As I was driving my used 2016 Mazda 3, a strange module fell out and landed on my foot. It was originally stuck underneath the dash, to the left of the steering wheel and is wired in with a 10-pin connector. There is also a micro-USB port on the side of it, anybody know what it is?

 

Interesting. Any barcodes or other markings?

 

Nope, everything is shown in the pictures

 

It looks to me like an aftermarket GPS tracking device to monitor where the vehicle is, how fast it is driving and so on.

It would be interesting to know what the rest of the This Side Down / Designed in California sticker says under the Velcro. I bet your answer is there. Even a few more letters should get you something Googleable.

 

Funny thing actually, the sticker cuts off and doesn't go under the velcro

 

If i had to guess, and i am, i would say its a gps tracker from a finance company. Follow the wire and you will probably find a non factory type connection to power and ground.

 

Have you tried plugging it in to a computer? see what pops up

 

Another thought is a finance company immobilizer. I knew a guy with bad credit. If he missed a payment, the car would not start until a payment was made. They would need something like this to make it inoperable.