Oh for everyone saying "you financed the car". I bought my car cash brand NEW and didn't sign up for any tracking services. And I still found one under my dash hooked up to my OBD II port. Light was still one so it clearly wasn't deactivated.

That dealership is lucky that nobody's brought one of their GPS trackers back to them and physically inserted it into the service manager.

Check the gps for a SIM card.. you might have a free simcard that you can use on an extra phone.. it'll take them forever to figure out you put it in a phone and disconnect the sim. Also feel free to go nuts on data usage. The sim cards come in bulk and are all connected to 1 account, so if they don't disconnect your sim, the data overages will affect their entire account.

You should've glued that to the underside of a city bus. Let them track that!

technician here, this a lo-jack system, its a gps tracking device installed in every new car that enters a dealership (depending on the dealership). its used by the dealership to locate the car to repossess it if the client failed to make payments when they leased it, or to locate it incase it has been stolen during the lease. We as technicians don't know which cars are leased or bought out, so we install them on every new car when we do PDI's by the dealerships request. its the salespersons responsibility to let us know which car is bought out in full so we can remove the lo-jack system for when the customer gets their car to avoid this very situation. as to why this specific dealership lied and failed to remove the device, idk, it should've been taken care of way before you got it. hope this clarifies some confusion

This is very common, unfortunately. About a week after my wife bought her SUV from a used car dealership, I found a tracking dongle plugged into the OBDII port. I immediately removed the tracker and took it into the car dealership (after I cracked it with a hammer). Of course, they denied having any knowledge of any trackers installed on the vehicle and suggested that it may have been installed by the prior owner. I agreed that this could have been a possibility, but cornered him when I stated that the dongle should have been found and removed by their mechanic/technician when they plugged the vehicle into their scanner during the used car “inspection.” He gave me a blank stare and didn’t have an answer. If dealerships install a tracker on your vehicle for potential “repo” purposes, they should disclose this fact to you.

OBD-II piggyback sounds like the automotive version of a credit card skimmer at a convenience store.

Im going to show this to my mechanic! He's going nuts trying figure out the battery drain on some of these newer cars. Plus, your car is a gorgeous color! 😍

Good you have this on video. I would sue that dealership. If you didn’t sign up or authorize that install, then it’s a clear invasion of privacy.

Had the Same thing happen on a Ford. When it went in for a Pollution Inspection. They told me, they couldn’t pass it till I removed the GPS Tracker. I’m like what, it passed when I first registered the Ford. Sure enough it had a Tracker. Was put on when some Recall work was done. After I removed it, got a call from the local dealer about two weeks later. They wanted their tracker back. Told them I didn’t know what they were talking about.

This is why i like old cars with no software.

Thank you for this video. Dealer barely breathed the word "Lojack" during our sale for our '21 RAV4 Prime; I didn't pay it much attention at the time, and I didn't remember that until I saw this video. And going back, I did find a 3 year subscription attached to the sale, and yes, I did find one of these trackers attached to the OBDII port and promptly removed it. As a side note, I ended up refinancing through my credit union. The dealer completely ignored all of my inquiries regarding refunds for GAP and maintenance coverage that I was going to roll into the refinancing. Took a 1 star review on Google for them to finally respond, then they held my refund hostage until I took the bad review down. Berlin City Honda in Portland, Maine.

I'll one-up you... I ordered a new F-250 from Ford through Young Ford Morgan, Utah. When I got it, they tried to charge ME $400 for the LoJack that THEY installed "to track ALL our inventory we have". I said NO, so they said okay, we'll cancel the sale. This was in 2022 with the country-wide chip and auto shortage so all vehicles were in high demand, and I'd ordered through their Military "X Plan" with a discount. Of COURSE they wanted to cancel the sale, that way they could resell it with a $20,000 dealer markup. I ranted and raved enough to have them knock half the $400 off and give me two free years of that LoJack. I didn't find out until a year later that what they did is a violation under the Fair Trade Act. If I'd have known, Young Ford Morgan, Utah would have been in court in ten seconds. The ONLY reason I agreed to pay extra is because it would negate THEM from getting that extra $20,000. I also cancelled my Dealer Financing by getting a Credit Union loan to pay it off so the finance guy at Young Ford Morgan, Utah would NOT get his bonus from selling a dealer-backed loan as it had to be in place for six months. NEVER EVER USE *YOUNG FORD, MORGAN, UTAH.* Criminals!

