ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester’s City Council is calling on the federal government to recall certain types of cars it says are vulnerable to theft.

The letter, signed by all members of the council, demands the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration use its authority to recall Hyundai and Kia cars made between 2011 and 2022.

It says due to the car’s starting systems, they are easily hot-wired and stolen. A TikTok video showcased how to do that last year, and the city saw a sharp rise in car thefts.

In just 2023, more than 3,000 cars were stolen in the city.

Rochester Police say just 129 cars have been stolen in Rochester in 2024. By this time last year, more than 600 cars had been stolen. Car thefts reached their peak in June 2023, when more than 370 cars were stolen in that month alone. In November they dropped to around 130. By contrast, that’s still more than all the cars stolen in the last two months.