4G Modem Disabling Instructions:

[passwords]

You mean by Ford? Which is good to stop/prevent. But apps on your phone are probably tracking the location of the phone.

These types of responses are always puzzling to me, and honestly I’m not sure if you are being serious. But there does seem to be a certain mindset out there that if one company is collecting some data about you, then there is no point in trying to mitigate both (i) what and (ii) how much data companies end up collecting about you. That is, in my opinion, mindless.

Apps on your phone are TRYING to collect data about you including your location. If you are like me you’ve gone into your various privacy settings on your phone and are preventing Apps from collecting your location data, and accessing your contact list and microphone and camera. If you are like me you use the privacy settings on your browser. And if you are like me, you don’t use Facebook, Insta, X, or any other data collection tool where you (your data) are the product instead of the consumer.

With all of that, I understand there will be various forms of data collection that I’m unaware of, I am in no position to prevent, or I am okay with (like this site). But that does not mean we shouldn’t work to mitigate the amount of data that is collected about us. And it also doesn’t mean we shouldn’t let companies know that stealing our data under the guise of uninformed or unwitting “consent” is not okay.

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[First Stang]

It appears that Telematics is nothing new. I can appreciate its value for fleet applications—Even for cars I use daily but in a Mustang where your goal is to drive to feel alive…I don’t think so.

Lots of youtube vids on telematics. Heres one….

 

[HoosierDaddy]

It appears that Telematics is nothing new. I can appreciate its value for fleet applications—Even for cars I use daily but in a Mustang where your goal is to drive to feel alive…I don’t think so.

Lots of youtube vids on telematics. Heres one….

1. Telematics won't reduce accidents or claims
2. Premium discounts will reduce insurance company income.
3. Insurance is regulated and can set premium rates based on claims paid.

Combined, those will result in "base" premium rates increasing exactly as much as the discounts given. So, yeah, so called bad drivers won't have premiums raised because of their driving. But participating bad drivers and EVERYONE else not participating will have those increases built in.

Sort of reminds me of when United Way would let employees specify which particular charities their donations went to BUT United Way would then reduce the amount from other donors by an equal amount to ensure the percent each charity got was exactly what was originally planned/negotiated.

Can't wait for the court cases where a driver plowed thru a bunch of J-Walkers because he would get dinged for braking hard enough to avoid hitting them. No, a driver won't claim that but you can bet some plaintiff will use that Possibility to get deeper into insurance company pockets. How dare they reward drivers for not braking hard enough to save lives!

 

[Buldawg76]

The only way at this time for an insurance company to use telematics to monitor your driving habits is if you consent and sign an agreement with them to allow it. They have been lobbying congress to be able to use your vehicles onboard system to monitor you but so far congress has not caved in and passed a law to allow them to do so. I fear it's only a matter of time and money paid to the right people for them to get their way.

When that happens, my car will suddenly go dark.

BD

 

[Tomster]

The only way at this time for an insurance company to use telematics to monitor your driving habits is if you consent and sign an agreement with them to allow it. They have been lobbying congress to be able to use your vehicles onboard system to monitor you but so far congress has not caved in and passed a law to allow them to do so. I fear it's only a matter of time and money paid to the right people for them to get their way.

When that happens, my car will suddenly go dark.

BD

Did you read all the fine print when they activated your fordpass?

Most don't. You should have seen the look on my salesman's face when I told him I didn't want it activated.

Nice guy, but the majority of folks just don't get it.

 

[Buldawg76]

Did you read all the fine print when they activated your fordpass?

Most don't. You should have seen the look on my salesman's face when I told him I didn't want it activated.

Nice guy, but the majority of folks just don't get it.

No, I did not read all of it but do understand what is in it as far as ford monitoring it and having the right to sell the info to whom they choose, I don't track my car and have nothing to hide since my phone and street cameras and all the other surveillance monitors in public nowadays gather as much if not more than our cars provide. So far, my auto insurance has not changed and actually dropped in price the last few renewals so I guess I am not triggering any red flags, I assure you when it goes up for no reason my car will go dark. Big brother has been watching for so long now it's virtually impossible to not be tracked wherever you go by multiple means.

Disabling your telematics does not protect you by any means from being monitored by insurance companies. If it gives you peace of mind them by all means, go for it.

My best friend and I growing up back in the 70s talked about this very scenario coming to fruition in the future but just never thought we would live to see it in our lifetime. George Orwell's book 1984 got it right he just missed on the year by a few decades.

BD

 

[Prodigal]

Read all 23 pages but still confused. Do I need to pull the #10 fuse and disconnect the model behind the drivers tail light or just do one or the other?
and in doing so, everything else on my car will continue to work with the exception of the car reporting back to FoMoCo?

 

[Jaymar]

Read all 23 pages but still confused. Do I need to pull the #10 fuse and disconnect the model behind the drivers tail light or just do one or the other?
and in doing so, everything else on my car will continue to work with the exception of the car reporting back to FoMoCo?

Either or both, nothing else changes.

 

[nathanks]

Disabling your telematics does not protect you by any means from being monitored by insurance companies. If it gives you peace of mind them by all means, go for it.

How so? If you opt out of their safe driving apps, and disable telematics, I don't see how they could.

 

[EFI]

Disabling your telematics does not protect you by any means from being monitored by insurance companies. If it gives you peace of mind them by all means, go for it.

No, but it does protect you from being monitored by Ford (at least vehicle wise).

 

[EFI]

How so? If you opt out of their safe driving apps, and disable telematics, I don't see how they could.

They can still get your location and other limited telematics from your phone. Even if you don't use their apps, they could still subpoena phone records and telematics if they have any suspicion about your actions. It has to go through your carrier, but it's not impossible to get.

But they can only get certain things that a phone tracks, obviously they can't get any vehicle telematics anymore if the modem is disbaled. But again, I believe the car itself does store some data locally that can be subpoenaed.

 

[nathanks]

Even if you don't use their apps, they could still subpoena phone records and telematics if they have any suspicion about your actions.

I was referring to monitoring. You are talking about subpoenas. Two very different conversations.

 

[MAGS1]

They can still get your location and other limited telematics from your phone. Even if you don't use their apps, they could still subpoena phone records and telematics if they have any suspicion about your actions. It has to go through your carrier, but it's not impossible to get.

But they can only get certain things that a phone tracks, obviously they can't get any vehicle telematics anymore if the modem is disbaled. But again, I believe the car itself does store some data locally that can be subpoenaed.

I would add that all the apps on one’s phone collect an enormous amount of data, which is packaged and sold to a whole host of groups, insurance companies included. Geolocation, spending habits, even speed (think some of the maps apps that adjust arrival time based on the amount of distance you are covering, that’s easy to calculate speed from) are all tracked unless you go into each individual app and turn ALL of the tracking off. And even then, I’m not sure it’s entirely off.

 

[Lorne34]

Either or both, nothing else changes.

So I have my entire trunk liner and plastic removed for another project. I see the box I think you are referring to by the drivers side trunk area inside the trunk behind the plastic panel. Do I just unplug that vs trying to dig out the fuse? Does that box do anything other than acting as the modem?
.

 

[Tomster]

So I have my entire trunk liner and plastic removed for another project. I see the box I think you are referring to by the drivers side trunk area inside the trunk behind the plastic panel. Do I just unplug that vs trying to dig out the fuse? Does that box do anything other than acting as the modem?
.

Yes, that's the one. Pull the wiring/data harness. For good measure pull out the two coaxial leads too.

You will get no CEL lights, but a scan will show diagnostics in relation.

Pull the plugs!

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