Car hacking is becoming a more alarming issue every day, it seems. Just this week, security researchers announced that they’d found another major vulnerability that could affect any car from any brand built in the last few decades. After watching a video about the hack, one Ford owner found exactly that same type of device in his own car. Here’s why you might want to take a peek in your own vehicle and why the threat in this case isn’t as scary as it may seem.

More: Toyota GR Corolla Buyer Finds Dealer-Installed GPS Tracker Hidden In Car

The Reddit user said the idea came after watching a recent Wired video detailing security researchers’ discovery of vulnerabilities in the KARR Security System. That’s an aftermarket alarm and tracking device frequently installed by dealerships. We’ve covered similar products in the past. In this case, the owner was simply curious, so he pulled a panel out from under his dash and, sure enough, found the module.

How To Find One In Your Own Car

These devices are often plugged into the OBDII port via a splitter, so they’re hard to spot initially. Some can route directly to or from the battery as well. The owner wasted little time removing the module, which appears to have been installed using a plug-and-play T-harness beneath the dashboard. With that simple action, he disconnected himself from the vulnerability. If you have a similar device hidden in your vehicle, removal is often that simple.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego recently disclosed a Bluetooth vulnerability affecting certain KARR Security System modules, estimating that more than two million vehicles could have the devices installed. According to the researchers, the flaw could allow someone within Bluetooth range to unlock a vehicle, trigger its alarm, or disable its ignition until the owner installs a firmware update. Importantly, they cannot start the car with this hack. The company behind the system has since released a patch.

Why You Probably Shouldn’t Panic

That said, this isn’t a reason for owners to panic. While the researchers successfully demonstrated the vulnerability in controlled testing, exploiting it requires specialized software and close proximity to the vehicle. Moreover, while two million cars is an objectively big number, it also accounts for less than one percent of cars on the road in America. With that in mind, the chances of someone targeting your car this way remain extremely low.

Instead, the bigger takeaway may be that many owners have no idea aftermarket electronics are tucked behind their dashboards in the first place. Dealers often install them for theft prevention, inventory management, or as part of an optional security package. In this case, our Mustang Mach-E owner says his purchase paperwork never mentioned it. Thankfully, a little insight into its possible existence was enough for him to find and delete it.

Tracker found in Mach-E
by u/EpicLift in MachE

Photos: Epiclift on Reddit

It might come as a bit of a shock to those who have just woken from a coma that lasted the past couple of years, but Ford is recalling more cars today. This time it’s issued not one but two new campaigns affecting over 110,000 vehicles. Both apply to Mustangs, though the faults, and frankly the cars, couldn’t be much more different.

Gasoline pony car owners could have wipers that fail to clear the windshield, while EV owners might face drivetrain trouble that could strand them. Here’s the breakdown on each.

When The Wipers Quit In The Cold

According to documents filed with the NHTSA, the larger of the two actions covers 67,842 examples of the 2024-2026 Mustang, including the limited-production $325,000 Mustang GTD. The issue traces back to a semiconductor programming error inside the front windshield wiper motor. In temperatures at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), the motor can lose communication with the steering column control module.

More: Ford Admits Thousands Of Dashboards Can Still Go Blank Seven Years After The Fix

In cases where that happens, the wipers might only work at their highest speed and the windshield washer system might fail altogether. Ford says the defect stems from a supplier programming a 16-kilobyte chip using settings intended for a 32-kilobyte chip. The automaker is aware of 35 warranty claims but says it has received no reports of crashes or injuries. Dealers will inspect the wiper motor and replace it if necessary.

A Broken Shaft On The Mach-E

The second recall affects 42,784 rear-wheel-drive 2021-2023 Mustang Mach-E crossovers. In those vehicles, the rear differential pinion shaft can fracture due to bending fatigue. If it does, drivers could lose propulsion or, in some situations, experience unintended vehicle movement after shifting into Park if the parking brake isn’t applied.

Ford’s investigation found consistent evidence of bending fatigue in failed components, although engineers say the underlying root cause remains under investigation. The company has noted 62 warranty claims, 14 quality reports, four customer reports, and two European field alerts related to the issue but says it knows of no crashes, injuries, or fires. Owners will need to go to the dealership for inspection.

Dealers will repair or replace the differential as needed. The updated assembly uses a pinion shaft designed to better withstand bending fatigue. Owners of both types of Mustang will get notification letters later this month though replacement parts for the wiper issue won’t be available until 2027.

Ford brought back employee pricing for everyone on May 1^st and the offer is set to expire on July 6^th. However, don’t be surprised if it gets extended as sales have been dreadful.

