Vehicle Data Safety

When discussing the protection of one’s personal electronic data, the first things that usually come to mind are cell phones, computers, bank PINs, and log-in credentials. However, what you may not be aware of is the copious amount of personal data that is stored within your vehicle. Whether you’re selling a personal vehicle, or returning a rental or company-provided vehicle, it’s extremely important that you take adequate measures to safeguard your privacy.

Below is a checklist developed by the Motorlease Vehicle Team, that’s designed to assist in protecting your valuable personal data from outside parties.

Privacy Checklist When Returning or Selling Your Vehicle

Consult your owner’s manual or local authorized dealer for details about resetting and removing your information from the system when turning in or selling your vehicle.

• Phone Contact/Address Book – Delete your personal contact information that was downloaded when you “sync’d” your phone with a vehicle.
• Mobile Applications in the Car – Reset/delete the car applications that contain personal information that you may have purchased and should not be accessed by others.
• Vehicle Hard Drive Storage – Delete the data on this hard drive.
• Home, Work, and Favorite Places on Navigation – Delete this from the navigation system.
• Garage Door Programming – Reset all garage door programming when selling a vehicle.
• Toll Passes – Remove any electronic toll passes from your vehicle.
• Optional Plug-ins – Remove any devices that you obtained for use in your vehicle, such as a dongle that may share car information with third parties. These devices are usually located under the steering wheel, and are connected to a data port.