Louis Rossmann would have a field day with this.

one was found on my car, a 2024 i paid cash for. Part of my work is at a classified federal installation, i cant carry anything onsite that is electronic even car keys are left in lock box at guard shack before i enter....i reported the tracking device and last i heard a federal magistrate was speaking to the car dealer as to why they had a surveillance device installed and carried onto a military installation on a vehicle they did not own nor have any claim to. I am in possession of the title as legal owner, they also didnt deny having installed it despite my buying the car outright with cash.

I’ll have to show this to my husband. He doesn’t understand why I have no plan of getting rid of my 2008 Corolla with over 250,000 miles. I tell him, “She’s got a few bangs and some rust, but she still runs like a champ.”

Stalking, and invasion of privacy are two things that quickly come to mind

FYI most dealers are doing this and selling your gps/driving data to insurance companies. There is a big court case on this right now, so I have heard.

Same thing happened to me at my local Toyota dealership when I bought a used Jeep from them! Never was told it was ok my Jeep and I only found it when I removed the carpet on the driver side. Shady!

You should get an attorney and sue them for everything you can get. This is a clear violation of your rights

Son-of-a-B.... My Honda is 1 year old, bought it new, paid cash. I found one, and it's more than just piggybacked onto my OBD II port, it was connected to a wiring harness that disappears behind the driver side left kick panel. I figured out how to get that panel off and traced the parasitic wiring harness to where it was spliced into the factory wiring, removed the dang thing. The "communication"/GPS module (as labeled), it had two LED indicator lights on, even after I disconnected it from my wiring, I opened it up and there was an internal battery... not anymore, pulled out the battery, lights are off so it can no longer do its thing. I'm pissed.... thanks for this heads-up video!

I bought a used 2016 Subaru in May from a dealer. They tried to sell me a anti theft tracker device for $900, when I looked up the brand name it showed the device only cost $60. I refused and they said it would be removed. Having just now watched this video I checked, and sure enough, the device was still in the car just like in this video. Thank you for making this video.

When I worked at a high end dealership we serviced a few cars from a exotic car rental company and couldn’t reset the maintenance light after a little digging we found the tracking device this was ten years ago

That device looks like a Pass time GPS. or Starter Interrupter Device depending on where you buy your vehicle and or based on your credit worthiness that device will be installed on the vehicle. If the vehicle is used it may have been left there unconsciously or on purpose as it can be a nightmare to remove. It is controlled remotely and prohibits the vehicle from starting if you miss a payment etc.. This allows the dealership or finance company to control whether you are allowed to drive it or not and twists your arm to come up with the payment. However, by law if there is an emergency or if you are stranded you are to call (if you knew about it) and ask them for a passkey or to remotely activate the vehicle so that you can get to a safe location. It can be a real disaster to remove in some instances and it can mess with the ignition/starter if not properly followed. Some vehicle owners complain that they have to call for the instruction guide to be emailed for the backwards removal of the device if it was not installed like you have demonstrated to the OBD Sensor. Depending on policy and agreement you may be prohibited from removing if you did not fully pay off the vehicle note. If fully paid off then they may ask for a copy of the title, DL and so forth just to prove that you are the owner outright. You can actually obtain the device instructions online via pdf format. www.manualslib.com/manual/2846401/Passtime-Elite-6.html Information about Pass Time GPS - passtimegps.com/ Ebay has a slew of them for sale and probably have been deactivated and removed from vehicles. Good Luck and Thanks for sharing your find, the due diligence of the process in locating the hidden device.

Just bought my car brand new last week outright. And I just found one in my circuit edition. Needless to say it's now being tracked all the way to the dump. Thanks for this video.

I'm 65 years old, driving a 2012 Tundra. With all the crap going on with these vehicles, once the Tundra bites the dust, I'm going back to my bicycle.

I work at a Toyota dealership. While we do not install these, and definitely wouldn't advocate the installation of one, the GR already has that built in from the factory. These GPS ad-ons are tapping into what is already there, and that's what is screwing with the connection. Essentially, they're saying the same thing in 2 different languages and trying to talk over each other to gain dominance in the conversation. This, in turn, is screwing the computer. This is then causing OBD function errors and a consistent draw on the battery.

I got a friend that works at a Toyota dealership and he told me that they do that so they can shut off your car if you fall behind on your payments. He said that at least 4 or 5 customers brought their car back to the dealership in a tow truck because it wasn't working and he told them that they were behind on the payments and that's why they shut off the system on their cars, needles to say they were pretty pissed off.

Louis Rossmann would rip apart the dealership. This sounds like the dealership wants to sell your GPS data to insurance companies.

My brother bought a used car from a dealer and played cash. One day after a year or so, he called me to repair his car. It would not start. I found a device under the dash that disabled the starter if the dealer called a phone number. He owned the car with all papers. I removed it and his car worked again. Lucky for him it was at home when it quit. Lots of dealers use them to keep people from skipping out without paying. I kept the box.

