Toyota Owner Claims Vehicle Data Was Sold to Third Parties Without Consent
A Toyota owner is seeking class-action status for a lawsuit alleging the automaker collected and sold his data to third parties, according to Car Scoops.
The plaintiff claims that Toyota, Progressive, and Connected Analytic Services are collecting driver data to justify increased premiums on auto insurance policies.
Toyota vehicles have had technology to track driving habits since model year 2018. The plaintiff’s 2021 RAV4 XLE in particular was equipped with a ‘telemetry’ tracking device, collecting info on location, fuel levels, mileage, speed, tire pressure, window status, and seatbelt status.
The plaintiff’s lawsuit was prompted by an incident this past January, when signing up for insurance with Progressive. Though he opted out of its data sharing program, he then received a notice that Progressive had his driving data as recently as Jan. 20, 2025. He was told by Progressive that this data came from Toyota.
When the plaintiff reached out to Toyota, the company said he had signed up for a trial program to share driving data when he purchased his vehicle, but he claims he was never made aware his data would be sold to third parties.
The lawsuit was made in Texas, with the plaintiff now seeking class-action status.
