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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteYour car may gather information through its navigation, cellular connection, cameras, infotainment system, and paired phone—but which data it collects, where it goes, and how to limit it depend on the vehicle and its settings. These are 14 possible pathways, not a claim that every car uses all of them. A feature may process information inside the vehicle, transmit it to an automaker or service provider, or do both.
What “tracks you” means in a connected car
Tracking can mean collecting a location, recording how a vehicle is driven, or gathering information about its systems, occupants, or connected apps. Data may stay in the vehicle, move through a built-in modem or connected phone, or be handled by an automaker, service provider, or integrated app. The exact practices depend on make, model year, equipment, region, software, connected-service enrollment, account settings, and consent.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that connected vehicles can handle sensitive information, including precise location and potentially biometric, telematic, video, and other personal data. In its 2018 staff perspective, the FTC noted that vehicles might collect occupants’ fingerprints or iris patterns for authentication, as well as real-time location. That describes possible data, not a claim that every vehicle collects it.
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14 possible ways a car can collect or transmit information
1. GPS navigation and location history
Navigation can use a vehicle’s GPS to determine precise location, direction, and speed. A system may use that information for route guidance or location-based services and may record it over time. Some systems instead rely on GPS from a connected phone. A location trail can reveal routines and visits to sensitive places, even when collected for navigation or safety purposes. The FTC discusses both the utility and privacy risks of vehicle location data in its staff perspective on connected cars.
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2. Built-in cellular modem and telematics
Some vehicles have an embedded cellular connection that supports remote features, service functions, or other connected services. The data sent and the purposes for using it are specific to the vehicle and the service. A modem’s presence does not, by itself, establish which information is transmitted or whether a service is active.
3. Automaker app and remote account
When a vehicle is linked to an automaker account, connected information—including location, depending on the service—may be available through that relationship. Ford’s privacy materials describe account and vehicle controls for its connected services and warn that deleting the phone app alone does not disable data sharing in the described setup. Ford says removing the vehicle from associated accounts or resetting it is needed to stop certain associated access and transmission. Those instructions are Ford-specific, not a universal procedure.
4. Driving behavior and vehicle controls
Depending on the vehicle, recorded usage data may include speed, braking, seat-belt use, steering, or acceleration. Volkswagen, for example, lists speed, seat-belt use, and braking habits among possible vehicle usage data in its privacy information. That example does not establish what another manufacturer collects, or whether any particular field is transmitted.
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5. Diagnostics and performance
Vehicle systems can generate warning lights, trouble codes, service needs, odometer readings, fuel or battery levels, tire-pressure information, and performance data. Some information supports vehicle functions or service; some may be transmitted when connected services are enabled. The specific fields and transmission behavior vary by vehicle and service.
6. In-cabin cameras and driver monitoring
Some vehicles use cameras or other sensing features for safety and driver assistance. Their presence does not mean that every car records cabin video or uploads it. Tesla says its camera AI data is processed in the vehicle by default, while camera recordings for fleet learning require consent, with a stated safety-event exception. Those are Tesla’s stated practices and should not be generalized to other makes or features.
7. Exterior cameras and road-scene sensing
Exterior cameras may help a vehicle detect lanes, signs, traffic lights, other vehicles, and nearby surroundings. Tesla describes its camera suite as supporting lane-line and street-sign recognition, traffic-light positions, and features such as Autopark. Whether a feature processes data locally or shares it, and under what conditions, depends on the manufacturer and feature.
8. Other sensors and safety systems
Connected vehicles may collect sensor readings and vehicle-state information. The FTC has described a range that can include vehicle performance, occupant biometrics, and real-time location. Do not assume a particular sensor is always active or that it identifies a person; check the vehicle’s documentation for the specific system and data.
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9. Infotainment browsing and app use
An in-car browser, downloaded app, or app integration can generate usage information. FTC staff have identified browsing habits and app use as information that could be used in secondary ways. Check both the vehicle’s privacy notice and the policies of apps or content services used through its infotainment system.
10. Voice commands and microphones
A voice assistant must process spoken commands in some way, locally or through a connected service. A wake-word or command feature is not proof that the car continuously records conversations. The reviewed official materials do not establish continuous recording across cars; consult the specific vehicle and service privacy terms for when audio is processed, transmitted, or retained.
11. Paired phones and contacts
Bluetooth, USB, tethering, and phone integration can make phone-derived information available to the infotainment system or connected apps. Depending on what you authorize, that can include contacts, call information, or other device data. Ford notes that connected devices can contribute location and that its infotainment system can support phone calls and connected apps. Before transferring or selling a car, check for information imported from paired devices.
