Hidden tracking device plugged into OBD2 port

[Matts2024GT]

While driving home, the obd2 port fell onto my left foot. When I got home I examined it and found it was a power tap off of the actual obd2 port. I followed the wires from the fallen plug up into the dash and found a Spartan Industries 4G tracking device. I removed it. It might be a good idea to give a little tug on your obd2 port and see if it unplugs revealing the actual plug.
Here's a link to it.

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[Deleted member 17846]

That is your (LoJack) or comparable recovery device you probably paid a lot for.

Don't have it on my GT. But was an option on my Bronco that I didn't pay for and took it out when I got home.

 

[Skye]

It's becoming more and more common those are left attached and abandoned in-place, used car dealers especially. Some are installed in a way they can easily be removed. Others are F'd up and F up the wiring.

Countless cars and trucks are currently circulating with these systems installed, their owners unaware.

If you didn't pay for the service, I'd return to the dealer to discuss. I'd also ask them to attach to the On-Board Diagnostics port and pull general information from the car, to confirm the GateWay Module's proper operation.

Anyone buying a used car in-particular, check under the dash as part of the inspection process, possibly having the dealer sign a statement all tracking devices have been removed, the vehicle's wiring returned to normal, the OBD port working as expected.

 

[Zig]

Based upon p/n seems to be: LOJACK UNIVERSAL OBD PASSTHROUGH KIT-WY0810T001

 

[roadpilot]

Some car dealerships install similar devices that can track or disable the vehicle in the event the buyer fails to make his/her car payments.

Did you buy this new?

Maybe that dealership puts these on until they are sold/delivered in case they get stolen?

 

[Matts2024GT]

Yes, this was bought new, and I did finance it. I had put down several thousand dollars and I have excellent credit. I was thinking they were selling my data to insurance companies, but who knows.
Maybe, I should lawyer up??

 

[roadpilot]

Yes, this was bought new, and I did finance it. I had put down several thousand dollars and I have excellent credit. I was thinking they were selling my data to insurance companies, but who knows.
Maybe, I should lawyer up??

The only dealerships that do this to shut the vehicle down if you don't pay are typically used car dealerships providing their own financing to sell vastly overpriced, high mileage cars to those with poor credit.

Did you contact them and ask them WTF? Whatever you do, do NOT give them the dongle back. You might need it for ... err ... evidence.

 

[steveo1960]

As long as you didn't agree to it in writing, I would make an issue of it with the dealer. Not at the lawyer level to begin with but at least complain and ask them how are they going to make this good. FWIW, the first dealer I ordered my X-Plan car from put all kinds of crap like that into the delivery of the car. I told them to take a hike and I walked. At least they were honest about it though... Dealer I ended up purchasing from did no dealer added options at all.

 

[smurfslayer]

Yes, this was bought new, and I did finance it. I had put down several thousand dollars and I have excellent credit. I was thinking they were selling my data to insurance companies, but who knows.
Maybe, I should lawyer up??

did you finance through the dealer or Ford Credit? I could see a stealership being able to make a legal argument that they had a legitimate interest for that use case - not that I agree with it, nor would I side with them were I to be on a jury but I can see the possible argument.

If you didn’t finance through the stealership, then they likely left it on. Did they try to upsell you a tracking/alarm “package”?

At least yours was a simple find and remove. A Raptor buyer found an aftermarket gps tracker _hacked into_ the factory harness. On a NEW truck!
That is some shady shít right there.

Since you bought new, if it wasn’t likely an attempted alarm package up sell, consider strongly engaging local law enforcement. There’s a possibility someone at the stealership could have put it on to come for it later.

 

[roadpilot]

did you finance through the dealer or Ford Credit? I could see a stealership being able to make a legal argument that they had a legitimate interest for that use case - not that I agree with it, nor would I side with them were I to be on a jury but I can see the possible argument.

