Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited Privacy Policy

Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited (Ford of Canada) is a manufacturer or distributor of vehicles, engines, and automotive accessories, parts, and service products. This privacy policy applies to our brands, Ford, the Lincoln Motor Company, Lincoln and Mercury and their associated brands and products, including Ford Genuine Parts and Service, Quick Lane, Roadside Assistance, and Motorcraft. Our automotive products are distributed to you through our network of Ford and Ford Lincoln dealers, independently owned and operated businesses with their own privacy policies and procedures. Our affiliated company, Ford Credit Canada Company and its subsidiaries, associates and affiliates (collectively, Ford Credit) provides vehicle financing and related financial products and services. Please contact Ford Credit at its Customer Service Centre, 1-877-636-7316, or click here for more information about Ford Credit and its privacy policy.

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If you have any questions, comments, concerns or complaints about privacy and the handling of your personal information, please contact us at our Customer Relationship Centre (CRC):  Ford -  1-800-565-FORD (3673);  Lincoln - 1-800-387-9333. We are committed to working with you to obtain a fair and rapid resolution of any complaints or disputes about privacy and the handling of your personal information and are happy to respond to your questions and comments. If after contacting our CRC you still have unresolved concerns with respect to our handling of your personal information, please write to our Privacy Officer:
 

Attention: Privacy Officer
Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited
P.O Box 2000
Oakville, ON, L6J 5E4
 

If you have completed the above process and we have been unable to resolve your concern, you may also contact the federal Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the appropriate provincial privacy officer. For more information, please go to https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/.

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We may collect the following types of information about you, your vehicle, or your use of our products or services:

• contact information which enables us to identify and communicate with you such as your name, address, phone number, e-mail, language preference, and title
• information which enables us to offer you products which better meet your needs such as demographic (age, gender, education level, occupation, marital and family status) purchase preferences, incentive eligibility, interests, vehicle purchase intentions, or vehicles which interest you
• information to enable us to process your payments, including payment card or banking information
• information about your vehicle, such as vehicle identification number (VIN), license plate number, applicable vehicle incentives, new or used, lease or purchase, any trade-in, odometer reading, make, model, model year and vehicle details, recalls, and customer notification programs, your selected dealer, and whether you have disposed of a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle
• information about your vehicle service, such as service history, warranty and repair data, mileage, your selected dealer and extended service plan, service data (diagnostic data about the performance or status of vehicle modules and systems) or roadside assistance for your vehicle
• information you provide us about you and your purchase, lease or service experience and competitive vehicle ownership or purchase intentions through our OneCX survey, our websites, test drives or other promotions or incentives, or through our CRC, including photos or videos you share with us
• financial and credit information about you shared with us by Ford Credit, when you have provided your consent
• information about your connected devices (such as phone, computer or tablet) and your use of our products or services, including unique identifiers such as IP address, device identifiers, types and settings, browser types and settings, network information, type/model of the mobile device – also see How We Collect and Use Information on our Website for more information
• information from or about your vehicle, if equipped, including its performance, Your Connected Vehicle (if equipped) for more information
• where you create an account with us, such as for FordPass or Lincoln Way, your contact information, your VIN, information relating to your use of the account and your mobile device, which may include location information.

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To communicate with you, maintain our relationship with you and improve your experience, or provide you with requested products or services

Ford of Canada may use information about you to communicate with you, to establish, maintain and improve our customer relationship with you, including better understanding your needs or preferences, or to provide you with requested products or services, such as:

• administering your purchase, warranty, any extended service plan, roadside assistance, or service, such as processing payments, verifying eligibility for incentives, advising you of product recalls or customer notifications and providing you with customer service, including identifying you, establishing your ownership of your vehicle, and contacting you if required
• obtaining feedback from you which helps improve your and others experiences, such as by conducting customer surveys and market research studies (which may be conducted by third parties on our behalf) 
• providing you with requested products or services, including auto filling data fields on our websites to improve your user experience and connectivity services
• responding to your inquiries, comments, concerns or requests for information, such as through our websites, Apps, or CRC
• assisting your selected dealer to meet your automotive product and service needs, such as where you need to export or import your vehicle
• providing you with information about your vehicle and its features or your other products or services, such as administrative information, product updates, and advising you if FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect (if equipped) is fully connected and, where equipped, delivering over the air updates to your vehicle, vehicle alerts or service recommendations to help you use your vehicle, products or services and all their features
• administering your account(s) with us, including any registration process, and your participation in our contests and events
• providing you with offers, incentives, marketing programs or promotional materials  about our products or products offered by others which may be of interest to you, including based on your needs or preferences.

