Bill Requiring Anti-Theft Devices in Cars Advances in MN House

A bill passed by the Minnesota House Commerce committee last week requires manufacturers to put anti-theft devices on certain vehicles at no charge.  Representative Brad Tabke of Shakopee says the measure was prompted by a major spike in Kia and Hyundai thefts in the state:

“In 2022  we had over 33 hundred thefts of Hyundai and Kias and so with that a significant,  number of those, there was a 893 percent increase in those thefts in Minneapolis alone.”

Companies would have to install the devices on all vehicles manufactured without “immobilizers” after 2013.   Tabke says those devices cause the horn to sound, lights to flash, or the vehicle to be inoperable.