In the past, used car buyers who fell behind on their loan payments were in fear of the repo man taking their car in the middle of the night but a new trend has many car owners unable to start their vehicles if they’re late on a loan payment.

According to the Wall Street Journal, in an attempt to cut down on loan defaults many used cars are being equipped with devices called disablers which can keep the car from starting if a loan payment is late.

Don Lavoie, president and CEO of Sekurus Inc., one of the companies that makes the disablers, told the paper that sales rose 25 percent last year and notes that these devices give people the same type of incentive to pay their loan as they have with their cell phone.

He told the paper that many people are hesitant to send a late payment for their cell phone because it may result in their service being turned off. With the disablers, making a car payment becomes more important to some used car owners.

One way many people are trying to save money each month on their car loans is by increasing its length. According to a recent report from Cars.com, the median length of car loans in the U.S. rose to 60 months in February.

Find New York Used Cars with New Jersey State Auto.