Ford App Lets Man Control Rental Car He Returned Months Ago

He can still track the SUV's location, control its locks, and turn the engine on and off.

Access Granted

A man who rented a Ford Expedition in May is still able to track the SUV's location and control its engine and locks using the FordPass app — despite returning the vehicle five months ago.

"I have been opening the app and tracking the vehicle almost every day to see if my access is still there," Masamba Sinclair told Ars Technica, "and sure enough, I can see exactly where my old rental, affectionately named 'The Beast,' is at any given moment."

Continued Control

Once connected to a vehicle via the app, a smartphone user can track the vehicle's location, lock and unlock its doors, and even start or turn off its engine.

Sinclair told Ars that he's reached out to Ford multiple times via both Twitter and the company's website about his continued access to the Expedition, which he rented through Enterprise Rent-a-Car. But so far, the company hasn't done anything to remove his access.

Blame Game

Ford spokesperson Martin Gunsberg did respond to Ars, however, telling the publication that FordPass users can disconnect from the service by either performing a master reset via a vehicle's infotainment system settings or by selecting "Remove Vehicle" in the app itself.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car spokesperson Lisa Martini, meanwhile, told Ars that employees are trained how to clear vehicle data as part of the company's "standard vehicle cleaning procedures" — but clearly that hasn't happened to this particular Expedition for at least five months.

READ MORE: Five months after returning rental car, man still has remote control [Ars Technica]

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