Kia Challenge

About

Kia Challenge is a supposed internet challenge revolving around a series of TikTok videos showing car thieves stealing Kia automobiles by reportedly starting them with a USB cord. While such thefts have been reported to have been occurring in the midwestern United States in the spring and summer of 2022, there is little proof that they are being done as part of a "TikTok challenge" despite the name. The "challenge" became widely known on social media after a woman who had her Kia broken into alleged the perpetrators were attempting to steal her car using that method, ostensibly as part of the "challenge." Later on, the theft trend also spread to Hyundai vehicles, particularly the Elantra.

Origin

In May 2022, a group of car thieves known as the "Kia Boys" began growing notorious in the American Midwest. On May 18th, 2022, YouTuber Mini Bike T Love posted a TikTok compilation of alleged "Kia Boys" recklessly driving purportedly stolen cars (shown below, left). On May 31st, YouTuber Tommy G posted a video in which he interviewed citizens of Milwaukee and supposed Kia Boys about the incidents. When Tommy G asked a Kia Boy how they steal cars, they described the method of removing the steering column and then using a USB cord to start the car (shown below, right). The video gained over 2.6 million views in one month.

At an unknown date, TikToker @robbieray then uploaded a video showing how his Kia could be started by removing the covering on the ignition and turning the ignition with a USB cord (shown below, first video). It is unclear if @robbieray's video inspired the so-called "Kia Challenge" trend on social media, though it was credited by several news organizations to have done so.^[1][2] TikTok has since removed the video from the platform.

Spread

On July 21st, 2022, Fox59^[3] reported that Indiana woman Alissa Smart had her Kia burglarized and that she believed it was done as part of the Kia Challenge. On July 22nd, local news station WTHR uploaded a video to its YouTube channel covering the story, receiving over 10,000 views in five days (shown below). The story caused the term "Kia Challenge" to spread on social media and become widely reported on by various news outlets.

Speculation of Hoax

However, there is also speculation casting doubt that the Kia Challenge actually exists. As of July 26th, 2022, the hashtag #kiachallenge^[4] brings up over 395,000 videos on TikTok, but it appears none show a Kia being stolen. Furthermore, @robbieray, the supposed originator of the Kia Challenge, posted a TikTok on July 25th in which he watched a local news clip about the "Kia Challenge" and called it "fake news" and said he'd never heard the term before (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References