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Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

Removing the modem and GPS from my 2024 RAV4 hybrid

arkadiyt

Comments (195)

  • eigencoder
    > Important: Even after the modem is removed, if you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth then the car will use your phone as an internet connection and send all the same telemetry data back to Toyota.How is this the case? I thought bluetooth was just sharing my phone's audio. Why would it allow requests over the internet? Surely there's a way to tell the phone not to give its internet connection to any connected bluetooth device?
  • nurple
    > Even after the modem is removed, if you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth then the car will use your phone as an internet connection and send all the same telemetry data back to Toyota. However, if you use a wired USB connection then it does not do that (see the discussion here and elsewhere), so I exclusively use CarPlay via USB.The problem with this is that both carplay and android auto capture their own vehicle telemetry. So even though the car is not able to use your phone as a general data pipe, Google and Apple still get access to this data when you're connected.They are both very cagey with how they talk about this (or don't).
  • lucisferre
    I have the same car and want to do this, but not for the reasons the author noted but because the GPS unit in the car is broken when paired with Carplay and has the wrong compass heading causing navigation to be completely useless.I have reported this to Toyota multiple times with videos detailing the problem and they have denied the problem and ultimately when faced with the evidence simply refused to fix it.I've been a big fan of Toyota's Production System and their management culture, but this experience has really diminished the brand for me. I realize these problems exist with all cars today. The pattern seems to be to foist low-quality hardware and software on their customers and take no responsibility for the results. Software bugs aren't what they consider a "typical car problem" so they simply don't fix them.
  • everdrive
    The 2024 Ford Maverick has a single fuse for the telematics unit that you can remove without throwing a code or an error. No idea if this remained true after the 2025-2026 refresh, but worth knowing.https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/telematics-f...
  • ezfe
    Just a note about Toyota specifically - There are many blog posts and articles out there alleging that Toyota shares your data with insurance companies.As I own two Toyota's I have read through these carefully and consistently the theme is that the owner was opted into this program without knowing it (likely by the sales person clicking through setup steps to enable every feature). If you are not opted in, I have seen no evidence they share driving data.When I set up my Toyotas, the app clearly walks through the programs they have and you must click either "yes/opt in" or "no/opt out" for each program. It is not opted in by default.
  • Barbing
    > Unfortunately I think it’s only a matter of time before the modem and GPS become more deeply integrated into the car (making this blog post infeasible), or cars have more drastic failure modes when the modem/GPS is removed, or anti-right-to-repair laws get passed to further clamp down on this behavior.Guaranteed
  • ComplexSystems
    The reason I think this is a bad idea is that it lulls you into a false sense of security. The article makes recommendations that seem thorough and sensible - keyword "seem" - but, as mentioned elsewhere here, there are other potential hidden sources of telemetry (in CarPlay and Android Auto), and who knows what else.For this kind of thing to succeed as a general lifestyle, you would need to invest an enormous amount of time making potentially irreversible modifications to all kinds of electronic equipment - only to be virtually guaranteed to miss something.Do this kind of thing if you want, but don't be fooled into thinking you're actually solving the problem for real.
  • a-dub
    > Strong Federal privacy laws would make posts like this unnecessary, that’s the world I’d rather live in.yes. there ought to be a right to reasonable expectation of behavioral privacy where if it's not obvious and intrinsic to function that behavior is being recorded then it must be consented with functional opt-out.gps tracking to the manufacturer of a car seems egregious. i wonder if it runs afoul of anti-stalking laws.
  • alentred
    Buy Nissan instead, they will do that for you free of charge. I own 2021 Nissan Leaf and Nissan sent me an email early this year telling that the communication infrastructure costs too much for them and they are taking it down.Jokes aside, I am seriously pissed at Nissan because it was one of reasons I bought it in the first place: to pre-heat or pre-cool the car remotely before going to work, while it is still plugged to the wall charger. And they just decided to take it down. Funny thing, they even mentioned in the email that "not to worry, I can still use my AC when I am in the car". Wow.Sorry, rant. Anyway, my point being - buy Nissan Leaf, no connectivity guaranteed by the manufacturer, LOL.
  • s3p
    I would like everyone to know that if you have a brand new Kia, the process is even easier. I spent $20 on the Kia service manual access (didn't even know that was a thing until I read OP's post) it finally figured it out.Modern Kias with the CCNC cockpit have a data connectivity unit that exclusively handles cellular. If you can get this unit unplugged, which only requires two Phillips head screws to remove, your set. It took me nearly 2 years to figure this out. Thanks OP
  • ezfe
    > Even after the modem is removed, if you connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth then the car will use your phone as an internet connection and send all the same telemetry data back to ToyotaWhat is the basis for this claim? I've never heard of this capability.
