The terrible fall of car theft statistics in America; What is the story?

The FBI police announced the terrible decline in car theft in its latest statistics on US car theft in 2024. But why has car theft in the United States declined so severe?

The US Federal Police, or FBI, has just released its annual crime report for 2024, which contains a very positive and amazing news for car owners in the country. Motor vehicles have experienced the biggest one -year decline in history, with an 18.6 percent crash compared to the previous year. This dramatic decline after several years of continuous and worrying increase in theft statistics is an important turning point. Experts believe a large part of this success has been the direct result of automakers’ actions to deal with a particular and inclusive security challenge. That is, the challenge that has brought the number of theft to unprecedented figures in previous years. But what are the reasons for this decline and what can we learn from it? In the latest post from the Gadget News Car News series, we answer these questions.

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A closer look at US car theft statistics in 2024

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According to the FBI report, the reduction was 18.6 percent in all vehicles. If we look at the statistics specifically for passenger cars, this decrease is even more than 20 %. In 2024, 657,411 passenger cars were stolen, compared to 829,425 in 2023.

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This is important because it shows a complete rotation compared to the trend of the last few years. Car theft statistics have been on the rise since 2019, and for the first time in 2022, it crossed the border of one million units and stolen in 2023 with 1,020,729. Although the 2024 statistics with 850,708 theft is a great recovery, it is still higher than the previous level of Corona’s epidemic in 2019. However, this is the biggest decline in history, a major success.

Important reasons for reducing car theft in America

Although the FBI report does not formally analyze the causes of the decline, all the evidence and analysis of experts refers to a key factor named Kia’s challenge. The Kia Challenge was a viral trend in social media that began in late 2022 and expanded rapidly. In these videos, a very simple way to steal some models of Hyundai and Kia cars that lacked a standard engine immobilizer system. This security defect made the two Korean brands an easy target for thieves, and as a result, the number of car theft across the United States increased explosively. The wave was so large that in the years 2022 and 2023, Hyundai and Kia cars for the first time after years of pickups The most stealing vehicles in the US They surpassed.

The reciprocal action of automakers was the key to this success. Hyundai and Kia have launched free software updates for millions of vulnerable cars by running a wide program. These updates resolved security defects and practically made Kia’s challenge ineffective. This widespread move, which was implemented during 2023 and 2024, is most likely the main reason for the 18.6 percent decline in car theft statistics. With this easy way for thieves, one of the largest waves of car theft in contemporary American history was restrained.

New US car theft and police challenges

Despite this great success, the battle against car thieves will never end. While the Kia challenge appears to be largely controlled, a new and more technological threat is emerging in 2025, namely the simulation and copy of the Key Fob Cloning signal.

In this way, the thieves use special devices to copy your car remote signal remotely and easily open the car door and turn it on. The problem is so serious that General Motors GM in the United States has faced a lawsuit that is accused of doing so with the knowledge of its remote signal being vulnerable. In Canada, there is also a mass complaint against the other 13 automakers.

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To counter this new threat, car owners are advised not to keep their remote near the doors and windows of the home. The best and most effective solution is to use a Faraday Box. These boxes prevent thieves from copying your remote signal by blocking all the input and outlet signals.

The 2024 FBI report tells a dual story. On the one hand, a major success in containment of a particular security crisis, the Kia Challenge, shows that the cooperation of automakers and the implementation of technical solutions can have a direct impact on crime reduction. On the other hand, this report is a serious warning. With the emergence of new threats, such as the simulation of the key signal, it turns out that the battle between automakers and thieves is an endless game of mice and cat. While a vulnerability is resolved, a new vulnerability is emerging in today’s digital world, and the responsibility of protecting cars is more than ever a combination of owners’ consciousness and security commitment.