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Kia America, Inc.
Corporate Headquarters
111 Peters Canyon Road, Irvine, CA 92606-1790 USA
IMPORTANT ANTI-THEFT SOFTWARE UPGRADE AVAILABLE ON YOUR
VEHICLE AT NO COST
(Insert VIN)
April 24, 2023
Dear Kia Forte Vehicle Owner:
You may be aware of media reports regarding risky social media “challenges” encouraging young people to break-in and
steal certain Kia vehicles. These challenges target Kia vehicles equipped with a steel key and “turn-to-start” ignition system.
In response to this new phenomenon of online theft promotion, we began taking steps to try to address this criminal activity
by providing steering wheel lock devices to interested local law enforcement agencies in certain affected areas, to be
distributed to concerned Kia owners at no cost.
Our records indicate that you may own or lease a potentially affected vehicle, and we are reaching out to let you know we
have now developed a software upgrade that can be installed on your vehicle to restrict operation of the vehicle’s ignition
system should your locked vehicle be the subject of a break-in and theft attempt without the key. This software upgrade will
be available to you free of charge for eighteen (18) months from the date of this letter. When you complete the software
upgrade, we will also provide you with window decals that can be applied to your vehicle to discourage a break-in.
NOTE - VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A KIA REMOTE START ACCESSORY. Kia has identified a compatibility issue with this
software upgrade involving vehicles equipped with a remote start accessory which results in the activation of the burglar
alarm when the remote start is used. Therefore, if your vehicle is equipped with a remote start accessory, we will need to
delay installation of the software upgrade until we can investigate and address this compatibility issue. We apologize for the
inconvenience.
Other aftermarket accessories that may affect the vehicle’s ignition system may not be compatible with this software
upgrade.
What Should You Do?
Please contact your authorized Kia dealer to arrange for the software upgrade to be performed on your vehicle BEFORE
NOVEMBER 1, 2024 AS THIS IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER. As mentioned above, this upgrade will be performed at no cost to
you. The estimated time required to perform the upgrade will be approximately one (1) to two (2) hours, however,
depending upon shop scheduling, your vehicle may be needed longer. We recommend scheduling a service appointment to
minimize any inconvenience.
Most dealers provide online service scheduling. To find your nearest dealer, visit www.kia.com and click the “Find Dealer”
button in the upper right corner (“Dealers” on a mobile device). You can also use the QR code below with your mobile device
to access this information (see the bottom of this letter for more information about QR code use):
CS2305B
Kia has also developed a web portal that will provide you with the status of your vehicle’s software upgrade when you input
your 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number should you need it in the future:
https://ksupport.kiausa.com/ConsumerAffairs/SWLD
Your authorized Kia dealer is equipped to take care of your vehicle servicing needs. If you require additional assistance,
please feel free to reach out to the Kia Customer Care Team online at kia.com (Owners>Contact Us) or via phone at
800.333.4Kia (4542).
Sincerely,
Customer Care Department
QR Code Use:
•
A QR Code is a square, 2-dimensional barcode that can be read by mobile devices loaded with an appropriate barcode or QR Code Reader App. The app reads the barcode image and then launches/uploads
the specific information the code contains, such as URLs, text, photos, videos.
•
With a mobile device, download a QR Code Reader App. With many devices, you can do this through an app store or marketplace.
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Open the QR Code Reader App on your mobile device. The app will utilize your device’s camera. Center the code in the camera viewing area. With some apps, the URL or other information will
automatically load when the code is recognized. For others, you may have to snap or take a picture of the QR code. Refer to the QR Reader Code App instructions.