Soon Self-Drivable Cars Could Repossess Themselves And Drive Back To The Dealership If You Don’t Pay

According to the website TheDrive.com they found a patent application from 2021 that shows Ford wants a patent for technology that could allow Ford vehicles with self-driving capabilities to repossess themselves if a customer stops paying for the car or truck. The tech is actually called Systems and Methods to Repossess a Vehicle. It claims the tech can be added to any future Ford vehicle with a data link, and can disable multiple vehicle functions like the AC or even the engine. Which seems like a jerk move if someone misses a payment and you kill their AC? That’s mean, Ford.

Plus if the vehicle is self-driving capable the company could have the vehicle move itself to a more convenient location for a tow truck to pick it up, it could drive itself to a repo person’s lot, or if the vehicle isn’t worth much anymore they could have the vehicle drive itself to a junk yard! That’s right, your car could, like Arnold did at the end of Terminator 2, take itself to its own destruction at a wrecking yard.

Now here’s the kicker. If your car has a data connection already, they wouldn’t need to add any hardware to your personal vehicle to effect some of these systems. If your car has any kind of infotainment system installed they could simply send computer code to re-write your car’s computer functioning and apply some of this technology without needing to be anywhere near you or your vehicle. All through wi-fi.

Check out this list of things they could do depending on how long someone doesn’t pay for the vehicle: the system could shut down minor amenities like “cruise control, automated window controls, automated seat controls, and some components of the infotainment system (radio, global positioning system (GPS), MP3 player, etc.)” If that doesn’t get someone to catch up on their payments they up the ante by shutting down “the air conditioning system, a remote key fob, and an automated door lock/unlock system.” They could even go so far as to make the vehicle practically horrible to drive with “incessant and unpleasant sounds every time the owner is present in the vehicle.”

This is going to get interesting for sure.