Woman finds out the hard way that dealerships can remotely disable your car upon late payment

Did you know that some car dealerships and auto lenders can remotely disable anybody's car if they fail to make a payment? A TikTok user recently took to the platform to complain about the dealership remotely shutting off her car while it was in the parking lot of the gym. 

"My car note isn't even a week late it is due on the fourth of April, today is the 9th, I told them I'm gonna pay it this Friday not even a week late, she @legacy.jai said in her video. 

"They cut my car off," she explains. "And I'm at the gym right now, I'm at Planet Fitness, they cut my car off. I had to call them and tell them I'm not home I'm stuck, they were like okay we'll...activate it so you can go home and then we're gonna cut your car off when you get back home," she added. 

 "I don't want to have a car that has the power to cut off my car and it's not even a week late so I'm just...I'm finna give this car back, honestly," she says before ending the video.

As per Poe, "Yes, car dealerships can remotely disable a vehicle if payment is not made. This is done through the use of devices such as starter interrupters or GPS trackers [2]. These devices can be installed in the vehicle and controlled by the dealership or lender. If a payment is missed, the dealership can remotely shut off the car, making it inoperable until the payment is made.

"It is important to note that some dealerships may provide a warning before disabling the vehicle. They may contact the consumer and give them a specific timeframe to make the payment before shutting off the car," it added.

Another user @Nicole Cabral said, "They can cut you off and lock you out then send the tow truck to grab it. (did tow dispatch for decades). go find a new Nissan dealership. my husband's credit score was in the 500s and the Nissan." 

According to CBS, the technology which is called "Starter Interrupter" makes a vehicle impossible to start after the owner misses a payment. Many experts criticized dealerships for not even checking the location of the car before disabling the start, with one person named Even Fischer telling CBS, "The dealership should at least know where the vehicle is at when they’re shutting it off."

Poe further reported that several states in the US are now taking action to regulate these devices. For example, New York, Nevada, and New Jersey have laws in place that require lenders to disclose in writing that these devices are installed in the vehicles. 

"It is important to note that some dealerships may provide a warning before disabling the vehicle. They may contact the consumer and give them a specific timeframe to make the payment before shutting off the car," Poe added.

This is why, it's recommended to check all the terms and conditions during purchasing or renting a car.

For more such content, follow (@legacy.jai) on TikTok.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 20, 2024. It has since been updated.