A  TruTV series called “Operation Repo,” is cashing in on all the drama associated with vehicle tracking and having an expensive possession like a car snatched away.

Much is discussed about whether the show is real or fake. The bigger question is who’s at fault? Who really is the owner of a car when it is out on a loan and the debtor fails to make payments?

A growing application in the vehicle tracking business is for repossessions. Some car dealers and finance companies are putting vehicle tracking systems on all their mobile assets, to make sure a person that is buying or renting a vehicle isn’t going to disappear with it, or ignore their payment plan. Many car rental agencies are using vehicle tracking, too. If the driver/customer does default, all the bank or loan company has to do is engage the vehicle tracking device and follow the GPS tracking data right to the vehicle tracking receiver. Then all they do is haul it away.

The TV “Repo” team relies on old-fashioned vehicle tracking instincts and know-how to locate their targets. There’s no denying their work would be easier if every set of wheels they reclaim is outfitted with a working vehicle tracking device.

A murder suspect wanted by police in Van Buren, Ark. was recently apprehended with a vehicle tracking device. The man had purchased a vehicle from a “Buy Here, Pay Here” car lot called Automatic Auto Finance.

Automatic Auto Finance regularly uses vehicle tracking on the units it sells. That’s because the money is out of their pockets. The company is the registered owner and it holds the car title until the last payment on the loan has been paid.

Automatic Auto Finance was all too happy to cooperate with police. The car was quickly found with vehicle tracking. It was parked outside the suspect’s sister-in-law’s house.

When police are dealing with a missing person, they often find them by “pinging” the GPS tracking feature of cell phones. But vehicle tracking systems on vehicles is becoming more and more common.

There are even wireless vehicle tracking devices that are used by auto finance firms that will disable the vehicle when the loan goes into default. These vehicle tracking devices are not the safety issue they would appear to be. The vehicle tracking unit will lock up the engine after it is stopped, and prevent it from restarting. Some vehicle tracking devices will decelerate the vehicle. This vehicle tracking feature is only used when police or someone else in authority has a visual on the vehicle and can determine it is safe to do so.

Is it fair to use vehicle tracking devices in this way?  Are vehicle tracking systems a good practice to protect one’s assets, or are they a violation of the driver/owner/leasee’s privacy? Some car dealers hide the vehicle tracking devices, never letting the customer know about the vehicle tracking capability until, of course, the loan is paid off and the car dealer has to retrieve the vehicle tracking hardware. That’s because some drivers might tamper with the vehicle tracking device if they knew it was there. Other car dealers are quite up-front and spell out the rules of vehicle tracking right in a contract, which the borrower must sign.

Most of the time these vehicle tracking subjects are customers with very poor credit and they are a very high risk investment. It’s possible they couldn’t get a loan through a traditional agency. Most of these creditors want to know immediately if a home address or employment situation changes, there are any accident reports or tickets for speeding. A vehicle tracking report gives much of this information.

Some people might owe more on their car than it’s worth (upside-down car value) so it might be tempting to walk away. Vehicle tracking assures that companies will be able to locate, track and recover their vehicle in the case of loan default.

There are possible legal ramifications to vehicle tracking if the customer is not notified. But if the lender does notify them about the vehicle tracking, and it is part of the contract, the customer is really in no position to argue to terms.

Why would any borrower agree to purchase terms that include mandatory vehicle tracking? Read the words of an actual vehicle tracking subject:

“I have major credit issues due to a financially-irresponsible ex-spouse. He took the car we had, and I had to get into a car by any (moral) means necessary for my toddler and I. Out of desperation, I accepted the ridiculous interest rate and the vehicle tracking device the car came with.”

A lot has been said about the dismal economy and its affect on home values and loan defaults. But the mortgage loan crisis is just one part of the story. The same is happening with cars. Homes don’t move, so you can’t lose track of a house. Cars and trucks are mobile assets. Vehicle tracking technology is invaluable to some people, who need to track their assets. Repossession is one such use.