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You can reduce a car’s data sharing by changing its privacy settings, deactivating specific connected services, and making a privacy request to the automaker. There is no universal switch that guarantees all vehicle data stops flowing: the available controls and their effects depend on the car, equipment, software, service, and country. The examples below are U.S.-specific.

First, identify what you want to disconnect

Before changing settings, note the vehicle’s make, model, model year, country, and the connected-service names shown on its screen or app. Check whether each service is factory-installed, dealer-installed, or provided by an accessory plugged into the OBD port. A single privacy control may not govern every service.

Keep these four tasks distinct:

  • Adjust in-car sharing settings: limits particular data sharing or features offered on that vehicle.
  • Deactivate or unsubscribe from a connected service: applies to a named service or wireless connection; ordinary subscription cancellation may not be the same as privacy deactivation.
  • Make an automaker privacy request: asks about data associated with you or your vehicle identification number (VIN), and available access, deletion, or opt-out rights.
  • Clear and unlink before transfer: removes stored personal information and separates the car from accounts and apps.

These actions address different things. Deleting a phone app, disabling the phone’s location permission, or cancelling a paid subscription does not by itself establish that the car’s factory modem has stopped communicating.

Change the vehicle’s data-sharing settings

Look in the owner’s manual and the vehicle’s menus for labels such as Privacy, Data Sharing, Connectivity, Modem, Location, Driver Profile, or Connected Services. Read each confirmation prompt before switching a feature off: it may explain which functions will stop working. Available options depend on the vehicle’s equipment and software. Ford, for example, says settings can affect connected-service availability and directs owners to the relevant manual or customer center (Ford U.S. Privacy Notice, effective July 1, 2026).

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If the car has multiple driver profiles, review the setting in each. Ford notes another driver may change sharing preferences, and certain displays can indicate when settings have changed.

Tesla: camera Data Sharing is a specific control

Tesla says consent for fleet-learning camera recordings can be changed through the vehicle touchscreen’s Data Sharing preference. That setting concerns those recordings; it should not be treated as a control for all Tesla vehicle data. Tesla describes contacting the company separately to deactivate connectivity for a broader collection opt-out, which may affect over-the-air updates, remote services, and mobile-app functions (Tesla Privacy Notice).

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Review the automaker account and connected-service subscription

Sign in to the automaker’s official owner account and check its vehicle, privacy, data-sharing, connected-services, and subscription pages. Follow the company’s instructions for the specific service you want to stop, and ask whether the action disables data transmission or only ends paid access.

NissanConnect: U.S. opt-out routes

Nissan’s U.S. privacy notice lists three routes for declining or limiting NissanConnect Services: use controls in the vehicle or application, select Delete Vehicle & Unsubscribe in the Nissan Owners Portal, or contact Nissan Customer Care at 1-844-711-8100. Nissan warns that services may become limited or unavailable and that some limited vehicle data may still be collected for safety, quality, service, or legal obligations. Check the current Nissan privacy notice for applicable instructions.

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Ford and Lincoln: app deletion is not enough

Ford says removing the Ford or Lincoln app alone does not disable vehicle data sharing. Its U.S. notice explains that settings depend on equipment; a master or factory reset can return the modem to factory settings, remove imported personal information, and disconnect modem-equipped vehicles from associated accounts. A vehicle with a separate Connectivity Device may also require removing the VIN from each associated account. Follow the notice and your vehicle’s manual for the applicable procedure (Ford U.S. Privacy Notice).

Ask the automaker what collection will stop

Use the automaker’s official privacy channel to ask which connected-vehicle information it associates with you or your VIN, how to access or delete eligible data, and which collection or processing you can opt out of. Ask what will remain, including safety, quality, service, or legal exceptions, and whether the request affects connectivity or features. Keep the confirmation and any request number.

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Some legal requirements are company- and order-specific. The FTC’s finalized GM/OnStar order requires ways for U.S. consumers to request a copy of their data, seek deletion, and opt out of certain collection, subject to exceptions and vehicle capability. It also sets a five-year ban on disclosure of certain geolocation and driver-behavior data to consumer reporting agencies and requirements lasting for the order’s 20-year life. Those terms apply to GM and OnStar under that order, not automatically to other automakers (FTC, January 2026).

California DROP is for data brokers, not automaker telematics

California residents can use the state’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) to submit deletion requests to registered data brokers. It is a separate mechanism from vehicle settings, automaker accounts, and requests to a manufacturer; it should not be treated as an automaker telematics opt-out. California says broker processing began August 1, 2026, brokers access DROP at least every 45 days, and status updates may take up to 90 days. See the California Privacy Protection Agency’s DROP page for eligibility and details.

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Before selling, donating, or transferring the car

Cars may retain phone contacts and address books, app logins, digital media, navigation destinations and routes, and garage-door codes. The FTC recommends clearing stored information and handling subscriptions and app connections separately (FTC Consumer Advice).

  1. Use the vehicle’s manual to perform its reset procedure. A factory or master reset can remove stored personal information, but its effect varies by vehicle.
  2. Remove paired phones and credentials. Delete devices, contacts, profiles, saved logins, destinations, and other personal information stored in the infotainment system.
  3. Unlink the vehicle from accounts and apps. Remove the VIN or vehicle from every relevant automaker and service account, not just the phone app.
  4. Cancel or transfer subscriptions separately. Handle satellite radio, hotspot, and other services directly; a vehicle reset does not necessarily cancel a subscription.
  5. Verify the handoff. Confirm the vehicle no longer appears in your relevant accounts and that the intended services or subscriptions have been cancelled or transferred.

For Ford/Lincoln, the notice recommends resetting before sale or transfer and after acquiring a pre-owned vehicle. It also says a separate Connectivity Device may require VIN removal from every associated account (Ford U.S. Privacy Notice). For another make, use its current manual rather than assuming the Ford procedure applies.

What each control does—and does not establish

Control What it addresses What to verify
In-vehicle privacy or data-sharing setting A sharing option available on that vehicle. Which data and features the setting covers; menus and effects vary by equipment, and connected services may lose functionality (Ford U.S. Privacy Notice).
Connected-service cancellation or deactivation A named service or wireless connection. Whether the action stops transmission or only ends a subscription, and which functions will cease.
Account unlinking or VIN removal Account access and account-related associations. Whether other accounts or devices remain linked; removing an app alone may not disable sharing (Ford U.S. Privacy Notice).
Automaker privacy request Information held by the automaker or service provider and rights available under applicable law. Eligibility, response, deletion exceptions, and the scope of any opt-out; controls differ by company and jurisdiction.
Factory reset before transfer Personal information stored in the vehicle and, on some models, modem or account associations. Whether accounts are unlinked and subscriptions separately cancelled or transferred (FTC Consumer Advice).

Why some data or features may remain

Disabling a sharing option is not necessarily the same as ending all collection. A manufacturer may retain or collect limited information for stated purposes, and legal rights and request mechanisms vary by location. The FTC notes that connected cars can involve sensitive information, including location and biometric information (FTC Office of Technology, May 2024). Ask the automaker to specify what a particular control covers and what exceptions apply.

Connectivity can also support features you may want to keep. Ford warns that some services may not function correctly or be available without connected-vehicle information; Tesla says connectivity deactivation can affect updates, remote services, and mobile-app functions. Choose the narrowest available control that meets your privacy goal, and confirm its consequences with the manufacturer.

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