If you are in the market for purchasing a new car, you may want to think twice if it’s likely you’ll miss a future payment. There are now car finance companies putting kill switches in vehicles to be activated should payments be ignored.
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Typically, this is being done by companies that offer loans to people with poor credit scores but they can leave people without a way to get anywhere. While this is something that is a bit scary in the market, experts in both law and finance that are saying that these companies could be breaking the law.
How Do These Kill Switches Work?
The companies using these types of devices will set up a monthly payment plan for borrowers with a kill switch fitted inside the vehicle.
Once monthly payments are received, the lender provides a code for the driver to enter into a remote control for a GPS device located in the dashboard. If no payment is made, then there is no code given to the driver and the car will stop working based on the due date and if there is any grace period. These devices also, typically, provide a 24-hour warning sound if the payment is due and has not been made yet.
The kill switch is a small GPS box that is black in color and is fixated behind the car’s dashboard. In order for it to work, the ignition must be rewired so that it runs through the box. This way, if the kill switch is activated, it will break the circuit and the car will not start.
While it may seem like a good way to ensure a payment is made, there are many people who are worried about how this can impact drivers.
More specifically, they are worried it could leave drivers stranded somewhere or with no way to get to the hospital in the case of an emergency. However, some companies are claiming that they will provide an emergency code so the vehicle can be moved to a better and safer location and so that the vehicle will not be stopped while it is moving.
H/T Daily Mail
