General Motors Key Fob Lawsuit Claims Keyless Entry Systems Are Easily Hackable

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General Motors faces a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the keyless entry key fob for certain 2010-present models is easily hackable, meaning a vehicle can be unlocked and stolen without its security alarm being set off. 

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The 38-page General Motors lawsuit alleges in particular that the radio signal of certain vehicles that use keyless entry, such as 2010-2023 model year Chevy Camaros, can be easily intercepted by a nearby cloning device, which records and replays the signal to essentially trick the car into thinking its genuine key fob is in close range. As a result, the suit says, the intercepted signal can be used to unlock the vehicle and start the engine “within a matter of 20-30 seconds.” 

Another effect of allegedly easily hackable General Motors key fobs is the preponderance of tutorial videos online that provide would-be criminals with easy-to-follow instructions on how to successfully hack a keyless entry signal to steal a car, such as the Camaro, the case says. 

“Due to the Defect in [GM 2010-present keyless entry vehicles], along with other vehicles containing the same defect, social media trends contributed to a significant increase of car thefts across the county. These trends highlight how easy it is to steal keyless entry vehicles, exasperating the threat Class Vehicle owners face.” 

The complaint, citing CBS News, notes that the Los Angeles Police Department has warned about a recent surge in Chevy Camaro thefts, whereby thieves have begun using “key clone devices” to steal new models. These devices are capable of picking up the signal of a nearby key fob and cloning it, giving access to the car, CBS News reported. 

Despite the public police warning, General Motors has done nothing to prevent or rectify the harm done to consumers, the class action lawsuit alleges, claiming the automaker has long known about the inherent problems and interception risks of keyless entry systems. 

According to the suit, other automakers, including Jaguar and Range Rover, have developed ultra-wide band protection for their key fobs to guard against “relay car theft,” when a thief hacks into the signal emitted by a car’s computer through a key fob to steal the vehicle. Despite this, GM “has remained silent and failed to act or even notify the public of the safety risks,” the filing states. 

The plaintiff, an Orange County, California resident, says that she “found out the hard way” that the key fob for her 2023 Chevy Camaro was “not fit for its ordinary purpose” when the vehicle was stolen from her home on March 14, 2024. According to the suit, the thief held up a device to the plaintiff’s front door, close to where her keys were hanging, to transmit the key fob signal to a cloning device, which was subsequently used to trick the consumer’s Camaro into thinking the real key fob was in close range.

The perpetrators were able to steal the plaintiff’s Camaro without setting off the car alarm, the case notes.

The lawsuit looks to cover all persons in the United States who bought and still own, or lease or leased, at least one General Motors-made vehicle that utilizes keyless entry to lock, unlock and/or start the vehicle. 

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