How to Find a Hidden GPS Tracker on a Car: Detection & Removal

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: September 29, 2024 Fact Checked

While it’s easy to picture genius detectives sneakily placing GPS trackers on the vehicles of evil masterminds, the reality is that anybody can buy a GPS bug and stick it to your car. As scary as that may seem, rest easy knowing that you will 100% find a GPS bug if you go looking. These trackers stick out like a sore thumb. They look like 4–6 in (10–15 cm) boxes or pucks, and some come with antennas on them. In this article, we’ll show you where to look, how to look, and what to do if you actually find a bug.

Things You Should Know

Use a mirror and a flashlight to search underneath your vehicle and peer around odd corners and look in hard-to-reach places.
GPS trackers will almost always be located on the outside of your vehicle where the person who put it there can easily retrieve it.
Cheaper trackers only record movement and the data needs to be uploaded to the computer later. Higher-end trackers will emit the frequencies remotely.
Buy a bug detector or take your vehicle to the mechanic to be 100% sure you’re bug free and take any bugs you find to the police.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Searching Your Vehicle’s Exterior

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1
Look for a small box or puck-shaped object. GPS trackers come in a variety of different styles, but they’re rarely bigger than a closed fist. Some are magnetic. Older trackers may have an antenna on them. Keep your vehicle manual handy to help you identify things that don’t belong on your car as you search.^{[1]
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- Bring a flashlight and a mirror to help you look around corners and dark edges.
- Despite what you may have seen on TV, GPS trackers never look like spare or loose wires. A random wire under your hood or in the glove box may be a sign that someone did some shoddy work on your vehicle at one point, but it’s not a bug.
- If you do end up finding a tracker, don’t assume you’re in danger. The odds are much higher that your parents are just worried about where you’re going or your partner is scared you’re cheating.
2
Slide under the vehicle and check the undercarriage. Get on your back and shine your flashlight along the underside of the car. Focus on the perimeter of the underside, looking for suspicious boxes, taped-on objects, or antennas. Anything that isn’t permanently attached to your vehicle may be a tracker.^{[2]
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- If you can, get the vehicle up on jack stands. You’ll have an easier time inspecting the underside of your vehicle.
- If you see something odd, give it a light tug. Most tracking devices are magnetic and will detach easily.
- Check the gas tank first. Its large metal surface makes it an easy spot to attach a magnetic device.
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3
Inspect the wheel wells. Check under the plastic or metal guard that surrounds the top half of the wheel. Any tracker should be obvious here—no vehicle manufacturer puts weird boxes or metal objects in this part of the vehicle.^{[3]
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- Do you have hubcaps? Pry them off with a flathead screwdriver and check to see if anyone has placed a tracker there.
- You do not need to remove the wheels to search your wheel wells, but you can if you want to be super thorough.
4
Check inside the bumpers with a mirror and by hand. The front and rear bumpers are a common exterior location for trackers. Bumpers are normally hollow, so pop your head underneath and use a mirror to peer inside. Run your fingers slowly along the inside rim of each bumper. If you find anything, pull it out.^{[4]
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- In fringe cases, a device under the front bumper may be wired to the car's electrical system. Always compare the wiring to the manual before you remove anything.
If you’ve got an SUV, truck, or van, a lazy snoop might have thrown a tracker on the roof. Hop up on a ladder and look at the roof from multiple angles to spot anything that doesn’t belong.^{[5]
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Pop the hood and compare what you see to models online. Open the hood and check the underside of the hood’s panel for GPS trackers. Then, pull up a photo online of your make and model’s engine bay. Compare what you see online to what you’re looking at in your vehicle to identify any potential bugs.^{[6]
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- Don’t start ripping things out all willy-nilly. Take your time and only pull gently on any potential trackers.
- The front of a car is a hot, solid metal box that is regularly inspected. This makes it a terrible spot for a tracker, so you’re unlikely to find a tracker here.
- If you haven’t found a tracker by now, the odds are very high that you’re in the clear here.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Scanning the Vehicle’s Interior

