The dealer GPS tracker in your RAV4: what it does, where it is, and how to remove it

Quick picks

What a dealer GPS tracker does

So a lot of Toyota dealers add a GPS tracker to new cars before delivery. Some sell the tracker as theft protection on the buyer's order, and some put one on every car in stock to keep track of their inventory. And if you didn't buy the service, the box often stays in the car anyway, switched off.

The tracker is sold under a lot of names. The same company, Connected Dealer Services, publishes the apps for CarDoc Connect, Elo GPS, CarRx by Elo GPS, MySafePoint, SG Connect GPS and PLAD TECH. And the Elo GPS installation guide that installers follow comes from a related company, Procon Analytics. So basically, these are one kind of tracker with different names on the box.

Basically, the tracker is a small black box with a short Y-shaped cable. Inside there's a cellular modem, a GPS receiver and a motion sensor. The cable plugs in between your RAV4's OBD-II port and the car's own wiring. The OBD-II port is the plug under the dash that a mechanic's scan tool connects to. Plugging in there gives the tracker power all the time, even with the car off, and lets the tracker read your VIN and any check engine codes.

Now here's what the tracker does once it's turned on:

• The app shows where your RAV4 is right now.
• If your RAV4 is stolen, you file a police report and call the support line. Then their recovery team works with the police to find the car.
• Some plans add a $5,000 payment if the car isn't recovered within 30 days.
• The tracker scans the car every 15 minutes while it's running and sends a report if something turns on the check engine light.
• The app sends maintenance reminders and service offers from the dealer.

Something to note is who owns the data. The terms say the data the tracker collects belongs to the company, not you. Mileage and engine fault codes can be shared with the dealer. And the company's privacy policy lists insurance companies among the businesses that may get information from you and your vehicle.

And some owners only find out about the tracker when an email or text arrives asking them to activate the service, sometimes with a free first year.

Can a dealer GPS tracker shut off your RAV4?

So no, the plug-in tracker can't shut off or lock out your RAV4. The plug-in tracker only plugs into the OBD-II port, and it has no wire to the starter. The installation guide has no step that cuts any wire. And on a support call, the tracker company confirmed the tracker is for tracking only, with no way to disable the car remotely.

Now the trackers that can stop a car are a different kind. They're called starter interrupt trackers, and some lots that finance their own cars use starter interrupt trackers for people who miss payments. Owners of new cars have also found dealer-installed trackers spliced into the ignition wire, so it's worth checking which kind you have. Basically, an installer cuts the car's starter or ignition wire under the steering column and splices the tracker into it, often with small blue butt connectors.

So the easy way to tell them apart is to look for extra wires. If the only thing connected is the cable at the OBD-II port, it's the plug-in kind. But if you see wires spliced into the harness under the steering column, that's a starter interrupt unit. And I'd have a shop remove the starter interrupt unit, so the cut wire gets joined back properly.

Where the dealer GPS tracker is on a 2019 to 2025 RAV4

So the plug-in tracker is always at the OBD-II port, because the tracker has to plug into it. On a 2019 to 2025 RAV4, gas, Hybrid and Prime, the OBD-II port is under the driver's side of the dash, just below the hood release lever.

Here's the OBD-II port on a 2020 RAV4 Hybrid, with Toyota's white factory plug right below the hood release lever, from Dalius V's video.

The 10-second check

1. Open the driver's door and kneel next to the seat.
2. Shine a flashlight up under the dash, below the hood release lever. Your phone's flashlight works fine.
3. Look at the plug clipped into the bottom edge of the dash. Toyota's factory plug is white.
4. If the plug is black, that's the tracker's harness, and the tracker box is right behind the black plug.

Also, a loose OBD-II plug that pops out of the dash is another sign. And a red "Tracking Device Installed" label on the window sticker or buyer's order means the dealer put one in.

How the tracker went in

So the installer follows a one-page guide. Here are the steps from the Elo GPS installation guide:

1. Remove the existing OBD-II port, Toyota's white plug, from its housing.
2. Put the tracker's pass-through harness into the original OBD-II housing.
3. Plug the original OBD-II port into the other end of the tracker's harness.
4. Wait for the tracker's lights to go solid. Green means it has a cell signal and red means it has GPS.
5. Mount the tracker to a solid part of the dash, with the side labeled "This side down" facing down.

