BATON ROUGE - Owners of Kias and Hyundais are eligible for either a vehicle computer system upgrade or a steering wheel lock to better protect the cars. 

The Baton Rouge Police Department announced the new program on Monday. The computer upgrade should stop the car from cranking. If the car's computer cannot be upgraded, a steering wheel lock will be issued. 

Officers said even vehicle owners who bought second-hand should call the dealership to see if the car needs to be updated. 

Both the Kia dealership at 5740 Siegen Lane and the Hyundai dealership at 12730 Airline Highway can be reached at (225) 274-0071 from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday. 

In August, WBRZ reported that 20 percent of cars stolen over June and July were Kias and Hyundais.