Selling a Kia or Hyundai that thieves damaged

Order is what matters here. Claim first, decide on repairs second, sell last.

Why thieves picked these cars

Most other brands made electronic immobilizers standard long ago. Many Hyundai and Kia models were sold without one. Research from the IIHS and its sister group HLDI found immobilizers were standard on only 17% of 2011 Hyundai and Kia models, against 92% of 2011 models from every other brand (IIHS). Even for model year 2022 the share was 84%, against 96% elsewhere.

Hyundai says engine immobilizers are standard on every Hyundai built as of November 2021, so the problem sits in 2011-2022 models (Hyundai). Its affected list includes the 2011-2022 Elantra, 2011-2022 Tucson, 2013-2022 Santa Fe and 2011-2019 Sonata, among other models and years. Kia checks each car by its 17-digit VIN on its customer care site (Kia).

The steps below cover the free fixes, the insurance claim and when selling makes more sense.

The free fixes, and why they matter even if you're selling

Both makers give the anti-theft fix away. Here is what each one offers:

• Software upgrade. Hyundai installs a free anti-theft software upgrade at participating dealers. Kia offers a free upgrade nationwide that restricts ignition operation on a locked car.
• Steering wheel lock. Hyundai gives one free to owners of 2011-2022 models without an immobilizer, or that can't take the software. Kia's free lock needs the 5-digit Customer Offer Code printed in its offer letter.
• Ignition cylinder protector. Kia gives one free for cars that can't take the software upgrade.
• Zinc cylinder sleeves. Under the multistate settlement, the two makers must provide zinc ignition cylinder sleeves at no cost through local dealers (New York AG).

The upgrade works. IIHS found it cut theft rates by more than half for Hyundai and Kia vehicles sold without immobilizers.

The software matters for a seller for one reason: the settlement money below is tied to it. Owners who had the update installed or scheduled are the ones who can claim.

What insurance pays for theft damage

Theft damage falls under comprehensive coverage, not collision. The Maryland Insurance Administration describes comprehensive as paying for damage from occurrences other than collision, and lists theft among them (Maryland Insurance Administration). If the repair estimate is large next to the car's value, the insurer may total it. Maryland's administration explains a total loss as a repair cost that is "75 percent or greater" than its market value immediately before the thieves got to it. A totaled car with comprehensive coverage gets a settlement offer based on its actual cash value.

Other states draw that line in other places, which the table further down shows. Your policy decides the deductible, any rental coverage and how the payout is figured, so read it rather than guess.

Some owners had trouble finding any auto coverage after the thefts. Hyundai says it worked with AAA insurers to offer coverage options in most states for those customers.

The settlement restitution fund

In 2025, Hyundai and Kia reached a $9 million multistate settlement over 2011-2022 cars sold without engine immobilizers. Massachusetts and 35 other state attorneys general reached it, 36 jurisdictions counting DC (Massachusetts AG).

Half of that, $4.5 million, is restitution for owners whose cars thieves damaged. To qualify, you need two things:

1. The software update was installed on your car, or scheduled.
2. A theft or attempted theft happened on or after April 29, 2025.

The New York attorney general says qualifying owners file a restitution claim through the settlement website. Deadlines and payment amounts are set there, so read that site before you rely on any figure you see quoted elsewhere. If the car fits, file before you sell. Keep the police report, photos of the damage and any repair estimate with the car's paperwork.

How your state brands a theft-damaged car

Whether a stolen-and-damaged car comes back with a salvage brand depends on the state. Some use a percent of the car's value, some leave it to the insurer, and a few name brands without a number. This is the line each state's own law or agency page draws.

Each row is a short summary, not the full rule. Check with the state's title agency, and see our salvage title guide for what a brand does to a sale.

Fix the damage, or sell the car unrepaired

Repair tends to make sense when:

• Comprehensive pays for the work and the car isn't totaled.
• The damage is a window and a column cover, and the engine and wiring were left alone.
• You plan to keep driving it, with the software upgrade or a cylinder protector installed so it doesn't happen again.

Letting the thieves' damage go with the car fits better if:

• You have no comprehensive coverage to claim on.
• The insurer totaled the car or the estimate is close to its value.
• It was hit more than once, or you no longer want to park it outside.
• The title is now branded, and a retail buyer would discount it anyway.

If the insurer pays you and lets you keep the car, our guide to selling before or after the insurance check covers that path. If the thieves took the keys or ruined the ignition, see selling a car with no keys.

Selling a theft-damaged Kia or Hyundai to us

We buy whole non-running and junk cars, including ones with broken glass and a gutted steering column. You sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US. Have the title in your name, and finish any insurance or settlement claim first so nothing is left open on the car.

After it's gone, file your state's notice of sale and deal with the plates. Our after-you-sell checklist lists what each step looks like. Questions about your car? Call us at (877) 421-6008.