‘Felt helpless,’ cries driver whose car suddenly died – dealership hit ‘remote kill switch’ 2 years after he paid it off

A FRUSTRATED driver had his vehicle disabled remotely after his car’s loan was paid off years before – the ordeal cost him over $400.

It took the media publishing his story to have the dealership respond with a check.

WANF

WANF

WANF

In 2022, Antonio Tigue embarked on his usual journey from Marietta, Georgia , to Mississippi to visit his mother for Christmas .

He makes the trip in his reliable and affordable Hyundai Accent, which he bought and paid off two years ago.

“I am ecstatic,” he told CBS affiliate WANF, referring to no longer making car payments.

“You got more money in your pocket from not making a payment, so it’s a wonderful feeling.”

On his way to Mississippi, he stopped for gas and was distressed when his car wouldn’t start.

Without a way to get home, he paid for a tow truck to take it to the closest repair shop and reserved a room for the night.

The venture – the tow truck, the room, and the technician’s repairs – cost him over $430.

He said he was scared of being in a strange place without reliable transportation.

“I’m past freaking out,” he said at the time.

“I just felt helpless you know. I’m a big man and everything, but being in a strange place is kind of nerve-racking.”

The tow truck driver told Tigue the most likely culprit was a remote tracking device installed by the dealership that sold him the car, as they can send a signal to prevent it from starting.

The device, which Tigue was aware of, is used by many dealerships to prevent those with active loans on a new car from missing or making late payments.

However, he’d paid off his loan and had never missed a payment.

Many states have strict regulations regarding when a dealership can use the device to disable a car, though Georgia is one of the few that doesn’t have any.

Matt Wetherington, an attorney in Georgia, thought it was time to draft some – especially since Tigue didn’t owe a cent.

I’m past freaking out. I just felt helpless you know. I’m a big man and everything, but being in a strange place is kind of nerve-racking.

Antonio Tigue

“When you are dealing with someone who has paid off their vehicle and has complete ownership, you can’t just turn off their vehicle, you can’t repossess their vehicle, you can’t take their vehicle without criminal and civil liability,” he said.

Ron’s Automotive, the shop Tigue’s car was towed to, reluctantly removed the device upon proof that he owned the car.

U.S. Auto, the dealership Tigue bought the Hyundai from, initially ignored Tigue’s calls for help and left him without answers.

When WANF reporters inquired, they quickly responded by saying the device was “dormant” after he’d paid off his load, so there was a slim chance an employee activated the signal to disable Tigue’s car.

Statements from U.S. Auto and PassTime GPS

The full statement from both entities to WANF reporters read as such:

“We acknowledge our customer service team did not handle this situation with the necessary urgency we strive for when Mr. Tigue first reached out for assistance. We are not going to make excuses, there were several processes that should have prevented this experience from occurring in late December 2021 and January 2022. We are pleased that the teams ultimately brought this to resolution in early February after researching this situation, resulting in a reimbursement to Mr. Tigue for the expenses incurred. We plan to use this situation to break down the events and reinforce with our teams the goal of preventing this type of customer experience from happening in the future.”

– U.S. Auto Spokesperson

“The device in question was deactivated when the consumer paid off the car, so neither the dealer nor PassTime could have disabled the vehicle using the device (cellular communication is disabled). We understand the dealer and consumer have worked on a solution to help the consumer out and will defer to them on that. We leave removal up to the dealer at the completion of the contract. Dealers can leave the device on the vehicle and offer it to consumers as an antitheft device.

Overall, device failures are extremely rare, and usually easily addressed. After the device is deactivated from the cellular network, there is no way for it to receive a message over the network of any kind.”

– PassTime GPS Spokeperson

Source: CBS affiliate WANF

They also sent him a check for the full $436 to reimburse him for the night he spent in Atlanta trying to fix his car.

They wrote their mechanics would need to evaluate the device to pinpoint the failure.

PassTime GPS, the manufacturer of the device, responded to reporters saying they couldn’t have activated the device, as a code was sent to the device two years ago when the loan was paid.

Without the device, though, Tigue was able to instantly start his car.

To his delight, he made it to his mother’s house in time for Christmas.