So the white factory plug ends up behind the dash, plugged into the tracker's harness. And the black end of the harness sits where the white plug used to be. The box usually sits behind the lower knee panel under the steering wheel or behind the kick panel by your left foot. But some get tucked higher up behind the side of the dash, so just follow the cable from the black plug.

Now this page covers 2019 to 2025. The 2026 RAV4 owner's manual doesn't show where the OBD-II port is, so the 2026 location isn't confirmed.

How to remove a dealer GPS tracker from a RAV4

So removing the plug-in tracker takes about 15 minutes. You'll need a plastic trim tool, a small metric socket set with 8 mm and 10 mm sockets and side cutters for the zip ties. Those three links are Amazon searches, not one specific product.

1. Take off the lower knee panel under the steering wheel, or the kick panel by your left foot, whichever one the box is behind. On Toyotas these panels are held on by clips plus a nut or screw or two.
2. Find the black harness in the OBD-II housing and follow its two cables. One goes to the white factory plug and one goes to the box. If a third wire runs from the box to a fuse or the battery, the tracker isn't the plug-in kind, so I'd have a shop finish the job.
3. Press the latch on the harness and unplug the white factory plug from it.
4. Squeeze the tabs on the black harness and pull it out of the OBD-II housing.
5. Snap the white factory plug back into the housing until it clicks. This is the step that matters most, because the next mechanic's scan tool needs that plug in its housing.
6. Cut the zip ties, lift out the box and harness, and put the panel back on.

Owners who've taken out the plug-in kind report no problems afterward. Basically, your RAV4 never knew the box was there. And I'd keep the box and harness in a bag, since you can plug them back in later if you want the theft service again or a buyer wants the tracker.

Now if you'd rather not do it yourself, any shop can take the tracker out. That includes a Toyota service department, an independent mechanic, or a car audio and remote start installer. The shop doesn't need to know which dealer put the tracker in, because the tracker is always at the OBD-II port. So expect to pay for about a half hour of labor.

Something to note is that the tracker company's support told one owner it won't give out removal steps because the tracker is a security device. And on a support call, the company said it doesn't know where any one car's box is mounted. And some dealers have said a tracker was removed when it was still there, so the 10-second check is worth doing even after a shop visit.

Also, if the tracker was part of your car loan, I'd read the loan paperwork first to see what it says about the tracker.

What you give up by removing the tracker

• The theft recovery service ends the moment the tracker is unplugged, and so does any $5,000 payment for a car that isn't recovered.
• You don't get money back. The terms say there's no refund for the tracker or for unused service when you cancel.
• Your access to the car's location in the app ends too.

But unplugging the tracker doesn't change anything on the RAV4 itself. The white factory plug goes right back where Toyota put it.

If you'd rather keep the dealer GPS tracker

So keeping the tracker makes sense if the theft recovery service matters to you. And if you go that way, there are three things I'd do.

1. Opt out of arbitration by mail within 30 days. Basically, arbitration means disputes go to a private arbitrator instead of a court, and you can't join a group lawsuit, called a class action, or have a jury. The terms let you opt out with a letter mailed within 30 days of accepting the terms, which usually happens when you register the tracker in the app. Your letter needs your name, your address, your email if you have one, and a clear statement that you want to opt out of the arbitration agreement. Mail it to Connected Dealer Services, LLC, 17361 Armstrong Ave, Irvine, CA 92614.
2. Opt out of data sharing. Go to connecteddealerservices.com, click "Your Privacy Choices" at the bottom of the page, and ask them not to sell or share your information.
3. Check the renewal settings. The terms say the service runs for the term you bought and only continues if you renew. On a support call, the company said it doesn't renew by itself. But I'd still check the app's settings so nothing renews you didn't plan on.

Also, register the tracker in the app if you want the service. The terms let the company end the service if the tracker isn't registered within 120 days after purchase.

Can a dealer GPS tracker drain the 12-volt battery?

So it's possible, but the information on this is owner reports, and none of them measured a RAV4. The tracker draws a small amount of power all the time through the OBD-II port. And some owners on Toyota forums found their dealer tracker while hunting down a battery that kept going dead after the car sat a few days.

Keep in mind the 12-volt battery in a RAV4 Hybrid is small. So if your RAV4 sits for weeks and the 12-volt battery keeps dying, the tracker is one of the first things I'd unplug. And my RAV4 12-volt battery guide covers the other causes and how to jump it.