Car finance firms can have ‘kill switches’ fitted to vehicles to ensure customers keep up with their payments.
These GPS devices can immobilise a car if the customer is not paying their bills, and are often offered to those who have a poor credit rating.
The devices, or ‘kill switches’, are installed behind the dashboard of cars and are kept in check by customers entering a code they receive once they’ve made a monthly payment.
If the customer does not make a particular payment then the finance firm won’t send them a code and the car cannot be started.
According to Auto Express, the Finance and Leasing Association said immobilisers were “used by a minority of the industry in very limited circumstances.
“A customer must always be made aware that their vehicle has been fitted with one of these devices – and the circumstances in which it could be used must comply with FCA [Financial Conduct Authority] regulations.”
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