The Minnesota attorney general says a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai is still on the table despite the car manufacturers’ efforts to fix a massive theft problem.

Certain models have been targeted for years after it spread widely on social media that they were easier to steal because they lack a device known as an engine immobilizer.

“In comparison, 96% of the vehicles sold by all other competitors were equipped with this anti-theft technology,” Attorney General Keith Ellison wrote in a press release announcing a civil investigation into the companies last spring.

Around the same time, Kia and Hyundai started rolling out free anti-theft software upgrades for roughly seven million affected car owners nationwide.

A year-and-a-half later, Ellison and some car owners say it’s more of a “Band-Aid” than a solution.

Standing next to her 2017 Hyundai Elantra at Park Auto Body in Spring Lake Park, Angela Holliday said she feels like she’s done everything possible to prevent herself from theft, including getting the software update as soon as it was available.

Still, her car was stolen again in the last week, marking the third time in two years. This time, even with the update.

“Shocked, completely shocked,” she reacted.

The reason she still has the car, awaiting repairs at the shop, is because she bought a LoJack GPS tracking device and was able to tell police where to recover it.

“So the update was a Band-Aid,” she concluded. “I mean, there’s a USB cord hanging out of my ignition, so it’s obviously still easy to steal with a USB cord.”

In a statement, Hyundai continued to tout its software update as “extremely effective,” citing a nonprofit report released this summer.

Asked, a spokesperson added, “Hyundai is not aware of any confirmed instances in which the software upgrade did not work as designed to prevent the mode of theft popularized on social media.”

In contrast, Ellison said he knows of cases in which his office has “seen thieves getting around the software update.”

He didn’t know how many offhand but confirmed, “Those cases do exist, and we can provide numbers.”

“There’s ups and downs in the numbers, but the numbers are still unacceptably high,” Ellison said.

The latest interview was conducted more than a year-and-a-half after his office launched its investigation into Hyundai and Kia, and Ellison said he won’t stop until the companies roll out a more effective solution.

“If the company’s argument is that aftermarket immobilizers are too expensive, my response is, ‘Well, I need something that’s just as good,'” Ellison said.

One possible alternative he’s currently negotiating with the manufacturers is a “zinc sleeve” device, “a piece of hardware made out of this metal that you put into the ignition system that really makes it very, very difficult to steal the car in the ways they’ve been stealing them,” Ellison said.

He also expressed a desire for the manufacturers to compensate car owners for their financial loss.

Aside from the thousands spent on repairs, some insurance companies have stopped writing policies to cover affected models because of the theft risk.

Monthly premiums have soared for other affected car owners.

Holiday said her insurance premium rose so high from the thefts she had to find a less desirable alternative.

“My insurance was over $500 a month for this car. This is not even a $500-a-month car,” she said. “They basically priced me right out of there.”

Hyundai says it began a partnership with AAA “to provide another avenue for customers to obtain insurance.”

Although, the company did not confirm it has helped to slow soaring premiums when asked.

“We have some basic fundamentals that we are going to adhere to, or we’re going to end up in trial,” Ellison said.

“And one of those basics is that this customer is going to be in the same shoes as any other customer driving around on the road, and that their car is going to be no more susceptible to theft than anybody else’s. That’s a reasonable expectation, I think.”

In the meantime, Holliday sees a target in the “H” emblem on her car.

Asked if she’s considered cutting her losses and trading in her Hyundai, she said, “I’m going to assume that nobody in their right mind wants to buy this kind of car.”

“…I know some people say they would just do it [out of] the frustration, but I don’t know… I mean, why should I have to?”

Her car was one of about a dozen stolen cars recently serviced at Park Auto Body, the manager said. All of them have been Kias or Hyundais, he added.

His best advice was for customers to invest in an “aftermarket alarm system,” which he said would sound an alarm when the vehicle is broken into and act as an engine immobilizer.

The cost is around $500 to $600, he estimated.

The attorney general encouraged all affected car owners to call his office at 651-296-3353 or make a complaint online.

“The more information, the more cases, strengthens our hand and allows us to be even more forceful in demanding the change that everybody deserves,” he said.