Action News Jax Investigates: Jacksonville car dealers tracking used cars

Used car dealers are now able to track and even shut down a vehicle with the touch of a button.

If you own a used car, there's a good chance you're being tracked. The technology is legal, but an Action News Jax investigation uncovered that there are few guidelines about how exactly it should be used.

After a crash, Michelle Fahy, of Jacksonville needed a vehicle fast. A used car lot connected her with New Deal Auto Acceptance for financing.

She said, “I was told that it was for if they had to come and repossess the vehicle that they would be able to locate the vehicle, not that they would shut me down.”

But that's exactly what happened two years later.

With only six months of payments remaining, Fahy fell behind. She said an employee at the company went too far trying to collect.

After picking up her kids at school, she stopped to get gas. "I filled it up, went to get back in my truck to start it. Wouldn't start, nothing, it was completely dead," Fahy said.
 
"It's a last resort," said Jeff Bell, who has run Instant Wheels for more than 30 years.

Bell didn't do business with Fahy, but he does use a GPS tracker similar to the one used in her truck.

Paige Kelton asked, “Why would you need to find it?"

"If somebody's not paying, if they're avoiding me, if they changed addresses and I just can't find them," Bell answered.

The tracker is small and easily installed. A simple computer program told Bell exactly where all the vehicles are.

If an owner stops paying, Bell, or any other dealer, can repossess the car. One tool Bell doesn't use is a starter interrupter, which disables the engine.

Action News Jax found no federal laws about how to use those devices, but in Florida, dealers must notify customers when they're used and follow the rules of the contract or face fines.
 
In February, Action News Jax told you about a local used car dealer who was fined $25,000 by Florida's state attorney for using a GPS device to repossess cars after only one missed payment.

Dealer Jeff Bell admits the technology could be abused, but for him it's good business. "I want you to pay off the car because that's how we make money," Bell added.

Fahy eventually got her truck turned back on. She sued the finance company, but not for stranding her.

A New Deal Auto Acceptance employee sent a group text to Fahy and 19 other delinquent customers, sharing her private information. She called it harassment.

“I won! I didn't have to pay the rest of the six months, and they had to give me $3,000 back,” Fahy said.

Action News Jax reached out to that company for comment. We are awaiting a statement from them.

As for your rights?

Make sure you read the fine print, so you know exactly how the technology is being used or not used in your car.

Pay it off, and you can demand the tracker be taken out of your car.

Cox Media Group