How to Find Out If My Car Is Being Tracked With GPS?

A GPS transmitter can be placed on a vehicle and used to send signals about an individual's whereabouts. Some employers use transmitters to track employees in company vehicles, while parents use transmitters to track teen drivers, but some people illegally use tracking devices to stalk others. To determine if your vehicle is being tracked by GPS, you have to physically look for the transmitter. A GPS device placed by a professional can be more difficult to find. Professionals often place the unit within the car's electrical components so it doesn't look out of place.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Look under the wheel wells of each tire. Sometimes GPS transmitters will be stuck in one of these places. A transmitter will be easy to spot here, so this place is usually not preferred by professionals who install tracking devices.
   • 2
     Find a GPS transmitter on metal surfaces. Some transmitters stick to the car with a magnet. Looking over all metal surfaces in the car and engine compartment could help you spot one of these types of transmitters.
   • 3
     Look in the spare tire. Depending upon your car, a spare tire could be located underneath the vehicle or inside the trunk. If you're looking at a tire inside the trunk, also look thoroughly in the spare tire compartment, which could be hiding the GPS transmitter.
   • 4
     Pull back loose interior pieces. Look for any loose pieces in the interior, which includes the trunk, that could be hiding a transmitter.
   • 5
     Look underneath the seats. The front sides can be physically removed, or you can use a mirror or flashlight to look underneath the seats for transmitter. The rear seat can be unhinged and removed. The rear seat is a good hiding place for a transmitter since so many people never remove the rear seat.
   • 6
     Check for a GPS transmitter in the glove box and other compartments in the interior. A novice may choose one of these spots. Make sure you open any envelopes or boxes that could be enclosing the transmitter.
   • 7
     Remove the car stereo and dash. A transmitter could be hiding behind the stereo or inside the dash. The dashboard can be difficult to remove, but it's an ideal place to place a GPS transmitter since it is so difficult to remove.
   • 8
     Remove the door panels and speaker covers. The door panels can be unhinged, but usually the door handles and knobs have to be removed before the panels can come off.
   • 9
     Open the hood and look around the engine, especially on the sides. To someone not familiar with car engines, a GPS transmitter can easily blend in. Carefully and slowly look over the entire engine. Use a mirror and flashlight to look in crevices. Get underneath the vehicle and look over the engine from the ground up.
   • 10
     Inspect underneath the entire vehicle. A mirror helps you to see underneath the entire car. A transmitter can easily be disguised within the metal, so you should perform this check several times.
   • 11
     Remove or look inside the bumper. You have to get underneath the car to see within the bumper.