A dealership website script shouldn’t be the key to your car. Yet that’s exactly what one security researcher demonstrated on a DEF CON stage, turning a forgotten corner of a portal into national-level access that could unlock vehicles, view customer data, and send remote commands. We dig into what that means for drivers, dealers, and automakers now that the family SUV doubles as a rolling endpoint connected to clouds, APIs, and third-party tools.

We walk through the chain of weak links—subdomains, misconfigured permissions, app integrations—and explain why dealer networks can become the soft underbelly of an automaker’s security. Then we turn to the flipside of software-defined cars: when an over-the-air update breaks a feature people rely on. A new Tahoe’s built-in garage door opener stopped working post-update, and the finger-pointing that followed shows how support and testing must evolve. Convenience only works when reliability does too.

Safety headlines round out the reality check. From a Kia K5 fuel-system fault that can over-pressurize tanks, to airbag inflator issues and wiring harness problems affecting pickups and SUVs, we outline the most pressing recalls and what owners should do next. Along the way, we keep the enthusiast spark alive with a Sold Cars Roundup—proof you can still get into the hobby with a ’73 Charger under twenty grand or a clean Barracuda around thirty—plus highlights from a standout student technician competition that signals where the industry is headed.

If you care about connected cars, cybersecurity, recalls, and the classic market, this conversation maps the risks and the opportunities with clear takeaways you can act on today. Subscribe for more smart car talk, share this episode with a friend who loves their tech as much as their torque, and leave a review to tell us what you want us to investigate next.

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