A manufacturer has to balance cost against anticipated use and/or loss. Kia could design a much stronger lock but that will cost more money. Would you buy a Soul that had a much stronger lock, but added $1000 to the price of the car? How about $2000?
The bean counters get to tell the engineers how much they can spend on a particular component. Locks for low end Kias and Hyundais ain't gonna be a real high priority on the budget list.
The locks are a deterrent but like I said, a determined thief will find a way around it. That isn't Kia's fault nor should they be 'making it right', they haven't done anything wrong in this instance. If you want a more secure car then spend the coin on something with better anti theft features or an immobilizer. Still won't keep your car from being stolen but it'll take more time.
The bean counters get to tell the engineers how much they can spend on a particular component. Locks for low end Kias and Hyundais ain't gonna be a real high priority on the budget list.
The locks are a deterrent but like I said, a determined thief will find a way around it. That isn't Kia's fault nor should they be 'making it right', they haven't done anything wrong in this instance. If you want a more secure car then spend the coin on something with better anti theft features or an immobilizer. Still won't keep your car from being stolen but it'll take more time.