12. Wi-Fi, cellular data, and connected infotainment
Connected infotainment may send analytics or app data using Wi-Fi, cellular service, or a connected phone’s data plan. Ford describes SYNC analytics in supported configurations as using encrypted transmission for items such as the VIN, odometer, enabled apps, usage statistics, and debugging information. These are Ford examples, not a universal list of fields collected by connected vehicles.
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Emergency-assist features may send location and crash details to emergency operators when activated. Ford describes certain versions of 911 Assist as capable of sharing location, crash details, velocity changes, seat-belt status, or occupant information. The information sent depends on the particular feature and circumstances; it can serve a safety purpose.
14. Third parties and secondary uses
Connected services can involve an automaker, service providers, integrated content providers, optional third parties, or other recipients identified in a privacy statement. Read that statement for the data categories, purposes, recipients, and controls that apply to your vehicle and enrollment. A manufacturer’s disclosure is evidence about its own stated practices, not proof of industry-wide behavior.
A U.S. enforcement action illustrates why consent and recipient details matter. In January 2026, the FTC finalized an order settling allegations that General Motors and OnStar collected and sold geolocation and driving-behavior data without informed consent. The FTC’s order bars certain disclosures to consumer reporting agencies for five years and imposes covered consent, access, deletion, and consumer-choice requirements over a 20-year order term, subject to exceptions and supported controls. This is a specific order concerning GM and OnStar, not a rule that describes every automaker. See the FTC announcement of the final order.
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How to check your vehicle’s data and controls
Use the documentation for your exact vehicle rather than assuming that a setting or reset works the same way across manufacturers. Review privacy terms alongside the manual and the controls shown in the car and associated apps.
- Identify the configuration. Note the make, model year, trim, software version if shown, and connected services or plans. These can affect available features and settings.
- Read the current disclosures. Find the automaker’s connected-vehicle and mobile-app privacy notices. Look for data categories, whether information stays on the vehicle or is transmitted, recipients and purposes, optional versus feature-required collection, consent and opt-out choices, precise-location controls, retention, and deletion procedures.
- Review in-car settings while parked. Check available controls for location, data sharing, connected services, apps, voice, and cameras. Follow the owner’s manual; labels and menus vary by vehicle.
- Review accounts and apps. Check the automaker account, linked services, third-party app permissions, and paired devices. Deleting an app may not remove the vehicle-account link or stop associated transmission; Ford explicitly makes that distinction for the setup described in its materials.
- Use available access or deletion processes. If the manufacturer offers a way to request access to or deletion of data, use its stated process and check what data it covers, how the request is handled, and any exceptions.
- Prepare the vehicle for transfer. Remove personal profiles and paired devices, unlink the vehicle from associated accounts and service plans, and perform the documented master or factory reset. Verify the steps in the manual; a reset’s effect on service-side records can differ from its effect on information stored in the car.
A VIN-based privacy report can be a starting point for finding a manufacturer’s stated practices, but it cannot prove which settings are enabled in a particular vehicle or what data has actually been transmitted. The Associated Press reported that Privacy4Cars offers a free VIN-based report; its report should be treated as a reference, not a substitute for checking the vehicle’s own settings and disclosures.
What a reset or privacy accessory can—and cannot—do
Removing a paired phone, clearing a profile, or factory-resetting infotainment can address information stored locally, but these steps may not end a cellular service, unlink an automaker account, or delete information already held by a provider. The manufacturer’s instructions should explain what each control changes.
A pouch that blocks a phone or key signal does not disable the car’s own GPS, embedded cellular modem, automaker account, or connected apps. There is no universal accessory or setting that resolves every pathway listed here; use the vehicle-specific controls and account procedures.
How to compare privacy practices across vehicles
When evaluating a car before purchase—or reviewing one you already own—compare the manufacturer’s current disclosures and the vehicle’s actual controls using the same questions:
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- Storage and transmission: What is processed or stored on the vehicle, and what is sent elsewhere?
- Recipients and purposes: Which parties receive data, and for what stated purposes?
- Feature dependency: Is collection necessary for a feature you use, or can it be declined without losing that feature?
- Choice and consent: Are there consent, opt-out, precise-location, or account controls, and where are they available?
- Retention and transfer: How can data be accessed or deleted, and what must be cleared or unlinked before sale?
Compare vehicles on their own published terms and manuals. One automaker’s camera, analytics, or account policy cannot establish how another vehicle behaves.
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