The Drive says that Ford has asked the US Patent and Trademark Office for a patent on systems and methods that make it easier to take back cars. A patent gives self-driving cars a way to get back their property. Other methods include limiting car options like air conditioning, power windows, and power seats or locking bad drivers out of their cars. In the future, it might be harder to avoid the repo man, especially if cars can take ownership of themselves. All an automaker would have to do is set up a way for your new car, truck, or SUV parked in your driveway to drive itself away if you don’t pay. In the coming years, self-driving technology is expected to become more popular. To date, none have. On the other hand, Ford might have something up its sleeve based on a filing with the USPTO that describes a self-repossession system and other effects of repossession. Ford first sent the patent to the USPTO in 2021, but it wasn’t made public until last Thursday. This was a discovery made by The Drive. What happened to my Ford? As was already said, the document has some scary information about self-driving and semi-self-driving cars that could take back their property. If a car has the latter, all it needs to do is move a short distance to a place where it can be moved more quickly. Vehicles with more advanced self-driving technology could drive themselves to the lender or repossession lot. If Ford’s system checks with the lender and finds that the car’s market value isn’t enough to cover the cost of taking it, it may drive itself straight to the junkyard. Yikes. Other effects of Ford repossession don’t force customers to watch their unattended F-150 Lightning drive straight to Uncle Tony’s Salvage to be crushed. They also serve as warnings and workarounds for people who drive cars without autonomous technology or when a vehicle is locked in a garage or can’t be driven away or towed. It may be as simple as turning off certain functions of the vehicle that are unnecessary or inconvenient. At first, you may have to turn off the air conditioning, cruise control, electric windows, power seats, and radio. Another way is the sound system that is being used to play loud, annoying noises over and over again. The scene from Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey in which he describes the “worst obnoxious sound in the world” quickly comes to mind. After that, they might limit how well they can drive the vehicle. Ford’s system for taking back cars can lock the owner out and turn off the car. How to Avoid Getting a Full Repo? It is essential to note that the document provides a great deal of specific information regarding the events that would take place before an automatic repossession. For example, the lender could send the owner who owes money a series of messages, and the owner would have a certain amount of time to reply. Also, the paperwork considers things like being sick or going abroad. Individuals experiencing financial troubles may be able to negotiate a payment plan with their lender to avoid the fees associated with repo-related actions. Ford’s patent application only shows that the company is considering taking back cars on its own. Even though it seems possible as autonomous driving technology becomes more widespread and integrated, we’d rather see cars repossessed remotely with features turned off or disabled. But it’s hard to know what will happen in the future.
