That's because a new patent from Ford now allows the manufacturer to "remotely shut down your radio or air conditioning, lock you out of your vehicle, or prompt it to ceaselessly beep if you miss car payments", according to a new report from Bloomberg. While the official company line is that Ford has "no plans" to use the technology, we're certain that'll be proven to be incorrect over time.

"We submit patents on new inventions as a normal course of business, but they aren't necessarily an indication of new business or product plans," Ford said.

And the patent coincidentally comes along at a time when many car owners are experiencing difficulty keeping up with rising rates, resulting in "delinquencies [that] have been steadily ticking back up from their pandemic lull". 

John Van Alst, a senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, commented: "It really seems like you're opening up a can of worms that, as a manufacturer, you don't really need to be doing."