The Moline Police Department and the East Moline Police Department worked with Hyundai to give away more than 200 steering wheel locks to Rock Island County drivers. They hope these locks will help fight the rising method of theft popularized on TikTok.

Officers from the departments were at Green Hyundai, 6801 44th Ave., Moline from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, September 9 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The line of drivers who waited for the locks stretched almost to John Deere Road.

Qualified drivers got a steering wheel lock for free to help secure their Kias or Hyundais from theft. Eligible drivers were residents of Rock Island County and were required to present valid identification and vehicle registration of a Kia or Hyundai built from 2011-2022. The vehicles also were required to be registered to an address in Rock Island County.

(Moline Police Department)

Hyundai is working to fix about 4 million affected vehicles with a software upgrade. Find out if your vehicle is eligible to schedule your software upgrade here.

Green Hyundai service technicians can also help at the dealership. Kia is also working to roll out a free, enhanced security software upgrade nationwide to restrict the unauthorized operation of vehicle ignition systems.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has urged federal courts to strengthen a private, consumer class-action settlement with Hyundai and Kia by requiring the companies to recall or buy back the theft-prone vehicles and update them with engine-immobilizer technology. Click here to read more.