Ira Gabriel.
All in all, the victims of car theft are left in tough situations at the moment.
“People can’t afford to go buy eggs,” Walker of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association said. “Let alone, if they don’t have comprehensive coverage for insurance on their car, can’t afford to replace their vehicle.”