Future Ford Vehicles Could Get Odometer Error Detection System

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an odometer error detection system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on February 7^th, 2024, published on August 7^th, 2025, and assigned serial number 0252839.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed quite a few patents as of late that aim to make its future vehicles more “self-aware” in numerous ways – presenting us with ideas for things like a parts theft detection system, a slow leak detection system, and camera tampering detection tech, to name just a few. Now, this freshly published patent keeps that trend going yet again, this time, introducing us to an idea for an odometer error detection system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, too.

Odometer tampering is one of the older automotive-related fraud techniques in the book, having been used by dishonest folks to prey on unsuspecting shoppers for many years to this point. As Ford points out in this patent filing, one such method for doing so involves blocking the wheel spin signals from speed sensors or ABS modules, resulting in an incorrect and understated odometer reading.

This system aims to prevent that from happening by using sensors to measure inputs from one or more wheels, but instead of just counting tire rotations, it could also estimate the distance a vehicle has traveled based on speed and time. If the system detects that there’s a big difference between these calculations and those derived from wheel spin signals, it would then display a warning indicating that potential odometer fraud has occurred.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”