Ford cars could repossess themselves if payments are not made

There will be several warnings from the system before initiating a repossession.

Future vehicles from Ford could get a new technology which could allow banks to repossess the vehicle if the owner misses several payments. According to media reports, the American carmaker is said to have filed a patent called "System & Methods to Repossess a Vehicle".

The patent documents published recently state that the new system could be installed in any of Ford's vehicles and is capable of disabling one or more functions in a vehicle. It states that everything from the vehicle's engine to its air-conditioning can be disabled. It also went on to say that, with the new system in place, vehicles with autonomous or semi-autonomous driving capabilities can be moved away from their original spot to a secondary location which is more convenient for them to be towed. Reports also state that considering the financial viability of executing the repossession procedure, the vehicle can be asked to drive either to the repossession agency or directly to the scrap yard.

While the full details aren't known, the reports do suggest that a "repossession computer" could be installed in all future cars allowing the system to function smoothly. It also states that no extra hardware needs to be installed for the new tech to work. The report also mentions that there will be several warnings from the system before initiating a repossession.

Post the warnings, the system will slowly begin disabling features, first minor ones like cruise controls and seat controls, before locking out more serious functions like the air-conditioning system, door lock/unlock and remote key fob. The car will also play an incessant sound every time the owner sits in the vehicle. If all else fails, the system, as an extreme step, lock the owner out of the vehicle entirely.

Source: TheDrive