  • venussnatch
    What is the suspected method of Bluetooth communication?Afaik phones do not share their internet blindly to Bluetooth devices.
  • freshnode
    Writes long article about the concerns of software phoning homePeppers article with Amazon affiliate linksPerfect summation of 2026
  • Fervicus
    We need a Framework laptop equivalent for cars.
  • mono442
    Modern cars are horrible. I recently discovered that all new cars sold in the EU constantly beep at you for supposedly speeding, even though the system doesn’t work well, and it has to be turned off every time you start the car.
  • cbdevidal
    I was looking into this with Teslas. Apparently the car will not be bricked if you cut the antenna wires. They are in the side mirrors (both sides) and the wires are exposed when you pull the interior door panels.If you then charge only at home you’re even more private than gas cars, which must stop at gas stations with cameras.But both types of vehicles are easily spotted with Flock cameras. And if you keep your phone on that tracks you, too.I’m not that paranoid so I won’t do it, I just wanted to know.
  • jmward01
    We need more posts like this. I'd love a follow-up where instead of removing it injects fake data to the system. I am tired of passively being digitally assaulted. If they are going to do this to me without my knowing consent I want to fight back.
  • summermusic
    I dread the day I will have to start doing this when the 2015 vehicle I have finally goes
  • dbavaria
    Apps like Spotify in my Volvo are convinced I am in New Jersey while I'm on the opposite coast. On one hand I like that inaccurate data is being peddled to advertisers but at the same time I would actually prefer regionally relevant ads if I have to listen to them anyway.
  • p00ter
    There's going to be a lot of this going on in the future. RabbitLabs CAN Commander go BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
  • rbbydotdev
    > Strong Federal privacy laws would make posts like this unnecessary, that’s the world I’d rather live in.Amen.
  • btbuildem
    There's a fortune to be made for whomever produces a car that has minimal features, and and electric-drivetrain with onboard gasoline generator. No screens, knobs and buttons, no assists. Extra fortune if you can licence designs and revive some of the old-and-loved classics with new safety features.
  • inahga
    Has anyone experienced a case where they needed an over-the-air safety update/recall performed, but weren't able to because they removed the cellular modem?I'd like to think failure to apply an OTA safety update would trigger a mail-out notification requesting you bring the vehicle into the dealer. But that's probably optimistic...
  • chzblck
    I cannot imagine the paranoia that it would take for me to go through this process.
  • anon
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  • Animats
    How good a position can you get from GPS today in receive only mode?You can download and store Open Street Map for individual states. Map data doesn't have to come in over the air. That's not the problem. It's enhancing GPS with cell phone tower data that's the problem. That requires a cell connection.
  • everdrive
    Also worth noting that as recently as 2024, the S and SV models for Nissan did not have telematics whatsoever. This may still be true for the 2025 / 2026 models, I just haven't checked.
  • dingdingdang
    Excellent practical guide and pictures, if OP is around on this thread: well done! Your future self is going to appreciative too when this needs repeating at some point!
  • chromadon
    I wonder if insurance would refuse to pay out in the event of an accident due to this modification?
  • alxjsn
    Another method is to disconnect the antenna and add a resistor so it acts as a dummy load. Here is an example with a Tacoma: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/simpler-solution-for-dis...
  • ro_bit
    > Everything that relies on a data connection will no longer work. This includes things like over-the-air updates as well as Toyota cloud-based services and SOS functionalityI hate how this is a trade off. It’s totally possible for cars to broadcast their location only if the SOS is pressed or the crash sensor is triggered, but it feels like there’s no way to have that without also having everything else.
  • amelius
    Modern cars are like Smart TVs.
  • anon
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  • swader999
    If you get into enough trouble they'll get all your phone data and cell tower pings or your passenger's.
  • Brian_K_White
  • bee_rider
    Who’s responsible for presenting the privacy policy to passengers of a car, anyway?
  • mchusma
    I get this desire and commend the author, but I just want self driving cars and so I think we are just stuck with this.
  • _blk
    cool, well done. Now we just need it for the other gazillion "smart-cars" out there
  • fnord77
    Couldn't you just ground or resistor out the car's cellular antenna so it can't transmit data?
  • java-man
    Maybe two metal pins through the GPS and the cellular antenna coaxial cables would do the trick?
  • j0e1
    Open-source car, please.
  • aframemodular
    Great guide! After getting to the end, I had no idea what AirPlay was so I looked it up... bro, all this effort to avoid telemetry and you are using an iPhone XD
  • surcap526
    [dead]
  • chris_explicare
    [dead]
  • TheChaplain
    If you live in the EU and bought the car there, the GDPR still applies, even if data is sent to Toyota in Japan.You have the full right to view and ask for deletion.
  • lapetitejort
    If you are wary of all the smart features in your next car purchase, consider buying a bicycle. We do not have to entertain the creeping invasion of our privacy