Method and apparatus are disclosed for mobile device tethering for vehicle systems based on variable time-of-flight and dead reckoning. An example vehicle includes a communication module to communicate with a mobile device using multiple frequency bands and a body control module. The body control module at an interval, estimates a location of the mobile device relative to the vehicle based on time-of-flight measurements using one of the multiple frequency bands selected based on a previous location estimate. Between the intervals, the body control module tracks the location of the mobile device using dead reckoning. Additionally, the body control system controls a subsystem of the vehicle based on the location of the mobile device.