Hyundai and Kia settle suit over TikTok theft challenge

Hyundai and Kia on Friday announced a deal to settle a lawsuit filed by car theft victims after a TikTok “challenge” showed how easy it was to steal some models.

The settlement could cost the South Korean car makers as much as $200 million, most of the money going to compensate people for theft-related losses, according to the companies.

It is up to a judge whether to approve the deal.

“This agreement is the latest step in a series of important actions that Kia has taken to help customers whose vehicles have been targeted by criminals using methods of theft popularized on social media,” Kia America chief legal officer John Yoon said in a joint release.