Ford patents system for self-repossessing vehicles

And some of y'all don't care that your cars are connected to the internet. See what you get?! See?!

LOL just venting. I know our 4Runners can't drive themselves. But the point remains!


https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a43126498/ford-patent-autonomous-systems-vehicle-repossession/

 

I can't truly say "never have and never will" because I did 'own' a '53 Ranch Wagon for about a week back in the mid 70's.
I got it for free, rebuilt the carb., got a right rear brake drum from a junkyard and straightened out the paperwork, then sold it a week later for $50 bucks.

But it makes me think that some autonomous car chases are in our future news coverage.

Until it crashes.

 

It shows the level of control these companies will have over YOUR stuff.

 

I would hope that they have to wait until someone is a few months delinquent before doing this. But, who knows what other kinds of things they'll be doing to people who miss a payment.

As cool as new technology is, there's usually a down side. I'd be fine with not having this technology in my vehicle. Unfortunately, I'm sure it will be standard in all vehicles eventually.

 

How is this different from Onstar and the like? Or at least alarming in a unique way compared to Onstar?

 

I'm not familiar with the capabilities of Onstar. Can Chevrolet use Onstar to remotely operate your vehicle? If so, then I guess it really isn't different.

 

Well its not really yours if you didn't pay for it and it needs to be repossessed.

 

Yeah, it's not your FREEDUMBS if you're still paying it off. Some of these MUH FREEDUMBS boomers are as entitled as the millennials as they complain about, if not more.

If an error does happen, you're out of your vehicle for a couple days and maybe you sue the people responsible if they don't make right on the situation. Inconveniences happen in life. My thumb was broken last year. That caused problems for a while, but I dealt with it just fine and got back in full performing shape. If my truck got incorrectly repoed for a couple days it wouldn't be that big of a deal as long as I got it back.

If a witch of an ex girlfriend or someone uses one of these newfangled systems nefariously to inconvenience you, then you've got bigger problems than these newfangled systems. Eliminating the newfangled system is not going to be the solution to your problems. A lawyer and a cease and desist letter is the solution to your problems.

 

I think a bigger concern would be criminals using this technology to steal vehicles. But, I don't really like the idea of my vehicle driving itself back to the dealership due to a computer glitch, either.

Then again, I'm not a big fan of self driving cars altogether.

 

My concern is more around the flaws in the system. With all the lawsuits going on about car rental companies going after people that returned their car but the system flags it as still out, I would never have this in my car. Now I work for a very large software company and I still think these systems break way to damn much to trust them.

 

Do you think these abilities will be deleted the day your last payment is made? This is showing the abilities for one to control what you pay for. The other day someone said that you need to pay a subscription to use the heated seats in the car. This is not a good path, but I fear that the majority is blindly marching along.

 

You know, I'd rather have a criminal steal my car because they're able to than have a criminal shoot me dead for my wallet because they're not able to steal my car.

Criminals always gonna criminal, dawg. You could bitch about it online, or you could fuel pump power line mod your truck and/or Airtag yourself.

 

The type of criminal who would shoot you for your wallet probably isn't smart enough to hack into your vehicle's computer remotely. Those guys will still exist either way. I do agree that I'd rather lose my car than my life, though.

I'm not bitching. I'm just pointing out one potential misuse of this new technology.

 

The ransomware attacks coming from the Chinese and Russians are a good indicator of where this sort of thing could go. Imagine them hacking one of these systems for a specific target. Say, Super Bowl tailgating parties or a high school homecoming parade. Next thing you know hijacked empty vehicles are running over people. I can already envision the finger pointing.

 

Makes sense, I guess. They know that nobody can actually afford most new vehicles, so they figure they'll get the sales number on the front end, and then repo it and sell it certified pre-owned once the owner inevitably defaults.

 

So now it's established that we're only dealing with smart criminals, in which case, smart criminals gonna smart criminal. Smart criminals already smart criminaling hospitals and stuff. Your truck's insured. Relax.

 

I had to ctrl+f ransomware, but here it is. I don't know about the terrorist scenario of hijacked empty vehicles running amok, but if it's connected to the internet and is of value, it's gonna get ransomwared. Of course, I'm curious if there would be enough of a way to interface with the car to pay off the ransomware and unlock the crypto lock on the OS. If the ransomware people are like "and now you've got to solder this cut-up USB cable from your keyboard to these four specific spots on the ECU in order to input your 74-digit code" then they're never going to get their money.

 

Not exactly sure what you mean by this. Are you implying criminals aren't smart or sophisticated enough to pull this off? Sure, you've still got the meth heads crawling under cars and brute forcing the cats but there are also criminals who steal codes from key fobs, reprogram their own for keyless vehicles, and steal them. It's the reason there is a market for Faraday's for keys.

As far as insurance goes, yeah, it's insured. So is my house but I don't intentionally put it in danger of being burned to the ground.

I feel like these conversations always go the same way. People who don't like this technology just don't want it forced on them. They aren't against others having it, but there used to be a way to choose options. Those who like the technology don't care that it gets foced on everyone else and why would they - they are getting what they want and that's all that matters to them.

It's not just vehicles - I replaced washer/dryer not that long ago and apparently there are no longer any "dumb" options, everything is now "smart". I can at least get around that by never connecting it to wifi but I don't like having to pay for options I don't intend to use - especially if they could (regardless of probability) be a liability.