That's how the insurance companies are tracking people to go up on their premuims.

Dodge does this too. The dealer here tried to enroll my sister into this program that tracks your car, mileage, etc. she declined. Turns out they enrolled her anyway using a fake email account (I am told the dealer gets a bonus for signing people up). She only found out after she had a problem with her radio and when she called to resolve that that issue they had the car listed with a fake e mail attached to the account/car.

Recently, when I was shopping for a 4Runner, I had 2 dealerships, a Nissan dealer with one on the lot and a Toyota dealer, both told me that they install these on every vehicle and added $2k and $4k on the sticker price as an add on. I told them I was paying cash and didn't want the GPS and was not going to pay for it. The one dealer told me they have a contract with the company to have them installed and can not take them out, so I walked out.

I have an old car that I had no choice but to send it to a dealership for repairs. I came back with all these goodies. GPS tracker, fuel limiter, governor, O2 sensors and a few more it never had before, and a new ECM that I never sign for. I rebuilt this car myself from the junk yard. So, I know what it's supposed to have. When I saw all this stuff, I went back to the dealership with my lawyers and have them remove it. They did it for free.

I’d take it to the dealer, put it on the salesman’s desk and just look at him. Wait for him to explain what it’s doing there.

Some dealerships fit these so they can switch the cars immobiliser on if you stop paying your monthly payment. It also makes it easy for them to take the vehicle back, as they know exactly where it is.

Last year, (2023), my wife purchased a 2019 Nissan Sentra from CarMax and no sooner did she drive it home, the car would not start the next day. Took it to the dealership as the car was still under the factory warranty and after keeping the car overnight, all they did was replace the battery and they could not figure out why the battery was dead. Drove the car home where it sat for another three days and dang if the new battery go dead and the car would not start. Thank goodness for Triple A, we get the car started and take it right back to the dealership. Another two days and they replace the battery again. Yea, the repair guys at Nissan are as sharp as a bowling ball. So, another battery installed and three days in the driveway and it's dead, no start, all over again. This time I did the looking myself and find a little green light under the kick panels at the drivers feet and find something plugged into the backside of the ODB port. Hell, if there is a light, then it has to be drawing current so I unplugged it and untangled it and took it out. Yep, it's a GPS tracking device. I threw it in my scrap box and I still have it. Just waiting for some idiot to show up at the front door asking for their tracking device to be returned. Sorry, not going to get it. In the meantime, the car is on its third new batter thanks to Nissan and no problems with dead batteries any longer.

They found this happening out here near me. The mechanic who worked at the dealership was installing them, and following people's patterns, then having his friends go rob the house when they aren't at home. They eventually caught them, but it was a huge ring. The only thing in common with all the people was getting their cars repaired at the same dealership. They finally caught one of the house thieves who turned everyone else in for lesser charges.

Straight out of the epic motion pictures "Enemy Of The State" and "Too Fast; Too Furious."

Just want to say that this kind of knowledge being made more broadly known is one of the good things about the internet.

I’m a Toyota apprentice tech and I’ve never seen tampered obd ii ports or us installing any piggy back obd ii trackers. This shouldn’t happen and that dealer should get a lawsuit

In Germany where I live, such secret surveillance using a GPS tracker is a real criminal offense...

something with my car makes sense now. I initially had a loan but paid it off. Didn’t pay for any additional monitoring or onstar or anything. This was an older dodge dart. Had it paid off about two years and when I hit 100k miles. Like clockwork within days of hitting 100k I started getting calls for extended warranty beyond 100k. I thought how did they know I hit 100k. Found it similar to where he did and disposed of it

This needs to be released to the press. Let's hold these dealerships accountable!!

My son’s Dodge was going dead when we got it and when cleaning the battery terminals under the hood, I found one of these GPS trackers / ignition immobilizers hidden under the fuse box. Was a private sale, but I could see that the car had previously been sold through a used car dealership with a motto that “everyone gets approved!” Apparently dealerships who do subprime sales often use these devices to track and recover vehicles when the buyers miss payments. After removing this device, my son’s car never went dead or failed to start!

They are doing that because they are selling your GPS data, without your consent.

It might be fun to hook the tracker to a cheapy battery and put it on a Mexico bound train or truck.

I'm going outside right now and checking mine :D Thanks for the heads up.