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1
Inspect the OBD port to see if the tracker is plugged in. The most common location for a GPS tracker in the interior of a vehicle is the OBD port, since the tracker can power itself using your vehicle. These trackers also tend to be very accurate, since they get access to OBD data. Refer to your manual to find the OBD port—it’s typically under a panel underneath your steering wheel.^{[7]
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- There should be nothing plugged into your OBD port. You should see 16 open ports with a wide opening in the middle, sort of like a VGA port.
- Unless you suspect you’re being tracked by someone who has access to your car, it’s extremely unlikely that there’s a bug inside of your vehicle. Someone planting a tracker would want to be able to access it easily.
2
Check every pouch, holster, and storage compartment. Open your glovebox and the compartment in the armrest. Inspect any storage pockets on the insides of your doors. Check the pockets on the backside of each seat. You may find a tracker in one of these areas if the person who placed it was trying to slyly hide a tracker while you gave them a ride.^{[8]
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- If your glovebox is packed to the brim, now is a super good time to organize it. Even if you don’t find the tracker, at least you’ll get something productive out of this whole thing.
Unzip seat cushions and headrests. Look under any removable parts. If you have any seat covers on the interior of the vehicle, pull them up to see if the tracker has been tucked underneath. ^{[9]
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Shine the flashlight underneath each of the seats and run your hands along the bottom to feel for any potential trackers. If you’re unsure of whether you’ve found a tracker, compare the appearance of the two front seats to find any potential anomalies.^{[10]
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Pop the trunk and focus on the small crevices directly underneath the rear window before checking the rest of the trunk. Remove the spare tire and check the well thoroughly.^{[11]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Experts, Apps, and Bug Detectors

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1
Ask your mechanic to look for the tracker. If you still haven't found a tracker, chances are good there isn't one. However, any mechanic will be ecstatic to break the monotony of their day up with a little treasure hunt for a GPS tracker. Ask your mechanic to sweep the vehicle; they’ll find the tracker if there is one.^{[12]
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- Mechanics know vehicles inside and out. Unless the tracker has been magically installed inside of a door panel, they’ll spot anything that doesn’t belong.
- If you don’t trust your mechanic’s findings, ask a car alarm installer or a private investigator to search your vehicle.
2
Note any Apple AirTag alerts you get on your phone. If you have an iPhone and you keep picking up alerts from an Apple AirTag when you drive, it’s a huge sign that someone has placed an Apple AirTag inside of your vehicle. Open the Find My Phone app. Tap the alert and select “continue” followed by “play sound.” The tag will continue beeping until you can find it.^{[13]
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- If you do not have an iPhone, you can search for AirTags using your Android device by downloading the Tracker Detect app. Hit the scan button to search your vehicle for any AirTags.
3
Sweep the car electronically with a bug detector. Devices that actively transmit your location can be pinpointed with handheld detectors that look for radio frequencies (RF). Swing by a local surveillance/spy shop or hop online and buy an RF bug detector. Follow the instructions to sweep your vehicle for bugs.^{[14]
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- The tracker may only transmit occasionally and/or when the car is running, so you may want to run a test with the ignition on.
- If you still can’t find a bug by this point, rest assured that there are no GPS trackers in your vehicle.

Community Q&A

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Question

If the government is surveilling me, where would they place a tracker on a 2005 Acura RL?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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There's no statistical evidence on this, but most people who have actually been surveilled by law enforcement find the tracker under the vehicle on the bumper or sides. It makes sense if you think about it, a police officer or federal agent wouldn't have the time to place the tracker anywhere else without drawing suspicion.

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How do I find a professional to check my vehicle for hidden trackers?

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Ask your mechanic. There's nowhere that a snoop would be able to put the tracker that your mechanic wouldn't be able to look.

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How effective are Gauss meters for detecting the magnets used to secure GPS trackers?

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That's a great question. This isn't the most popular bug detection method out there, but it should work in theory if a magnet was actually used to attach the bug. Some people use adhesive, tape, or suction, so you wouldn't be able to find those bugs.

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Tips

If you do stumble across anything that even remotely looks like a GPS tracking bug, take it to your local police station and explain what you found. They’ll take a report and scan the tracker for you to see if they can trace it to any nefarious actors.^{[15]
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If law enforcement does happen to be tracking you, don’t worry. It’s possible they’re only interested in your movements to rule out other suspects or because you happen to know somebody under investigation. The odds are extremely low you’re in trouble if you haven’t done anything wrong.

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Warnings

Do not cut or damage part of your vehicle unless you know exactly what you're doing. Almost all trackers are visible without disassembling any parts.

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Don’t throw out any trackers you find. If the GPS tracker belongs to law enforcement, you can actually be arrested for theft if you remove it and don’t return it. Always contact the police.^{[16]
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