# Miss a car payment? Your autonomous car will repossess itself **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 1, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552 "2023-03-01T18:49:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/41 "2023-03-02T15:44:25Z")
There are also situtations where the cars owner may want to disable the vehicle becasue of unauthorized use. At some point the car will be parked and a command could be sent to brick the car and send its location to the owner so they can have it picked up. There are a few times I wished that I could do this. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/42 "2023-03-02T16:03:24Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I’ll be driving the red Barchetta out at my uncle’s country place that no one knows about. (Captain America gif) “I got that reference!” ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/43 "2023-03-02T19:32:20Z")
I didn’t even see that I’d been ninja’d (how meta, eh?). Well played, Sir. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/44 "2023-03-05T19:05:56Z")
I’m just looking forward to the country western song where the truck leaves with the guy’s dog and girl. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2023, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/45 "2023-03-05T21:50:36Z")
Speaking as a patent attorney, filing a patent is not any sort of declaration or intention of actually implementing the technology, especially for large entities like Ford who probably have many strategic reasons for keeping a large, robust patent portfolio. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2023, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/46 "2023-03-05T23:03:23Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > As @Riemann pointed out upthread, an autonomous car can be directed to give its owners ample warning that it’s going to drive itself back to the dealer on X date unless the owner takes action. From what I’ve read, it would allow for a tiered approach. Miss 60 days and stuff like the stereo and AC gets deactivated. Miss 90 days and it could be set to only allow you to drive to and from your job (assuming agreements are made with the finance company). Miss 120 days and the car goes off on its own incredible journey back to the bank. Just an example but I agree that a delinquent borrower should have a lot more warning than waking up at 3am to a couple of guys loading your car onto a flatbed. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/47 "2023-03-05T23:14:52Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > How is this any different from the present-day situation in which a car is erroneously repossessed by a guy with a tow truck? Because getting it repoed from a company takes effort whereas now some new hire puts “REP” instead of “ERP” in the “Current” field and the next thing you know your car is backing itself through your garage door on its way to the naughty car lot. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/48 "2023-03-05T23:27:54Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I’m just looking forward to the country western song where the truck leaves with the guy’s dog and girl. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/F_FeZE5gQtA/maxresdefault.jpg "My Truck Left Me") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_FeZE5gQtA) ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/49 "2023-03-06T17:40:16Z")
We are missing the bigger story. This turns hackers into car thieves. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/50 "2024-05-22T18:09:19Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > I am a terrible pessimist, granted, but I can easily envision a future in which this is required among many other dystopian nightmares. It’s too late. You’re already heavily tracked in real time by traffic cameras. And repossession is a long standing practice that doesn’t change because the car does the work without a tow truck driver risking his/her life. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552/51 "2024-05-22T18:18:20Z")
Automated hidden trapdoors → rotating knives → giant funnel → public sewer system. The repossessed home may now be resold immediately. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miss-a-car-payment-your-autonomous-car-will-repossess-itself/980552.md?page=2)