 

This. I'm sure at some point in the future, self-driving vehicles will be the norm. However, it is currently in its infancy and I don't want to be a guinea pig. Give the option to those who are willing but to make it "standard" equipment everyone must have on their vehicle is ridiculous. Never mind the software developers who don't really care about their job and write buggy code that's probably only half-tested because there are schedules to keep. When it comes to full self-driving, there are life and death decisions being made on a constant basis... by the same software developers who don't care and unless a company has implemented something, are guided only by their own ethical guidelines.

 

Did you even read the conversation? The other guy said that dumb criminals shoot me for my wallet, smart criminals hack my truck. Then I went with it. It's beginning to seem like the only thing smart in your household is the washer/dryer.

These conversations always are circlejerks of MUH FREEDUMBS and the people who oppose it. It's funny how now we've got people complaining about smart home appliances. It sounds like me when I complain about the power windows, keyless ignition, dimming mirrors, touchscreen infotainment systems, power adjustable seats, power windows, power everything in topics where other people say "I have money, I want nice things" and I say "I have money, I'd rather not spend it on crap I don't need" and we all get upset with each other.

The market shifted in a dumb direction. We're living in dumb times. An evolved version of 1990s Girl Talk toys became one of the most prevalent technologies of today. Beavis and Butthead are the smartest people on TV. They're not smart. They're just less dumb than everyone else. We're not living in a world we recognize. We drive trucks that are relatively dinosaurs. Some of us are two steps removed from living in a trailer in a commune in the New Mexico desert.

Adapt where you can. Don't connect that washer/dryer to wifi. Install a fuel pump power wire switch mod. Can't self drive repo a car that won't pump fuel. EV? Oh, there are options there. There are options there, indeed.

 

Well there is something we can agree on - the "power everything" that you would rather not pay for because you could live without it. I tend to agree and have posted that I would like to see a more "stripped down, rugged" option available on newer vehicles that do not include all of that stuff. This falls under the same category (self-driving/TSS in general - that R&D cost is passed on whether you option it or not).

And it's not all about "MUH FREEDUMBS" just because I oppose it. There are many reasons already listed - the main one being programmatic issues. Did you watch the super bowl? The guy with tons of disposable income and apparently doesn't like Elon put out a commercial that put a valid point on self-driving technology. To give Tesla credit, maybe their self-driving vehicle is so aware that it recognized there was no heat signature and therefore not a real child. I highly doubt it, but I also don't want my self-driving car plowing through mannequins on bicycles.

I get that we are all arguing over a patent that may or may not ever be used. But the distrust, anxiety, and anger over the technology being actively integrated into vehicles is NOT unjustified.

 

No.

You said you'd rather have a criminal steal your car than shoot you for your wallet.

I said: ”The type of criminal who would shoot you for your wallet probably isn't smart enough to hack into your vehicle's computer remotely. Those guys will still exist either way."

So, it's not a choice between smart and dumb criminals. It's a choice between people potentially being able to steal your car by hacking into its computer, or not.

It doesn't matter if it's insured. The point was that it's just another way for someone to steal a car. And, given the choice, I'd rather not have my things stolen.

 

Side note - they make smart garbage disposals now. Still trying to imagine that pitch meeting.

 

Lol! What could it possibly do? It's either on or off!

 

This is why I don't social media, and why it took me a couple of years to even join the forum after buying a 4runner and stalking for forum forever. I just let that one roll off the back for a couple of reasons:
1. I think "debating" in general has evolved into insults, regurgitated talking points (from news, social media, etc.), or downright ignorance. However, I believe the sharing of differing opinions, especially those formed through critical thinking and the drawing of your own conclusions, is one of the only ways people can understand an alternative point of view (even if it reaches the same conclusion of the previous methods)
2. I try not to care what other people think (sometimes it's hard). I'm not for everyone

 

Ah yes, but it could tell you whether it should be used or not. Maybe a fill meter? Or just "I haven't been exercised in a while, I need to move". There is no shortage of ideas (reasonable or not) to make something "smart".

In all honesty, although annoying, could alert vehicle users that they haven't used the 4wd system or locker in X amount of time and it should be done. Just another glitchy thing to go wrong and more of a "nanny gadget" - maybe I need to go work for a car company!

 

I keep telling myself to stop getting involved in these conversations. They're rarely productive. And, I've ended up looking like a fool on several occasions. But, I have admitted when I was wrong.

What's weird is that I really have no reason to care what people think. But, I still get sucked in. Maybe some day I'll grow up.

The good thing, though, is that I've met a bunch of cool people here, and on Tacomaworld. And, I've organized (with help) around 5-6 events every year for the last few years, and wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

 

I keep thinking that each day I get older I may grow up, but then again I'm an adult that still watches cartoons (Rick and Morty included @Gamma Ray).

Admitting we are wrong is a hard pill to swallow but doing it, in my opinion, shows great character.

In the end, this is a forum of 4runner enthusiasts. Differing opinions are expected, and the sharing of knowledge is invaluable.

 

Maybe it tries to decide whether you could still eat those potato skins.

 

An example: I commented on a thread on this forum a while back regarding global warming/climate change. I never indicated my position on the subject, but because I put forth a valid counterpoint or two, I was labeled by many in the conversation as a 'denier'. People can be quick to draw conclusions if you don't blindly support a narrative.

I too abandoned social media many years ago.