FordPass location accuracy question

[tbruz]

I got my 2021 Bronco illegally towed away by a predatory towing company on Friday evening; had it locked with the key fob in it.
Local PD has no record of requesting a tow but the first time I checked the Fordpass location the vehicle was at this suspect tow company address.
Tow company has no weekend hours- helps them pad the bill with storage charges; Ill be fighting the whole issue in civil court at later day.

I can see the location of my vehicle via the FordPass app, but the location reported keeps changing by about a mile +/- from a center point about every 6 hours.
I initially panicked thinking it was being operated due to the fob being in the car but the milage reported under service tab has remained steady as well as my fuel level and miles to go (I had just filled it); now my fear is its being parted out.

Does this location accuracy I'm suggesting +/- 1 mile sound correct or should I be reporting a stolen vehicle perhaps being parted out?

Please no comments about leaving keys in the truck or picking better parking spots- have gotten enough of those from my spouse already.
Thanks in advance
Tbruz

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[PetePerkins]

Left the keyfob in the vehicle?

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

So is it stolen or towed? I'm confused. If you don't know for certain it was towed and what process to follow for that then I would think the prudent thing to do would be to report it as stolen. If I came back to where I'd parked my vehicle in a location with no expectation of being towed and it was gone I'd have already been to my local CPD station but YMMV.

 

[tbruz]

PD was the first call I made...Thats how I found out it was a "predatory tow company" from the cop who recognized the first address the Ford app showed the truck at.
The question at hand is regarding the location accuracy of the Fordapp.....

 

[Sunday Money]

Hit the lock button in the app and it should update the location. Occasionally my location incorrectly indicates somewhere along the path of my last drive, but if I remote lock it updates to the correct spot. That said, can you do a drive by of both locations to see if you can put eyes on it?

 

[adam1991]

Name and shame said tow company.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

PD was the first call I made...Thats how I found out it was a "predatory tow company" from the cop who recognized the first address the Ford app showed the truck at.
The question at hand is regarding the location accuracy of the Fordapp.....

The app is accurate, the weaker link is the ability of the system to sync. IME the position reported is where the vehicle was last turned off . . . *AND* the system was able to sync. When I return home to my underground high-rise parking there's no ability for the modem to connect and update location info (or pull down s/w updates, etc.) so the location *I* see is always where I was last parked *before* I came home. If your vehicle is located in a location that may interfere with its ability to sync you may experience similar results.

While the location info displayed for me isn't always *current* (for reasons I understand) the location info it does display accurately reflects where it was at that time.

 

[tbruz]

Hit the lock button in the app and it should update the location. Occasionally my location incorrectly indicates somewhere along the path of my last drive, but if I remote lock it updates to the correct spot. That said, can you do a drive by of both locations to see if you can put eyes on it?
[/QUOTE
I did a drive by to both reported locations on Saturday AM, original reported location is a very large fenced in tow yard so was not able to eyeball my car. Used my app to start my car but could not hear anything either. Did not have my spare fob with me to try panic button. I went to the second location next approximately 1/2 away and it was a wooded lot; nothing there.

 

[tbruz]

Name and shame said tow company.

I absolutely will go "scorched earth" on them AFTER I get my vehicle back

 

[CalvinT]

AZ had a problem with predatory towing companies long ago. So a law was passed. There are also city and county ordinances adding even more teeth.

https://www.azleg.gov/search/oop/qfullhit.asp?CiWebHitsFile=/ars/9/00499-05.htm&CiRestriction=towing

and
11-251.04. Authority to set rates for private towing carrier; definition; violation; classification

C. It is unlawful for a private towing carrier to tow or transport a motor vehicle from private property without the permission of the owner or operator of the motor vehicle unless such private towing carrier receives a request from a law enforcement agency or the express written permission from the owner or the agent of the owner of the property. The owner or his agent shall either sign each towing order or authorize the tow by a written contract which is valid for a specific length of time. The private towing carrier may not act as the agent of the owner.

D. A person who violates subsection C is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.

More Arizona statutes about towing.

28-4836. Towed vehicles; notification; Arizona crime information center database; violation; classification

A. Except if acting under the direction of a peace officer, a person who moves or tows a vehicle into a public garage, parking lot, storage yard or automotive recycling yard or on private property without the consent of the vehicle owner or the owner's agent shall notify the law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction where the vehicle was located before the moving or towing. The notification shall be by telephone within one hour of the time the vehicle is moved or towed.

C. A person who fails to comply with subsection A of this section forfeits all claims for towing and storing the vehicle and is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.

 

[Greg2060]

Please no comments about leaving keys in the truck or picking better parking spots-
Tbruz

Left the keyfob in the vehicle?

Just couldn't help yourself...

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