When most people think about what their car knows about them, they can picture the basics: mileage, fuel usage, maybe if the check engine light is on. Few imagine that their vehicle could be quietly collecting a detailed photo of their every drive – where they go, how they brake, how often they drive at night – and then share that information with external companies.
That’s exactly what Tampa Bay’s WTSP-TV says a Polk County man alleges in a lawsuit against Toyota. The story quickly caught the attention of motorists across the country.
Philip Siefke, a resident of Eagle Lake, filed his complaint in federal court claiming that his Toyota vehicle did much more than help him get from point A to point B. According to his lawsuit, Toyota’s connected vehicle systems were recording a surprisingly rich set of data about his driving and then providing that information to third parties — all without his clear and informed consent.
The revelations shocked Siefke when they came to light last year and have many other drivers wondering what they might be sharing their cars with.
The Smoking Gun
Image Credit: Toyota.
Siefke’s discovery was made in early 2025 when he was applying for car insurance with Progressive. During the online process, he opted out of the insurance company’s own usage-based data program, assuming it would stop any transfer of driving information.
Instead, a pop-up message informed him that Progressive already had detailed driving data on him going back months. That data was linked to his vehicle, not the insurer’s program. Confused, he called Progressive, and the insurer told him the information came from Toyota itself.
Shock turned to disbelief when Siefke contacted Toyota. A customer service representative told him that his purchase of the vehicle had automatically enrolled him in a trial of Toyota’s data sharing program. Siefke said he was never informed that the proof existed, that the data would be shared beyond Toyota, or that if there was no option later it might not stop the flow of information.
The Connected Car Data Pipeline
Photo Courtesy: Autorepublika.
The lawsuit paints a picture of modern automakers pushing deeply into the connected data business. Vehicles built in recent years often include telematics systems that can collect GPS location, speed patterns, braking and cornering behavior, seat belt usage, and even vehicle health information.
Toyota then allegedly provided that data to Connected Analytic Services, which made it available to insurers like Progressive. Drivers only find out when they are surprised with insurance applications that already show months of driving history that they thought no one but themselves knew about.
Siefke asked the court to certify his complaint as a class action, arguing that thousands of Toyota owners across the country could have been followed in the same way and that they were never informed clearly and upfront about how their information would be collected and shared.
But late last year, a federal judge ruled that because of arbitration clauses buried in Toyota’s terms of service and related service agreements, the case could not proceed as a class action. Instead, Siefke must pursue his claims individually through arbitration. His attorneys with the firm Morgan & Morgan are moving forward and exploring avenues to still seek relief on behalf of other drivers.
The complaint alleges violations of various federal laws, including the Wiretapping Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, along with claims for invasion of privacy, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. Damages sought in the case exceed $5 million, although with arbitration as the only way forward, individual outcomes remain uncertain.
A Wake Up Call for Drivers Everywhere
Drivers across the country are paying attention to this issue. On social media car forums, owners of Toyota and other modern vehicles share their own concerns about telemetry data and what automakers are allowed to collect and share. Some say they discovered data was being sent even after they believed they had opted out. Others warn readers to check the privacy settings in vehicle apps if they want some control.
The case raises uncomfortable questions about how much personal movement and behavior is casually given up when we buy a “smart” car. It also highlights how agreements buried in small print can drive legal outcomes, moving disputes out of public courtrooms and into private arbitration. At stake is not just compensation for one driver, but whether consumers should expect to know what modern vehicles are doing with the digital footprints they create.
Sources: WTSP-TV, Lutzker & Lutzker