The "how to disable the data link to Ford" thread

[WD Pro]

Just a thought, could there be some differences in what data can legally be transmitted / shared from a USDM to a euro car based on purchasing country / final destination ?

WD

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[Tomster]

Just a thought, could there be some differences in what data can legally be transmitted / shared from a USDM to a euro car based on purchasing country / final destination ?

WD

Im surprised that yours works over there. We had a member here who had his US car over in Germany and it (fordpass) doesn't work. I realize your car was purpose built for the UK. Do you have fordpass and a sharkfin antenna?

Edited to add:
Your avatar shows a sharkfin antenna.

 

[WD Pro]

Im surprised that yours works over there. We had a member here who had his US car over in Germany and it (fordpass) doesn't work. I realize your car was purpose built for the UK. Do you have fordpass and a sharkfin antenna?

Edited to add:
Your avatar shows a sharkfin antenna.

Yeah shark fin, and I do like the blob much better - I still think about swapping it out … lol

We do have the ford pass thing. The dealer wanted me to do the paperwork when I bought the car, but they weren’t disappointed when I refused.

Personally I pulled the fuse due to the ability to track the car. We need all the help we can get over here to keep things our own, so I wasn’t prepared to take the risk of giving a high tech thief another option to locate / unlock the car (I appreciate that’s probably overly paranoid lol). Same reason that the keyless entry is deactivated.

I have no knowledge and it’s a guess, but I suspect that the USDM car in Germany wouldn’t report due to network agreements / roaming etc ?

WD

 

[Tomster]

Yeah shark fin, and I do like the blob much better - I still think about swapping it out … lol

We do have the ford pass thing. The dealer wanted me to do the paperwork when I bought the car, but they weren’t disappointed when I refused.

Personally I pulled the fuse due to the ability to track the car. We need all the help we can get over here to keep things our own, so I wasn’t prepared to take the risk of giving a high tech thief another option to locate / unlock the car (I appreciate that’s probably overly paranoid lol). Same reason that the keyless entry is deactivated.

I have no knowledge and it’s a guess, but I suspect that the USDM car in Germany wouldn’t report due to network agreements / roaming etc ?

WD

Yes, that is my understanding. The car in question was a purpose built US car in Germany that a serviceman shipped over.

Whether you pull the fuse, pull that harness, or somehow figure out a way to use forscan to shut the modem off, it's all good. I loaned my meter to a friend and I'll be getting it back soon. I'll experiment with the '21 escape and see if forscan does stop the 4G data from transmission. I do recall a while back (and it was a long time ago) that the interface in SYNC didn't stop transmission, it only opted out of the fordpass and data sharing for insurance.

 

[RTFM]

SYNC didn't stop transmission, it only opted out of the fordpass and data sharing for insurance.

What is being still transmitted then? The only reason why I did not pull the fuse yet is safety concerns : what if what is still being transmitted is the life-saving data in case of crashes? Like the 24x7 emergency service that OnStar used to offer.

Obviously it is still transmitting more than that because I am sure you didn't use your meter while kicking your bumpers to trigger collision detection

 

[SheepDog]

In my experience, pulling fuses may not always be the best option. Sometimes circuits share fuse positions, and are not labelled on the fuse block legend. I'm just going to unplug the TCU and call it a day

 

[Tomster]

What is being still transmitted then? The only reason why I did not pull the fuse yet is safety concerns : what if what is still being transmitted is the life-saving data in case of crashes? Like the 24x7 emergency service that OnStar used to offer.

Obviously it is still transmitting more than that because I am sure you didn't use your meter while kicking your bumpers to trigger collision detection

I don't know. The meter indicates cellular transmissions are occurring. It doesn't read the transmission and translate it.

 

[JT1]

What is being still transmitted then? The only reason why I did not pull the fuse yet is safety concerns : what if what is still being transmitted is the life-saving data in case of crashes? Like the 24x7 emergency service that OnStar used to offer.

Obviously it is still transmitting more than that because I am sure you didn't use your meter while kicking your bumpers to trigger collision detection

I think ford's crash alert works via ones cell phone. at least that's the way it worked on older vehicles before the modem came factory installed. Also, I've seen cars with 4G delete on the window sticker. I'm presuming the crash alert still woks on those cars.

 

[RTFM]

I've seen cars with 4G delete on the window sticker. I'm presuming the crash alert still woks on those cars.

The 4G (delete) is not related to TCU. It is to provide onboard Wifi to SIM-less devices like tablets, iPods and laptops — or to devices that don’t want to use their own cell data.

 

[AlphaTheBum]

The FordPass concept is a really interesting concept. Isn't it great that you can remote start your car, monitor some key vitals, and also determine its position? Well, yes it is.

