ARLINGTON, Texas — If you drive a Kia in North Texas, there's an event to help upgrade your vehicle's software to combat theft.
Kia America announced it is partnering with the Arlington Police Department to provide free vehicle software upgrades to Kia owners in an effort to reduce theft of certain Kia vehicles by a method popularized and promoted over social media. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Arlington ISD Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center, located at 2101 Browning Drive, technicians from Vanguard Kia of Arlington will install free software updates.
James Bell, Kia’s Head of Corporate Communications, told WFAA in an interview Friday the upgrade is for Kia owners with a key turn start. Kia owners with a push-to-start mechanism are not at risk of this crime issue and do not need this software change, Bell told WFAA.
"The end of the USB cord will fit into that [key turn] space ... once a vehicle has this software upgrade, it will no longer start the car," Bell said. "It will basically mimic the activity of an immobilizer. It will run the alarm for an extended period of time. What we have learned from law enforcement is that criminals hate anything that injects time into their criminal activity."
Kia is also providing a free steering wheel lock if requested for use as an additional theft deterrent, officials said. There will also be food trucks, fun activities for children, and a free oil change to all participating Kia owners.
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