Ford’s Self-Repossessing Car Patent

While you can’t buy a self-driving car yet, the idea is no longer just a pipe dream of engineers. The possibility of seeing a self-driving car in the street is becoming more of a reality with each passing day. Google and Tesla have tested their self-driving vehicles on the road, preparing them for real-world deployment. D.C. drivers may have already seen Uber’s self-driving vehicles on local streets (or autonomous vehicles from Argo or Optimus Ride).

Soon some people’s commute might entail simply sitting in the front seat and letting the car take the wheel.

Ford wants to take the autonomy of the self-driving car a step further. The company has tossed its hat into the ring with a patent for a car that repossesses itself. What does that mean? It means if you miss a payment, the vehicle can leave you high and dry, shutting off its functionality until it eventually drives away. It sounds like an evolution of that joke we’ve all heard about “your refrigerator running,” only in this case your car could conceivably be running from you in the future.

Thankfully, Ford has no plans to deploy this technology. They emphasized that it was only an idea. The company applied for and was granted 1,342 patents last year alone—an average of 3.7 patents daily. Companies like Ford apply for patents to protect their ideas from competitors. While they don’t plan on using this or all of their other 1,342 patents from 2022, some parts of Ford’s 14-page application for a self-repossessing car sound like they could become all too real.

What Would a Self-Repossessing Car Look Like?

According to Ford’s patent, if the driver is behind on their car payment, the self-repossessing car can disable its features one by one, from the least consequential to the most.

It would start small with messages displayed on the car’s screens and sent to the owner’s smartphone. If the owner doesn’t make a payment or even acknowledge the message, the vehicle would then begin its multi-step repossession procedure.

First, the car would shut off the air conditioning, cruise control or radio. If the owner still doesn’t respond, then – and this is actually in the patent filing – the radio will start emitting “an incessant and unpleasant noise” every time the owner enters the vehicle.

And it only gets worse from here. If the owner ignores the missing payment, the car will refuse to unlock its doors. Like a landlord evicting you, the car will physically lock you out.

Of course, this is a significant problem if you need to get to work. However, the car can be flexible. According to the patent, it could only lock the driver out on the weekends or be restricted so that it only takes them to their workplace, the grocery store and their children’s school. Also, in the case of a medical emergency, the car can drive to the nearest emergency room. While it can coordinate with medical staff to take the injured party to another location if needed, it would resume locking its owner out of the vehicle afterward.

Finally, if payment still isn’t met after all of that, the car will override control. If it is not in a garage, it will drive off to get repossessed without the owner’s knowledge. If the car cannot navigate the road, it will pull over to a second location and wait for a tow truck, like on the edge of the street. If the car is in a garage… well, that seems to be a loophole to prevent repossession. But considering you’d still be locked out of the car, it’s not much of one.

A self-repossessing car will hopefully never be made. However, it’s still unsettling – especially since the technology needed to implement this idea is essentially here already. A future where a car, whether it’s autonomous or semi-autonomous, could emit horrible nonstop noises, physically lock you out or have to be negotiated with to take you to an emergency room if you miss a payment, sounds like something out of a horror movie.

Get a Reliable and Cost-Effective Car from Direct Car Buying

After hearing all that, you might just want to stick with a good old-fashioned car you can still operate without the manufacturer’s permission. If that sounds like you, the team at Direct Car Buying has you covered.

Handpick from thousands of pre-owned cars, trucks and SUVs, or customize your vehicle with the help of a personal concierge. With dedicated customer service and 30 years of experience, our team can help you find your non-autonomous dream car.