However there is a dark side to all of this. Ford monitors how your car is driven, position, and certain parameters such as speed and how you drive.

Have a look at the Ford Pass privacy policy. They are pretty straight forward how they will use your data and what it could mean to you and your privacy.

I'm all for these neat features. But what I dont understand is why corporate America feels the necessity to capture my data and use it as a tool for what?

I just had my CFTP delivered. I am already in the process of disabling the data connection of my CFTP to Mother Ford. My tech says he knows how to disable the link and I'm looking forward to hearing his approach to how to get this done. I recently came across a thread over in the GT350 section that addresses this issue. Could it be as simple as pulling a fuse? So far, no other system has been affected ny disabling this data link.

I'll be working with my tech to see what he has to suggest. So far, if it is as simple as pulling a fuse, all those who have concerns about your data, your driving habits, and your privacy are being used now have an option.

Initially, anyone who is concerned with how ford collects data associated with you has the option to opt out. The way I read it is that you can opt out, but you are opting out of the ford pass program. Data that is specific to your VIN is still being collected. How it is stored and used from that point on is a mystery.

I plant to opt out, and disable the data link. It is none of Fords business how I drive my car, where I go, or how I utilize a car that i bought and paid for.

So, i think that this is an interesting subject, both from a tech standpoint as well as from a privacy perspective.

Your thoughts, please.


Someone just posted this over in the GT350 section of this forum.

How to disable your 4G data link to Ford
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/4g-modem-disabling-instructions.146860/

jsut turn off connected data in sync setting

 

[GR1MxREAPER]

2019 is when Ford started building this into the 350s. It's not 2029. It hasn't been 10 years.

Trolling are we?

I am talking about the industry has had this technology for a long time… not just ford and the mustang lol..

 

[GR1MxREAPER]

Yeah, because it's really really hard to re-install a fuse back when taking the car in for warranty work.

I meant the 5th thing on the list being the one you probably shouldn’t do not the 4th..

 

[GR1MxREAPER]

I'm confused as to why people would jump on this thread, to denounce or come up with a reason why someone should not do this. If you don't want to disconnect, fine. What is the point of trying to convince people not to do this? If you are afraid you will lose your warranty, or you're just generally a scared person and like the idea of big brother having a little bit more of your data, then go away. Keep your car connected, and carry on.

I have no warranty and a FBO car so it isn’t about that.. it is about the people buying a 1st year car to then change a bunch of stuff and when something goes wrong why give Ford another reason to possibly deny your warranty.. it isn’t about convincing people or scared of the big companies it is more about why? But either way I don’t care I think it’s funny cause it creates great posts down the road when people are crying about their “poor car is broke, and big mean Ford won’t cover it” look at all the recalls in the industry right now.. I just meant wait a while before you start tearing stuff out of the car or changing to much stuff on a first year car. (Talking about the 2024+ new mustangs not the current ones)

 

[Tomster]

I have no warranty and a FBO car so it isn’t about that.. it is about the people buying a 1st year car to then change a bunch of stuff and when something goes wrong why give Ford another reason to possibly deny your warranty.. it isn’t about convincing people or scared of the big companies it is more about why? But either way I don’t care I think it’s funny cause it creates great posts down the road when people are crying about their “poor car is broke, and big mean Ford won’t cover it” look at all the recalls in the industry right now.. I just meant wait a while before you start tearing stuff out of the car or changing to much stuff on a first year car. (Talking about the 2024+ new mustangs not the current ones)

Pulling a plug on the TCU? Really? That is something from make believe land.

Tell me about when someone had a warranty claim denied for pulling the TCU plug or harness. Tuning or modifying your engine might, but certainly not disconnecting your TCU. Again, more warranty work done that I can remember with my TCU disconnected. No issue.

Start another thread about warranty issues please. I will go back and forth there all day long if you like. This nonsense is distracting from this thread's content. You've said your peace, now please move along. Thanks.

 

[luca1290]

Whether you pull the fuse, pull that harness, or somehow figure out a way to use forscan to shut the modem off, it's all good. I loaned my meter to a friend and I'll be getting it back soon. I'll experiment with the '21 escape and see if forscan does stop the 4G data from transmission. I do recall a while back (and it was a long time ago) that the interface in SYNC didn't stop transmission, it only opted out of the fordpass and data sharing for insurance.

When you do please post the results. What I expect is that when the TCU disconnects from the GSM network all RF activities will drop. If you can monitor the PIDs via Forscan you should see it disconnect in real time.

I don't have such meter and I'm not buying it because in my hand will become useless quite fast.

We can also speculate that there may be firmware differences in the TCUs for the EU market and the US market, or the TCU remains connected for things like emergency calling, but again, monitoring the PIDs and verifying with the RF meter should give a straight answer.

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