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19 of 21 cars tested sent driver data to outside companies
Updated October 2026
Researchers at Northeastern University, working with Consumer Reports, watched exactly where 21 new cars and their phone apps send data. Nearly all of it went somewhere besides the automaker. Here's what they found, and what you can do about it.
Short answer
In a study published September 29, 2026, 19 of 21 cars tested sent data to at least one third party, and more than half contacted advertising, tracking, or analytics services. Seven of 30 car apps sent identifying data like your VIN, email, phone number, or precise location to tracking and ad companies.
How they tested it
The researchers placed a small computer in each of 21 late-model vehicles from 19 brands and parked each one inside a car-sized shielded tent that blocked the cellular signal, forcing the car’s traffic onto a monitored network. They also tested 30 companion phone apps.
What they found
- 19 of 21 cars sent data to at least one outside company.
- More than half contacted domains associated with advertising, tracking, or analytics.
- 7 of 30 apps sent sensitive data, including VINs, emails, phone numbers, and precise location, to third parties tied to tracking and advertising. Reporting named HondaLink, MyNissan, Lincoln, myChevrolet, myGMC, myBuick, and myCadillac.
- Companies receiving data included Adobe, ContentSquare, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Snap, and Yahoo.
Honda changed course
When shown the findings, most automakers shifted blame. Honda instead improved its practices and ordered its analytics vendor, Amplitude, to delete the location data it had received from HondaLink. The point worth noticing: the sharing stopped once someone noticed. It wasn’t needed to make the car work.
Regulators are paying attention
California’s privacy agency has fined Honda and, in March 2026, Ford ($375,703) over how hard they made it to opt out of data sharing, and reached a $12.75 million settlement with GM in May 2026 over selling driving data. The FTC finalized an order against GM in January 2026. Details are on our insurance and driving-data page.
What to do
- Turn off data sharing in your car’s app and account.
- Delete the companion app if you don’t use its features.
- Ask the automaker what it has collected, and request deletion.
- Disable the telematics modem so the car itself can’t report.
The full walkthrough is in how to stop your car from tracking you.
Sources: TechCrunch, Help Net Security.
Stop your car from reporting at all
App settings depend on the automaker honoring them. Disabling the modem means the car can't send anything. Our $35 guides show how, reversibly, for GM, Ram/Jeep/Dodge, and Ford.
Common questions
+What did the Northeastern and Consumer Reports study find?
Of 21 late-model vehicles from 19 brands, 19 sent data to at least one third party, and more than half contacted domains tied to advertising, tracking, or analytics. Of 30 companion apps, 7 sent sensitive data such as the VIN, email, phone number, or precise location to tracking and advertising companies.
+Which car apps shared personal data?
Reporting on the study named HondaLink, MyNissan, Lincoln, myChevrolet, myGMC, myBuick, and myCadillac among the apps that sent identifying data to third parties.
+What did Honda do?
Honda was the one automaker reported to change course: it updated its practices and told its analytics vendor, Amplitude, to delete the location data it had received from HondaLink.
+How do I stop my car from sharing data?
Turn off data sharing in the app, delete the app if you don't need it, request deletion from the automaker, and disable the telematics modem if you want the car itself to stop reporting.