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Car dealerships can do some interesting things. From trying to charge you big bucks for door edge guards to insisting you get extended warranty coverage, it’s no wonder so many shoppers hate the haggling and games. But one man has discovered a new reason to distrust dealerships after he found a GPS tracker hidden in his new Toyota.
Thieves are using GPS trackers to steal your car.
For some people, learning a dealer put a tracking device in their vehicle might not be concerning, but for Anthony Do and plenty of others it’s an infuriating invasion of privacy. The YouTuber saw online that other Toyota Corolla GR owners were complaining that dealers had hidden a tracker piggybacked on the OBDII port.
He didn’t think much of it until the battery died after about three weeks of not driving the car. On a brand new ride that just shouldn’t happen, so he was naturally suspicious.
That’s when he remembered the OBDII port was loose on his Corolla GR after he took delivery. At the time he didn’t think much of it, figuring someone in the factory just didn’t clip it in properly, fixed it, and moved on.
But with the battery issue and that detail about the OBDII port he decided to pull apart the lower panels on the dash while filming to document if in fact there was a tracker hidden there. And sure enough, he found a strange device with an illuminated LED light piggybacked on the OBDII port.
It’s key to note that Do didn’t opt for a GPS tracker on his car, even though the dealer asked about it. So why was this device hidden away without his knowledge? Is it really okay for a dealership to be tracking where you go with your vehicle?
Anthony Do did some research after publishing the video on YouTube. He discovered the device is an aftermarket GPS manufactured by Elo.
Others in the comments have said they’ve found similar devices in their vehicles, many of them from other brands. If true, that means this isn’t a Toyota dealer issue but something more widespread.
Is this dealers trying to help with potential future repossession cases? Installing trackers in case cars are stolen before customers take delivery? Or is it something else?
Check out Do’s video for yourself and tell us what you think is going on.
Image via Anthony Do/YouTube
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