Mercedes Benz admits using trackers in customer cars

In this era, you should know by now that giant tech companies are tracking our data and passing it on to third parties. And now, Mercedes-Benz admits that they installed tracker devices in their cars that can track the customer’s location.

As reported by the British The Sun newspaper, the tracker devices are fitted to several new and older Mercedes-Benz models. The brand claims that these devices will only be used in “exceptional circumstances” where the customers default on the financial agreements with the company.

This means that when the customers lag behind on the loan payments for the car, Mercedes-Benz can track the customer and access their real-time data. Mercedes-Benz also admits that this data will be shared with third-party companies for recovery.

As per Mercedes-Benz, “when a customer chooses to finance the purchase of their car this way, they sign a contract and agree to the location sensors in the car being activated in the event that they default or breach their agreement.” They also added that “It is only activated in exceptional circumstances where the customer has breached their finance agreement and repeatedly failed to reply to requests to contact us.”

The brand says that this clause is included in bold print in the agreement right above the customer’s signature. The brand also assures that location tracking is only for repossessing the vehicle and is not to permanently track the customer’s data.

Statement from Mercedes-Benz in response to the report:

We do not use a tracking device.

Connectivity services are an essential element of modern cars. They increase safety and comfort. Location based services are part of that connectivity for example to provide traffic services or locating a car in case of an emergency. 

As a rule, Mercedes-Benz does not track drivers.

We place great importance on the responsible and transparent use of customer data. The customer determines which services he wants to use and which data he wants to pass on – either by consent, by contract or at the push of a button. We also inform our customers about the so-called repossession process when they apply for finance through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. In this case, they sign a contract and agree to the use of the car’s location in the event they default or breach their finance agreement.

This repossession process is used in a few exceptional cases and only as a last resort, when customers default or breach their finance agreement and repeatedly fail requests to return their vehicle. We also want to emphasize that this does not mean constant tracking.