Ford has come up with a solution that could remove certain car features, or even stop it driving at all, if buyers do not keep up with repayments.

Innotechtoday.com has spotted a patent application which “pertains to systems and methods to repossess a vehicle” and lead to the system then “disable a functionality of a vehicle in a lockout condition.”

It says the application details how the lockout could be deployed conditionally, by allowing owners to use the car within a defined geofence, so they could still work and earn an income – presumably to catch up on payments. The lockout could also be lifted for emergencies, allowing the vehicle to drive to a hospital.

The application goes on to describe how the system would use the vehicle’s cameras and radar sensors to help locate the vehicle for physical repossession in case it were parked inside a garage.

“If all that weren’t enough,” the report adds, “in the case of autonomous vehicles, the system could actually take control of the car and drive it to an impound lot.”

(Picture – US Patent Office/Ford patent)