Mattydale Hyundai stolen despite anti-theft update, owner says

A Mattydale woman says thieves took her Hyundai Tucson from her driveway on June 8 even though she had already installed Hyundai’s anti-theft software update, a case that is unsettling for Onondaga County owners who thought the recall fix would close the gap. Kellie Burns said she heard car doors opening and closing, then the engine starting, before she looked outside and saw the Tucson backing out and speeding away. The theft was over in about two minutes.

The vehicle was later recovered, but Burns said the damage was extensive. She said the interior had been stripped, wiring was pulled out and the total damage came to about $2,000. Burns said she was angry and frustrated because she believed she had done everything correctly by getting the recall repair early.

Hyundai launched the free software upgrade in February 2023 after thefts of certain models surged nationwide and spread through viral social-media videos. The company says the update adds an ignition-kill feature, but it also says the doors must be locked with the key fob for the factory alarm and anti-theft system to activate. Hyundai said it was not aware of confirmed cases in which the update failed as designed.

That detail matters for local owners because the fix is only one layer of protection. Hyundai and Kia also worked with law enforcement to distribute more than 26,000 steering-wheel locks to 77 agencies in 12 states, according to NHTSA. Hyundai’s community materials say the company is working with local law enforcement and public officials, and that dealers are maximizing the number of software installations they can complete each day.

The broader theft problem has also hit New York hard. A Syracuse.com data report published in February 2026 said Onondaga County had the third-highest vehicle-theft rate in New York in 2024, at 358.87 thefts per 100,000 residents, behind only Bronx and Erie counties. That makes a Mattydale driveway theft more than a single-owner problem, especially when the stolen vehicle was a Hyundai already covered by the anti-theft update.

Hyundai says engine immobilizers became standard on all Hyundai vehicles produced beginning in November 2021. For some 2011 to 2022 models that cannot receive the software upgrade, the company offers other remedies, including steering-wheel-lock reimbursement or an anti-theft ignition-cylinder protector that it says takes about 30 minutes to install.

The Highway Loss Data Institute said in 2024 that the software upgrade cut theft rates by more than half for upgraded Hyundai and Kia vehicles, but it also reported that theft claim frequency for 2003 to 2023 Hyundai and Kia models was more than 10 times higher in the first half of 2023 than in the first half of 2020. In Mattydale, Burns’ experience shows why many owners still see layered precautions as the only reliable defense.