A Detroit Ford dealer - Mel Farr Ford - did this years ago. Got sued and the dealership lost.

What if they disable the car when you are parked in a sketch area? It's a safety issue. That's part of the reason they lost.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Just yanked mine out was a Spireon unit p/n 7-0048-01 no reason for that to be there. Was attached witha universal harness to the back of my obd port. Wouldn't know it was there tucked nicely behind my kick panel. IT also acts as a telemetric unit similar to what's used to track 18 wheelers speed and driving.

 

[Deleted member 17846]

If you look at the window sticker you will most likely see that LoJack was an added dealer option.
Your finance guy at the dealership most likely told you about the LoJack system by selling you the service.

There is nothing you can do at the dealership especially if was a dealer installed option.

Like I said most won't even take them out if even if you don't purchase the service.

These are just connected by 2 wires, 1 always on signal and 1 ground. This cannot shut your car off...LOL

Just carefully find the power tap/ground and remove them. They usually put the power tap close to a connection to try to hide it better.

 

[smurfslayer]

If you look at the window sticker you will most likely see that LoJack was an added dealer option.
Your finance guy at the dealership most likely told you about the LoJack system by selling you the service.

There is nothing you can do at the dealership especially if was a dealer installed option.

Like I said most won't even take them out if even if you don't purchase the service.

These are just connected by 2 wires, 1 always on signal and 1 ground. This cannot shut your car off...LOL

Just carefully find the power tap/ground and remove them. They usually put the power tap close to a connection to try to hide it better.

I submitted a pre delivery list in writing to disclose and remove any non factory equipment from the car, having learned from the Raptor dude. I got written acknowledgement and agreement as a condition of sale. I checked basically and didn’t find anything and I don’t expect they added anything but nevertheless I don’t need any help with people determining I should be included in yet another government or private ‘list’.

This guy’s unit was plugged into the OBDII port which can cause all manner of trouble on the car’s multiple internal networks. More so than most of us think. A few years ago, I wired in a pair of rear facing lights on my ’17 Raptor. While I was crawling underneath the truck I thought to myself - I’ll bet I can find a good power source for my relay back here and not have to run a battery run. This was not my finest moment... I tapped into the constantly hot bed lights, hit the trailer harness up for switched power and ground and voila! I had switchable AND reverse lights. For about 4 reverse cycles and then reverse lights, bed lights and some internals all went dark. Oh, ok - I probably blew a fuse, NBD, I’ll find and replace it. Only I didn’t blow a fuse. I checked every one 2 or 3 times figuring I had to have missed it. Nope.

I set a BCM DTC for overcurrent. I found / cleared with FORSCAN after about 5 minutes of internet searching, which came after about 30 minutes of fuse checking, which came after about 2 hours of wiring. Lesson learned - I ran a battery power run.

The wire on the new vehicles is very, very thin. Many of us grew up with 14, 16 or 18 gauge wire but these are something like 22 gauge. Literally only half a dozen strands of wire. That crimp connector we used on our Fox body cars, will cause a cr@p ton more resistance on the current vehicles. Will it work? yes. Will it work long term? maybe. but it could behave in wonky ways, throw DTC’s, shut down unexpected stuff...

The obd2 connector dongle is probably a bunch safer from the car’s network perspective but introduce enough draw on the internal networks and you will definitely trip a DTC and it doesn’t take much.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Nothing in any of my paperwork or on the sticker. Mine was neatly tucked and connected to a harness that the forward odb port looked normal. Had two wires as hiwill describes on a quick clip no way it would be able to shut down the car. As for collecting driving data and reselling it unlikely but as always a possibly revenue stream for the dealer or an agreement with who knows.

 

[MCS]

This is one of the first things I'm checking when I get the Dark Horse home.

If I find something I've been debating on whether I want to take it back to the dealership and dump it on the desk or wire it into a Toyoto that is going to Africa or some Middle Eastern country. I'm torn.

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