Ford creates system that controls the car of those who default

Ford has filed a patent for a new system that could allow the company to repossess a car connected to the Internet if the owner of the vehicle defaults on financing.

• Ford applied for a patent on a system to control and repossess vehicles from defaulters
• The patent application was filed in 2021, but it was only made public now
• This system aims to cause discomfort to owners who do not pay their vehicle installments on time.
• The system starts with the interruption of GPS use, air conditioning and annoying noises
• If the bills are not paid, extreme measures include having the vehicle drive itself to tow
• Despite the patent application, nothing guarantees that Ford intends to insert the system in its vehicles.

For the automaker, the system would be a solution to the lack of cooperation from defaulters and in attempts to “prevent repossession operations”. The United States Patent and Trademark Office received the application for registration in 2021, but it was only revealed last week.

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According to The Drive, Ford describes the system as a second on-board computer dedicated to the “repossession system”, which would aim to facilitate the vehicle repossession process. The company would start with small annoyances to make the owners uncomfortable.

Imagem: Ford (via The Drive)

These nuisances would include, in principle, the loss of resources such as GPS, air conditioning and even the emission of annoying noises. In case of insistence on not repaying the debt, Ford could block the vehicle in some periods, or in specific geographic regions. Now, in extreme cases, autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles could even be automatically driven to an easier location for towing.

The system could also direct the car from the owner’s home to a government agency or even if the creditor institution considers that “the financial viability of carrying out the repossession” is not justified, the vehicle can drive itself to a junkyard .

Although Ford has applied for a patent, the manufacturer will not necessarily add the system to its vehicles. The order may just be a way to protect the idea from competitors.

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