Kia has started to mail out letters to owners with a code to sign up for a free steering wheel lock. While the car could still be jumped, the steering wheel is inoperable.

Now Hyundai, the parent company of Kia Motors, is giving away steering wheel locks to drivers. The South Korean carmaker plans to "combat this rise in car theft," the car maker told Bloomberg.

On Thursday, Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD announced residents who own 2011-2021 Kia or Hyundai vehicles can pick up a free steering wheel lock from a District station on Friday, Feb. 24.

Kia also says it is working with local law enforcement by providing free steering wheel locks to concerned owners of steel key-operated Kia vehicles. Kia reached out to the Buffalo Police ...