Two different problems, one vehicle
A car can be turned into a tracking device two unrelated ways. The first is a physical GPS tracker hidden on the vehicle — cheap, battery-powered, bought specifically to follow someone. The second is the connected-car service that came with the car, which can show trip history and current location, sometimes with remote controls, to anyone with the account login. If either applies to you, read Safety first before changing anything.
Hardware GPS trackers are common in stalking cases
Small GPS trackers built for fleet vehicles or lost-pet collars are also sold, and used, for tracking people — cheap, small, no need to touch a victim’s phone or accounts. In New South Wales, Australia, a Crime Commission investigation compelled 20 retailers to hand over sales records for more than 5,600 tracking devices, and found that one in four buyers had a domestic violence history — 126 were subject to a protection order at the time of purchase, and some bought a device in the days right after one was issued (The Guardian). US data points the same direction, though the numbers are older: a 2014 NNEDV survey of domestic violence programs found 41% reported abusers tracking or stalking survivors using GPS (NNEDV), and a 2009 Bureau of Justice Statistics study found 10% of stalking victims reported being monitored with GPS (DOJ report to Congress).
Where they hide, and how to check
Techsafety.org, the technology safety project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, recommends checking the trunk, under the hood, inside the bumper, and under and between the seats — plus under the vehicle, where magnetic trackers can clip onto the metal underside out of sight from a normal walk-around. A mechanic or law enforcement can search the vehicle if you’d rather not do it alone.
A flashlight and some patience cover most cases; if you find nothing but still suspect a device, a mechanic, a bug-sweep investigator, or police can check further.
Involve police before you remove anything
A tracker you didn’t place is potentially evidence of a crime, and planting one is recognized as stalking behavior — stalkingawareness.org (SPARC) lists a tracker “planted on your vehicle or in your home” as a direct question used to identify stalking; how the law treats it varies by state. Photographing it in place and reporting it to police before disconnecting anything preserves a stalking report or protective-order case.
There’s a real tradeoff: leaving a device in place preserves evidence but keeps you trackable, while removing it stops the tracking but can alert whoever placed it. Techsafety.org is direct — “safety plan around/before removal of any location tracking device, as it may alert the abuser” (techsafety.org) — so think it through with an advocate or officer rather than deciding alone.
The car you already own can track you too
Separate from hidden hardware, many newer vehicles now come with a factory telematics system — OnStar, Uconnect, Ford Pass, and similar — reporting location and trip history, and sometimes offering remote door locks, starter disable, or real-time location through an app tied to an account. GM, for instance, now includes OnStar’s connected-services plan standard on every model year 2025 vehicle (FTC complaint). That account, not the person driving, usually controls access.
A Tasmanian mechanic pleaded guilty to stalking his ex-girlfriend after setting up a car-manufacturer app with her vehicle’s VIN, which sent her live location to his email and let him remotely start and stop her car (ABC News Australia). In a San Francisco case, a woman alleged her estranged husband used a Tesla app to track her Model X and alter its settings after a restraining order — she couldn’t remove his access because he was listed as account administrator when the car was purchased (Reuters). When police asked Tesla for remote-access records, a service manager said logs were only retrievable for about a week after the fact, and the inquiry stalled; a court later ruled in Tesla’s favor (Reuters).
The pattern: whoever set up the account when the car was bought keeps control over everyone else’s access, and revoking it can require the automaker’s cooperation, a title change, or a password the other person doesn’t have.
Regulators have started paying attention
The Safe Connections Act of 2022 already requires phone carriers to separate a survivor’s line from a shared family plan no later than two business days after a completed request (FCC Report and Order). In 2024, the FCC opened a rulemaking asking whether that protection should extend to connected-car services, after reports of automaker apps being used against domestic violence survivors (FCC). Connected-car accounts are tied to the vehicle and its title, not a phone line, so there’s no federal rule yet — removing access from a shared vehicle still runs through the automaker’s own policy, which may ask for a restraining order or proof of sole title.
Separately, the FTC has acted on how automakers use location data day to day, not just in abuse cases. In a settlement finalized in January 2026, the FTC alleged General Motors and OnStar collected and sold precise geolocation and driving-behavior data from millions of vehicles without properly disclosing it or getting consent, including selling it to consumer reporting agencies. The order bans that sale for five years and, for 20 years, requires GM to get affirmative consent, let drivers delete their data, and offer a way to turn off precise location collection (FTC). Mozilla’s review of 25 car brands found every one collected more personal data than needed to operate the vehicle, 84% said they could share it with data brokers, and 76% said they could sell it outright (Mozilla Foundation).
What this means if you share a car
If you co-own or used to share a vehicle with someone you no longer trust, check the automaker’s app for a list of authorized drivers, and look for who’s listed as the primary account holder — that’s usually who controls everyone else’s access, not just whoever’s name is on the title. If removing access isn’t straightforward through the app, the automaker’s support line can tell you what documentation it requires. If you’re not sure whether what you’re seeing is tracking or something more routine, Is someone tracking my phone? walks through how to tell the difference.
Most telematics data collection is routine, not aimed at anyone. But if you already suspect you’re being tracked through a vehicle, the two checks are simple: look for a physical device on the car, and check who else has access to the app.