Your Car Knows Where You Went Last Tuesday at 3:47 PM

Your car collects more data than your phone

The average connected car generates approximately 25 gigabytes of data per hour [1]. That includes GPS coordinates, speed, acceleration and braking patterns, steering wheel angle, seatbelt status, tire pressure, fuel level, engine diagnostics, and in newer vehicles, interior cabin camera footage and microphone audio.

Most drivers have no idea this data exists, let alone that it is being transmitted to the manufacturer and sold to third parties.

In January 2025, the Federal Trade Commission took action against General Motors and its OnStar subsidiary for collecting and selling detailed driving behavior data from 10.5 million vehicles without adequate consumer consent. The data was transmitted every three seconds and sold to LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk Analytics, two companies that repackaged it as insurance risk scores [2].

The GM/OnStar FTC enforcement action

The FTC complaint against GM revealed the following [2]:

• Data collection frequency. OnStar Smart Driver collected trip data including precise location, speed, hard braking events, rapid acceleration, and time of day for every trip, with data points logged every three seconds
• Consumer deception. GM enrolled vehicle owners in Smart Driver during the vehicle purchase process through a rushed digital consent flow at the dealership. Consumers were told it would help them "drive smarter." They were not told the data would be sold to insurance companies
• Data sales pipeline. GM sold the data to LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk Analytics, which compiled it into driving behavior reports marketed to auto insurers
• Insurance impact. Insurers used these reports to increase premiums for drivers flagged as high-risk based on hard braking, late-night driving, or speeding patterns. Consumers never knew why their rates went up

The FTC's order banned GM from sharing driver data with consumer reporting agencies for five years and required the company to obtain affirmative, express consent before collecting or sharing geolocation and driving behavior data.

The Toyota class action

In a separate case, a Toyota owner discovered that Progressive Insurance already had access to his detailed driving data when he called to get a quote [3]. He had never signed up for any usage-based insurance program. The data came from Toyota's connected services, which transmitted driving behavior to a third-party data broker that then made it available to insurers.

The resulting class action alleges that Toyota, through its connected services platform, collected and shared driving data from millions of vehicles without meaningful informed consent. The case is ongoing as of early 2026.

What your car actually records

Modern connected vehicles collect and can transmit [4]:

Driving behavior

• GPS location (updated every 1 to 3 seconds while driving)
• Speed, acceleration, braking force, and steering angle
• Trip start and end times, routes taken, stops made
• Seatbelt usage for all occupied seats
• Fuel or battery consumption per trip

Vehicle diagnostics

• Engine performance metrics (RPM, temperature, error codes)
• Tire pressure and tread wear estimates
• Brake pad wear
• Battery health (EVs)
• Software version and update history

Infotainment and connectivity

• Paired phone identifiers (Bluetooth MAC addresses)
• Contacts synced from paired phones
• Call logs and text message previews
• Navigation search history and saved locations
• Voice command recordings (vehicles with built-in assistants)
• WiFi hotspot connection logs (connected devices)

Cabin monitoring (newer vehicles)

• Interior camera footage (driver attention monitoring)
• Microphone audio (voice assistant activation)
• Seat occupancy and weight (airbag calibration data, also reveals passenger count)

Which manufacturers share data with police

A 2023 investigation by The Markup found that [5]:

• GM complied with law enforcement data requests and provided location data without requiring a warrant in some cases
• Toyota provided vehicle location data in response to subpoenas (lower legal standard than a warrant)
• Ford provided data to law enforcement and confirmed it does not require a warrant for all data types
• Tesla stores and can provide detailed driving data, Sentry Mode footage, and cabin camera recordings. Tesla has provided data to law enforcement in criminal investigations
• Hyundai/Kia provided connected car data to law enforcement; their BlueLink and Kia Connect systems log detailed trip data

The key legal issue: because you "consented" to data collection through the terms of service when you bought the car, law enforcement can often obtain your driving data with a subpoena rather than a warrant. The third-party doctrine, the same legal theory used to justify warrantless cell phone location data purchases, applies here too.

The Ford fuse number 8 trick

Ford vehicles with the FordPass connected services system transmit telematics data through a cellular modem. On many Ford models (F-150, Bronco, Explorer, Escape, and others from 2020 onward), the telematics control unit is powered through fuse number 8 in the interior fuse box [6].