In the second quarter, group sales fell 10.3% to 549,200 units. That’s a decline of 62,895 vehicles and the automaker is down 9.6% year-to-date.

More: Ford Sales Plummet Nearly 14% Even With Employee Pricing For Everyone

Those are brutal numbers and hybrids didn’t even help. Despite sky high gas prices, Ford’s hybrid sales dropped 20% in the second quarter. That stands in stark contrast to rivals as sales of Kia hybrids soared 187% in June and were up 115% for the first half of the year.

The automaker didn’t get help from electric vehicles either as sales plummeted 40.7% in Q2. The Mustang Mach-E fell 30.9%, while the discontinued F-150 Lightning was down 58.6% to a mere 2,421 units.

To put those numbers into perspective, the gas-powered Mustang outsold the EV by more than 2:1. This is also echoed in year-to-date sales, where the ICE-powered model is leading 28,725 to 11,632.

As we’ve pointed out numerous times in the past, the decision to eliminate the Escape is costing the automaker an insane number of sales. In the first-half of 2025, Ford moved 82,589 units. This year, they’ve only managed to sell 24,112 Escapes, which is a difference of 58,477. Dealers still have around 3,000 units remaining in inventory, but they’ll be gone soon enough.

It’s also worth noting Escape customers aren’t embracing the Bronco Sport as sales of that model were down 6.7% in Q2 as well as 1.3% year-to-date. However, Ford has been pushing some buyers to the Explorer and it was up 13.8% for the quarter and 21% for the year.

Truck sales were down across the board in Q2 as the F-Series was off 11%, while the Ranger fell 9.8%. Even the Maverick, which offers a popular hybrid variant, was down 0.4%.

Despite a sea of bad news, Ford noted the Bronco set a second quarter sales record of 45,739 and a first-half record of 76,936. More importantly, it outsold the Jeep Wrangler for the quarter. That off-roader was down 12% to 41,793 units.

Overall, Ford brand sales were down 10% to 522,811 vehicles. The Blue Oval is also down 9.6% for the year.

While the automaker didn’t have much to celebrate, they said customer demand for the F-Series remains strong, but it’s still feeling the impacts of last year’s aluminum supply shortages. They also noted the elimination of the Escape and Corsair was bound to put a damper on sales.

Lincoln Sales

That pain was clearly felt at the luxury brand, where sales fell 15.8% in the second quarter. This was largely due to 4,200 less Corsairs being sold. However, that wasn’t the only problem as the Navigator was down 17.4% while the Aviator was off 1.4%.

The only bright spot was the Nautilus, which had a record-setting Q2 thanks to 10,505 sales. Of course, that could all come to an end soon as the Chinese-built crossover needs special approval to continue being sold in the United States. This same process doomed Polestar in America, but it seems likely that Lincoln will get the green light.

2026 Lincoln Q2 US Sales

2026 Ford Q2 US Sales

Could Ford’s new Universal EV platform spell the end of the Mustang Mach-E? Recent comments from the automaker suggest it’s a real possibility, even if the company isn’t prepared to commit one way or the other right now.

With the F-150 Lightning gone, the Mustang Mach-E stands as the only EV Ford still sells in the United States. The current car will hang around through at least 2027, and a report from last year indicated the model might not see any meaningful upgrades until sometime after 2030. However, even this does not seem guaranteed.

Read: Ford’s $30K Electric Truck Looks So Tiny It Makes A Maverick Seem Grown Up

As part of a campaign to promote the new Universal EV platform, Ford answered a series of questions from its fans. One of them got straight to the point and asked whether the new architecture would underpin a future Mustang Mach-E. The answer was clear.

“No, it will not be used for the Mustang Mach-E,” Ford responded. “This platform was built from a clean sheet to maximize vehicle efficiency.”

First-Gen Wasn’t Good Enough

As noted by Ford Authority, Ford boss Jim Farley has said the car manufacturer went about creating its first generation of EVs, including the Mustang Mach-E, in the “wrong way.” The new Universal EV platform will first be used by a compact pickup truck, recently spied up close in the United States. The platform will then be used by several other Ford models.

Had Ford been committed to keeping the Mustang Mach-E for a long time and building it through to a second generation, using this new platform would have been an obvious choice. Now, if it decides to keep selling the Mach-E until 2030, or well beyond that date, it could quickly start to feel outdated compared to Ford’s second-generation EVs. What’s more, it’s reported that the Ford Escape will be revived in all-electric form towards the end of the decade using the UEV architecture, likely further limiting the appeal of the Mach-E.