Hi, it’s Jeep again, texting about your car’s extended warranty…
Jeep owners took to social media this week with a new complaint: many are receiving repeated pop-up ads on their cars’ infotainment screens asking them to sign up for an extended warranty. The ad, some say, appears every time their car rolls to a stop.
“Purchase Peace of Mind,” the ad reads, encouraging owners to click a button to call about a FlexCare Extended Care Premium Plan. The ad notes that cars must have less than 36,000 miles on the odometer to qualify, but owners whose cars are over that limit say they’re getting the intrusive ads, too. Clicking X to close the screen just brings it back at the next stop.
Jeep parent company Stellantis has acknowledged the issue. MSN reports, “They attributed the persistent nature of the ad to a temporary software glitch that affected the opt-out functionality in certain cases. The company assured that the glitch had been identified and corrected, and they are reaching out to affected customers to resolve the matter.”
But the problem could presage a more significant issue for future drivers. Last year, Ford filed a patent for an in-car advertising system that would use the car’s speakers and display screen to serve ads to drivers and passengers. That system would also use the car’s GPS tracker to serve ads relevant to the driver’s route.
Headed home in the evening rush hour? It might suggest take-out stops along the way to pick up dinner. It could even use in-car cameras to identify who was driving and personalize ads for them, Ford told the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Ford walked the idea back as soon as the media caught on, noting that it patents many ideas it never pursues. Let’s hope the reaction to Jeep’s warranty ads confirms their choice never to follow up.
In-car privacy is a growing concern for drivers. General Motors recently negotiated a fine and a 5-year ban over its practice of selling data about drivers to insurance brokers.
In a 2023 analysis, privacy researchers from a prominent tech watchdog group found “cars the official worst category of products for privacy ever reviewed.”