Pulling fuse number 8 disables:

• All cellular data transmission to Ford
• FordPass remote start and lock/unlock features
• Location tracking
• Driving behavior data collection

The vehicle continues to function normally for driving. You lose remote app features and automatic crash notification, but you regain complete data privacy. Some owners have confirmed this approach on Ford forums and YouTube teardowns.

Important: the fuse number varies by model year and trim level. Consult your vehicle's fuse diagram (printed on the fuse box cover or in the owner's manual) and look for the fuse labeled "TCU" (Telematics Control Unit) or "ACM" (Advanced Connectivity Module).

How to request your LexisNexis consumer disclosure report

LexisNexis maintains driving behavior reports on millions of Americans, compiled from connected car data, insurance claims, public records, and other sources. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to request a free copy of your report once per year [7].

To request yours:

1. Visit consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com and select "Request a Consumer Disclosure"
2. Alternatively, call 1-800-456-6004
3. You will need to verify your identity with your name, Social Security number, date of birth, and address
4. Specify that you want your LexisNexis C.L.U.E. Auto report and your LexisNexis Risk Classifier report
5. The report arrives by mail within 15 to 30 days

The C.L.U.E. report shows your insurance claims history. The Risk Classifier report is the one that may contain driving behavior data sourced from connected car telematics. If you find data you did not consent to share, you can dispute it through the same portal.

You should also request your Verisk/ISO A-PLUS report at personalreports.lexisnexis.com (Verisk's consumer reports are also handled through LexisNexis).

How to opt out per brand

General Motors (OnStar / Smart Driver)

1. Call OnStar at 1-888-466-7827 and request cancellation of all data sharing
2. In the myChevrolet/myGMC/myCadillac app: Settings > Connected Services > Smart Driver and disable
3. Request deletion of previously collected data (GM is now required to honor this under the FTC order)

Toyota (Connected Services)

1. Call Toyota Connected Services at 1-800-331-4331
2. Request opt-out from all data sharing and driving behavior collection
3. In the Toyota app: Menu > Settings > Privacy > Data Sharing and disable all options

Ford (FordPass)

1. In the FordPass app: Settings > Privacy Settings > Vehicle Data Sharing and toggle off
2. Call Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-800-392-3673 to request data deletion
3. For a hardware solution, locate and pull the TCU fuse as described above

Tesla

1. Vehicle touchscreen > Controls > Safety & Security > Data Sharing and disable
2. Tesla does not offer a straightforward data deletion process; email privacy@tesla.com with a CCPA/GDPR deletion request
3. Note: disabling data sharing may limit some Autopilot features that depend on fleet learning

Hyundai / Kia (BlueLink / Kia Connect)

1. Call 1-855-258-3654 (Hyundai) or 1-800-333-4542 (Kia)
2. Request full opt-out from driving data collection and sharing
3. In the app: Settings > Privacy > Data Sharing Preferences and disable all

Honda (HondaLink)

1. In the HondaLink app: Settings > Privacy and disable data sharing
2. Call 1-855-466-3256 for a full opt-out and data deletion request

What to do right now

1. Request your LexisNexis report to see what data brokers already have on you
2. Opt out of data sharing through your manufacturer's app and by calling their support line
3. Review your infotainment system. If you synced your phone, your contacts and call logs may be stored in the car. Perform a factory reset of the infotainment system if you sell the vehicle
4. Check your insurance. If your premiums increased without an obvious reason (no accidents, no tickets), request a written explanation from your insurer. They must disclose if they used a consumer report
5. Consider the fuse approach for Ford vehicles or equivalent hardware disconnects for other brands if you want certainty that no telematics data is being transmitted

Your car is watching you. The question is whether you are going to let it keep reporting everything it sees.

Sources

1. McKinsey & Company, "Monetizing Car Data: New Service Business Opportunities to Create New Customer Benefits," September 2016
2. Federal Trade Commission, "FTC Takes Action Against General Motors for Collecting and Selling Drivers' Precise Geolocation Data," January 2025
3. Reuters, "Toyota Faces Class Action Over Connected Car Data Sharing with Insurers," 2025
4. Mozilla Foundation, "Privacy Not Included: Cars," September 2023
5. The Markup, "Who Is Collecting Data from Your Car?," 2023
6. Ford Motor Company, Owner's Manual, Interior Fuse Box Diagram, 2020-2025 Models
7. LexisNexis Risk Solutions, "Consumer Disclosure Request," consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com