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Ford’s Start Inhibit remotely blocks the engine from starting.

Drivers must enter an app-generated code on the infotainment screen.

The service costs $7.99 monthly in the US or CA$9.99 in Canada.

Ford just made its newest vehicles harder to steal. Thefts remain high across the United States and in plenty of other countries, and Ford acknowledges it’s locked in a race against criminals who keep finding ways around the security built into modern cars.

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The company calls its new feature as ‘Start Inhibit.’ It works much like the two-factor authentication process you may be used to access sensitive services, like your email or online banking, and is being added into the FordPass app and new Ford models. Anyone who has fumbled through a login code will recognize how it works.

Read: Your Ford Can Be Shut Down From Afar, But Only If You Agree To This

Vehicles with the FordPass app synced to them receive an alert every time their car is accessed, started, moved, or factory reset. If an owner receives an alert, but knows it wasn’t caused by them, they can remotely engage the Start Inhibit function. This will prevent the vehicle from starting until the driver enters a code into the infotainment system generated by the owner’s app. If a vehicle is stolen, subscribers can also ask Ford to track it and provide its location directly to law enforcement.

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The law-enforcement angle runs deeper than a location ping. According to CBS News, once an owner reports a theft and files a police report, Ford’s call center works with officers to trigger Start Inhibit, kill the engine, and mark where the vehicle stopped. Detroit police told the AP they aim to recover flagged trucks within the hour, since a fast recovery usually means an undamaged one.

There’s a limit, though. Start Inhibit won’t cut power to a moving car. It only arms once the vehicle has stopped and shut off, blocking the next start rather than killing the engine mid-drive.

Ford recently showcased the system to members of the press, including CTV News . It says the system will help combat thieves who use devices purchased online to clone keys, an ongoing issue for vehicles with keyless access.

Free For The First Year

The ‘Start Inhibit’ function has actually been around for more than a year, but hasn’t received much press, which is probably a good thing, as it hasn’t given thieves the opportunity to try and develop a system to circumvent Ford’s safety measures. Currently, it’s available on select 2024 and newer F-150 and Super Duty models, as well as the 2026 Expedition , Bronco Sport, and Mustang Mach-E .

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The feature is available through Ford’s optional Security Package, which includes a one-year free subscription for owners of the vehicles listed above. Once that runs out, the bill comes to $7.99 per month in the USA, or CA$9.99 in Canada. Nothing says peace of mind quite like paying a monthly fee to keep the car you already bought.

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Nintendo has few series that are as widely popular as Mario Kart . Since the first game debuted on the Super Nintendo in 1992, the spin-off racing franchise has become the face of an entire subgenre of arcade racers that is beloved by both casual fans having fun and crashing out with friends, and hardcore gamers trying to set the best times. Nearly every entry has been received warmly upon release, and most have expanded on their predecessors, whether with new tracks, better graphics, more racers, or different mechanics that help them stand out. Anyone who owns a console generally has a good chance of owning some version of the game, too, as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe alone has sold over 70.59 million copies, good for the fifth-most of any game all-time and ahead of even the original Super Mario Bros .

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As reported by WCCFtech , the Dutch consumer organization Stichting Massaschade & Consument now believes it has an even stronger case in its €400 million ($457 million) lawsuit against Sony over the 30% rate it charges on every game sold through the PlayStation Store, a "Sony tax" that retail games are not subject to⁠—the same retail games Sony has announced it will discontinue by 2028 .

"The end of physical discs removes the last place where a PlayStation game could still be bought and sold at a competitive price," SM&C chair Lucia Melcherts told WCCFtech. "No discs means no second-hand market and no alternative to the PlayStation Store, so from 2028, Sony alone decides what a game costs and even how long you are allowed to use it.

"That is exactly the harm our Fair PlayStation claim is about: a price can never be fair when the buyer is left with no ownership and no alternative."

It's illustrative to compare this situation with Epic's Apple Store challenges and the antitrust lawsuits faced by Steam ⁠—with one brought against it by another, different Dutch consumer group . Apple, which sells the hardware and maintains its own storefront⁠—a system which closely maps to Sony's⁠—was ultimately forced to relinquish some of control of that ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Steam's flat 30% take (sound familiar?) from everyone on the platform, be they EA or a bedroom programmer, is my least favorite part of my preferred storefront. But it doesn't own our PCs the way a console manufacturer or Apple controls a non-jailbroken device. Indeed, you can install alternate operating systems, competing storefronts, and even physical PC games onto Steam Decks and Steam Machines.

Tweaktown reported PlayStation's 2025 revenue as ¥4.69 trillion ($29 billion), but a $427 million lawsuit isn't anything to sneeze at, and the company is likely to face other challenges to its policies around the PlayStation Store. Whether it's physical discs or some other concession to consumers and watchdogs, as advocated by analyst Daniel Ahmad , something's gotta give.

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