Buddy of mine was never told that there was a “ kill switch / tracker” installed in his vehicle.Something was draining his battery. He took the car to a mechanic and was told they found a device like yours. its used if you miss a payment to disable your car and can find it and repo it. The mechanic did some research and it seams this is normal practice by some auto dealers . Ive had all 3 of my cars checked all is good. My issue is this thing is still active when your car is payed off. They wont call and say hey we want our tracker back. Guaranteed it’s built into your loans. By the way my buddy did have it removed on the spot and within a few days the dealer called said they need to check the car out “ some recall “ lol he has a lawyer now. It’s a waiting game now.

Like you I was having a problem with a car I had financed. Looking through everything in an attempt to solve it, I found a GPS tracker installed in the vehicle. I removed it and a month later I got a call from the finance company wanting to know if I still lived at the same address. I politely replied yes and asked them if they wanted their GPS tracker back. She hung up.

I customer ordered a 2022 Ram 2500 in Utah. After taking delivery I noticed a random micro fiber rag fall down from the OB2 port area. I looked deeper and found a gps tracker just like the one on this video. After taking that off the truck I had multiple electrical issues/ failures. I traded that truck in and got a Jeep diesel, no tracker🎉

This would turn a grown man into a raging tantrum. Bloody glad you found it, and thanks for the heads up.

this is a blunt violation of privacy

Take out the Simcard, free data bundle baby!

I walk whenever possible, leave my phone at home, with CASH in hand.

That's crazy. I work on semis. We have issues programming and code clearing due to aftermarket trackers and fleet monitors. We have to unplug them then plug into the ports.

Installing a tracker without consent is a crime in my state. First offense is good for $1000 fine and

You are much calmer than I would be if I found this in my car without my knowledge.

This is truly a terrifying video of "big brother" running amok. I have Allstate for my car and they require a tracking device in my car that tracks everything in the way I drive. No one's privacy is safe from prying eyes. Good detective work by you.

Thanks for the awareness, man. I got some stuff hooked up in my car and I can’t figure out what it goes to under the hood. You got me thinking.

I just inspected my 2023 Corolla GR and found a tracker as well! I went ahead and removed it. Thanks for the letting me know it was there!

I have a nice collection of these (spent time working @ an auto auction ) I found three on one car, Granted one was from an insurance company and clearly visible but locked into place but the other two were hidden and piggybacked off each other and the OBDII port. it was a pimped out 2022 civic stuck in limp mode, after cutting the insurance tracker free and checking codes it appeared it needed a new ECM and BCM as it had more codes than a hospital full of hypochondriacs AND the OBDII port was purple as well as riveted in, I went deeper and found not one but two in line trackers. after pulling both of them out and re-attaching the proper OBDII port I was able to clear the codes and the car ran like a champ.

This is a backdoor agreement between dealerships and finance companies. They usually preinstall them on all vehicles when they come into a lot, and before customers see the vehicle. They have them on there in case someone doesn't pay their loan off and the dealership / finance company comes to repo the vehicle.

New cars come with LoJack and you either have it activated or not. Evidently, it was incorrectly installed in yours. Thank goodness you know how to remove it.

I wouldn't be surprised if the dealership got insurance kickbacks to install those.

The stealership I bought my used Corolla from insisted on installing a Lojack in the car. I insisted they didn't. They finally agreed to not install it, then when I went to the tire shop for a new set of tires tried to plug in their diag tool to reset the TPMS system, I found the Lojack installed and operating anyway. I removed it. Eventually I got a refund on the Lojack they charged me for and buried the fees in the deal, but it was a hassle.

Wow, I would sue them for violating your privacy.

Keep in mind many dealers and banks are installing GPS units in cars to make it easier to locate the car should they have to repo it. That is one tool banks are using to locate your car in case you try to hide it from them when you are behind on payments. When you sign the contract, it clearly says that you are agreeing to have the GPS unit in your car. If you remove it or damage it, then can cause your account to default as the unit belongs to the bank. I just brought a car 6 months ago and it had in the contract that I was agreeing to having the GPS unit or else don’t buy the car from the dealership. As for paying the car in cash so you don’t have any payments, they should disclose that a GPS unit is installed and ask if you want it removed. Bottom line, READ THE CONTRACT when buying a car from a dealership.

I pulled something like this out of a coworkers vehicle. And that instance, it was installed as it was a financed used vehicle purchased by someone with bad credit. The company could disable your vehicle if your payment was late, etc. I removed it for him and told him, it’s free of charge, I love helping people out.

Dealers install these on everything for inventory tracking. They are installed by the dealer when they get the cars off the truck. They usually try to make you pay for it under some anti theft device. Check your price breakdown.

Good thing you found this before moving ahead with your plans to rob the bank.

