Sam Harris was crouched in the Oregon woods next to a red Ford F-150 Platinum, checking an alert on his phone, when he felt the presence of something big moving behind him.
The alert was coming from the Ford app, part of a security feature he helped build as the director of product for Ford Secure. And the something big? That was an 800-pound Kodiak bear, standing on its hind legs, rocking the 5,000-pound truck like a seesaw.
“It was something out of a movie,” Harris said. “He was very well-behaved but just a massive animal.”
Harris’ wonder at seeing a bear live for the first time was only slightly minimized by the fact that the bear was trained for this, hired by Ford to test the Ford Security Package.
‘Bears Love to Destroy Things’
Enter Tag, a celebrity bear actor from the show “Yellowstone.” Ford hired the bear and his trainer to properly bash the truck, which was parked in the woods near the ranch where Tag lives. A team of engineers tracked how the Ford Security Package handled the barrage, watching the security alerts fly to Harris’ phone while videoing the entire episode.
The bear did his job, following instructions from trainer Keith Bauer to shake, scratch and bash the F-150.
Ford sent Bauer a practice truck to train with weeks before the event.
Tag Excels at Truck Thrashing
Bauer encouraged Tag to do his worst, including clawing down the truck’s side panel and smashing a window. Tag even learned to open the door.
“These real-world environments and tests uncover insights,” Harris said. “Seeing Tag next to the truck was great, and seeing the truck do everything we hoped it was going to do was fantastic.”
Ford Motor Company
Customizable Alerts Give Customers Control
The Ford Security Package features customizable alerts sent to owners via the Ford app, notifying them of a range of situations. Breaking a window and reaching into the cab was one of the many ways Tag triggered the “potential intrusion alert.”
The Ford Truck Bed Camera also provides a real-time, 180-degree field of view and HD remote live-streaming, plus cloud storage that allows owners to review intrusions or provide evidence to insurance companies.
Other Security Package features include:
- Potential cabin intrusion alert
- Door opened alert
- Hardware disabled alert—triggered if someone tampers with the vehicle—including alerting to some of the tactics used by organized crime rings and professional thieves
- Unexpected location alert, activated if the vehicle is relocated without the engine on
- Start Inhibit, which prevents the vehicle from being started, even if someone has a key
- A direct line to a 24/7 call security call center
