A woman says her ex-husband used BMW's connected-car app to track her movements and remotely activate vehicle features, including opening the windows and boot.
When she sought help to remove his access, dealership staff allegedly told her they could not intervene and that her only option was to buy another car. She says the ordeal ultimately forced her to pay off a $10,000 (approximately £7,500) balance on her existing vehicle before purchasing a replacement.
Ex-Husband Allegedly Used BMW App to Control Car Features
Jane struggled to understand why her BMW's windows had opened in the rain, soaking the interior. She also could not explain why the engine would start unexpectedly or why the boot would pop open.
Then the realisation hit her. Her ex-husband still had access to the vehicle's smartphone app. Having previously threatened her with violence, he was now tormenting her through her car. Most disturbing of all, he could also use the software to trace her movements.
Jane thought resolving the issue would be straightforward: she would simply ask BMW to remove his app access, particularly as the car was not in his name. However, when she visited her local showroom, she said employees claimed they were powerless to remove her ex-husband from the system.
She told Forbes that she had provided investigators with police reports outlining his history of violence, a protective order, her divorce decree and paperwork proving she was the car's owner. 'It was very obvious that this was a dangerous situation,' she said. Yet dealership staff insisted her only option was to buy another vehicle — a choice she was ultimately forced to make.
According to Forbes, Jane's ex-husband is in jail after threatening her and pointing a firearm directly at her. The publication is protecting the identities of both Jane and her former partner.
BMW Faces Questions Over Connected-Car Safety
BMW representative Jay Hansen said customer support agents treat urgent safety concerns as top priorities and have established procedures for removing unauthorised or hostile individuals' account privileges when circumstances warrant it.
However, he said headquarters had no record of anyone from Jane's area contacting support and noted that local showrooms operate independently.
BMW's published US guidance outlines a process for requesting the removal of remote vehicle access. Requirements vary depending on the circumstances and state of residence, and applicants may need to provide the vehicle identification number and documents establishing ownership or exclusive use of the vehicle.
BMW says qualifying requests can be completed within two business days of receiving the necessary documentation.
The published guidance does not establish whether Jane met the requirements or used this process. Her account of the dealership's response also differs from BMW headquarters' statement that it had no record of a local support contact.
Experts Call for Stronger Safeguards Against Tracking
According to Emma Pickering, who heads technology-facilitated abuse work at the UK charity Refuge, covert tracking through automotive software is becoming an increasingly common tactic among abusers.
In response to this threat, staff at the organisation's safe houses have updated their intake evaluations to determine how people escaping abuse travelled to safety and whether their vehicles could be broadcasting their whereabouts.
Pickering has repeatedly called on automakers to implement fundamental safeguards, such as activity logs showing exactly who accessed an app and when. She has also called for manufacturers to scrap potentially dangerous features, including perimeter alerts that notify someone when a vehicle crosses a set boundary and trigger live location tracking.
Yet car manufacturers remain reluctant to accept responsibility for these vulnerabilities, according to Pickering. She said they 'don't want to accept any accountability' and 'can't accept any kind of liability,' adding that 'it just won't even register with them that this really is a problem.'
For drivers facing similar threats, resources such as the National Network to End Domestic Violence's 'Connected Cars: Privacy and Security for Survivors' offer practical steps to guard against remote tracking.
Mercedes and Tesla Also Faced Tracking Allegations
Jane's case is not the first to raise concerns about connected-car apps being used in domestic abuse.
In a report published in early 2024, The New York Times described how Christine Dowdall, whose husband was a US Drug Enforcement Administration agent, discovered that Mercedes' connected-car service could be used to track her whereabouts.
She said she was unable to get his access removed, despite having a restraining order and being granted sole use of the vehicle during divorce proceedings.
Reuters reported in December 2023 on a lawsuit against Tesla by a woman who accused the automaker of allowing her husband to stalk and harass her through technology in their jointly owned vehicle, despite a restraining order.
Tesla argued that there was insufficient evidence to prove her husband had used the car's features to stalk her and that the order did not specifically require the company to intervene. Tesla prevailed in the lawsuit, although the woman and her husband later settled their dispute on undisclosed terms.
Jane told Forbes she had to clear the $10,000 (approximately £7,500) balance on her existing BMW before she could purchase a replacement vehicle. 'I refused to get another BMW after that,' she added.