Ahhh shoot that’s a tracking devise!! This is coming out asap. Thank you.

As a mechanic that is fully aware of this scheme, it is a tracking device in case you stop making payments on the vehicle. That way the repo guys can dial in your location and tow your car in the middle of the night. Look for wires hooked up to the starter as well. It is a way to disable the vehicle remotely. Dealership is not your friend! Updated edit: Yes I'm fully aware he paid for it. And sometimes they "forget" to remove it. That's on the dealership. I'm just trying to bring this to light guys. Go ahead and sue them for a million dollars. I just hope you read ALL the multiple pages on your agreement with the dealership. Because if you blindly signed off on all those pages, you can go ahead and present that to the judge, and the judge is going to say: Well you agreed to the dealership terms. You signed off on it. Case dismissed. Don't kid yourself.

It's called a Philips Connect tracker. I paused your video when you showed the model number and looked it up.

personally I would check w the FCC because it might be illegal to be tracking or surveillance of someone without their knowledge 🎉

Always search cars for this stuff when buying new or used. Most are easy to spot under dash or hood

Years ago I know someone who was in a similar situation. They came want to get their hardware back. My friend told them "You only leave with it if you wear it as a suppository"

That's why I love my old car that is without electronics, people ask me why I don't get a newer car but I prefer not to have them spying on me even when I go out my mobile stay at home.

I work at a dealership, this is common. All our vehicles have gps tracking installed. We even advertise that it’s equipped with it, and it’s how we locate our vehicles on the lot.

Some folks pointed out that their insurance rates went up but couldn't figure out why. Until, they found out the car companies were providing info from even deactivated onstars and other devices to the insurances companies like sudden braking or sudden directional changes. Big Brother is watching.

Just found a tracker on my car now! I paid cash for mine too. Thanks for this video!

I just found one one of these on my Miata that I just bought from a dealer lightly used.

It’s interesting that you say that about the battery, I had both a BMW dashcam set and GPS tracker (also BMW) and when I had my battery going flat twice they blamed it on my ghost immobiliser 🤣

Huh. An elderly neighbor had a paid-off truck that was always reliable, then a few years back she got this weird drain that we could not locate. This did not cross my mind! I have since moved, however, once and a while I see her when I go into town. I hope this comes to mind when I see her next so that I can suggest it to her.

I work with these types of trackers for commercial vehicles, 2 tips on spotting them. The braided plastic sheathing on the wiring is one, the other is that most if not all factory OBD ports don’t populate every pin on the connector, there’s usually a few empty contact ports on the factory connector.the gps cables put a connector contact in every port so they cover every possible factory configuration.

I'm not a car guy but imma check my parents' car for these stuff if it does have one

Big brother was just wanting to tell you: "Welcome to the machine, Neo".

As others have said, find a lawyer. That is invasion of privacy.

I just found one of these in my Lexus thanks to this video.

I had a tracking device in my GMC pickup truck too!!! Paid cash, no subscription services, no ties. Ironically, the service side of the dealership is owned by somebody else. They’re the ones who pointed it out. I threw it away and I have nothing to do with that chain of dealerships any longer.

“How have I never noticed this?!” - Probably because disassembling the OBD port is not a part of typical car operation 🤷🏼‍♂️

I’m amazed that you can unplug electrical connectors with one hand. It usually takes me using both hands, pliers and a screwdriver, and breaking off at least one of the tabs on the connector just to free up a little wiggle room.

Some of the most valuable information on the entire net. We all can see big brother becoming a real thing. Bet it's not just Toyota.

Good for you! Ya got to be smart! It's a good thing you are!

Gps tracker/immobilizer for repo purposes. A lot of dealerships use them, especially buy here/pay here lots. They don't need permission nor have to inform you unfortunately. Theres been news storues/law suits over those devices "malfunctioning" and shutting people's cars down while driving

Unauthorised tracking = stalking = criminal offence.

I used to work for a Chevy dealership in New Mexico and part of my job was installing those GPS devices in cars that were financed..... I assumed because it would make repossessing the vehicle easier in case they defaulted on the car loan. They plug in, in series at the computer diagnostic plug under the dash to the left of the steering column. They are easy to install/or remove. Im fairly certain that ALL new & used car dealerships are doing this.

My crosstrek battery dying every three weeks when not driven. Will take a look. Thank you!

went to Cancun for two weeks, came back, and I couldn't start my RAV4. I'll check it out. If I don't find anything, it could be the dash cam

Prior Restraint! Should be against the law! They assumed this car was going to be financed and had this thing pre-instaled and didn't bother to uninstall it when you bought the car without financing. Good catch!