Ford Motor Company has filed a new patent that will automatically repossess vehicles with delinquent payment histories. The technology to achieve this already exists as all modern cars are equipped with some sort of geolocation technology like GPS. Ford’s (now public) filing shows that there will be communication with law enforcement, health facilities, dealerships, and financial institutions.

The filing also says that automatic (self-driving) repossession could take place after repeated notifications of missed payments on a customer’s phone and in-dash console. The “auto-repo” technology could also shut off certain features linked to the car’s network such as the key fobs, air conditioning, heated seats, and more. Shutting off these features is specifically for the purpose of making the driving experience as uncomfortable as possible, therefore encouraging customers to go ahead and shore up their past-due balance.

SOURCES:

Future Fords could repo themselves if drivers miss payments

Ford patent would remotely repossess cars, shut off A/C if owner misses payments

New Ford patent suggests self-driving cars repossess themselves : NPR

Ford patent would remotely repossess cars, shut off A/C if owner misses payments

FoMoCo Repo: Ford Patents System for Self-Repossessing Vehicles

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