We may also combine various information about you, such as related to your vehicle purchase, your use and activation of our Apps, your device, Connected Vehicle Information  (see Your Connected Vehicle, if equipped, below) and location information to send you personal and targeted communications.

Your Choices

You may decide that you do not want to receive marketing or survey materials from us, including personal and targeted communications.  You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our electronic marketing communications to you.  You may also  contact our CRC at 1-800-565-FORD (3673); Lincoln, 1-800-387-9333.  You may, however, no longer receive some offers or information of value to you.  Even if you opt out, you will continue to receive certain information about your vehicle ownership, such as important administrative and safety messages about warranty, customer notification programs, and product recalls, and if you have purchased an extended service plan, your extended service plan, or as required by law.  Also, please see the section below on Interest-Based/Online Behavioural Advertising and Opting Out.
 

To deliver, improve our products and services and develop new products and services

We may use information about you and your use of our products and services including Connected Vehicle Information (see Your Connected Vehicle, if equipped, below) to help ensure our products and services are operating as intended, such as better understanding and troubleshooting concerns or analyzing diagnostic information. We may also use certain information for product research and improvement purposes, such as to help improve the quality, safety and security of our products and services and to deliver you better products or services, or to help develop new products and services, such as connected or autonomous vehicles.
 

To manage our business and to comply with legal requirements

We may use customer information to manage our business and for appropriate business purposes, such as auditing, assessing the services we and our service providers provide such as our CRC, data analysis, fraud monitoring and prevention or where required to comply with legal, regulatory or contractual requirements, including to prevent and detect crime, fraud or protect, your, our or other’s rights.
 

Nonpersonally identifying information

Subject to applicable laws, we may de-identify  and/or aggregate personal information, including in any Ford customer profile and Connected Vehicle Information, and use such aggregated or de-identified information for any purpose.

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From You or Your Vehicle (if equipped) or your device(s)

We obtain information from you, such as when you complete our OneCX survey, participate in a contest, test drive, focus group or other research initiative or event, purchase roadside assistance or extended service plan or contact our CRC.  For example, when you contact our CRC or when we contact you, it is our general practice to monitor and/or record such contacts for staff training and quality assurance purposes.  We also obtain information from you or your devices when you use our websites or Apps.  See How We Collect and Use Information on our Website and Our Apps for more information.  Where equipped and enabled, we may obtain Connected Vehicle Information from your vehicle.  See Your Connected Vehicle (if equipped) for more information.

From Our Dealers

When you acquire a vehicle from a Ford of Canada dealer, the dealer provides us with information about you and your vehicle to enable us to administer your purchase such as:  your name and contact information,  and vehicle and transaction details, such as VIN, odometer reading, sale date, warranty start date, lease or purchase and applicable incentive information, any trade in VIN and odometer reading, and extended service plan coverage.  When you service your vehicle at a Ford of Canada dealer, your dealer may also provide us with information regarding your service experience, including your name, contact information, VIN, service date, vehicle diagnostic data, such as the performance or status of vehicle modules and systems, and transactional information such as repair type, completion date, and odometer reading.

From Ford Credit

When you finance or lease a vehicle from Ford Credit, where you have provided your consent, Ford Credit provides us with your contact information and information about your finance or lease contract so that we may offer you automotive or financial services products that may be of interest to you. Please contact Ford Credit at its Customer Service Centre, 1-877-636-7316, if you no longer wish us to receive any personal information from Ford Credit about you.

From Others

We have relationships with other organizations to conduct joint marketing activities such as contests through which we may obtain your name and address and other information about you, with your consent. These activities identify the other parties involved and provide information about their privacy practices. Any such other parties are bound by their privacy policy, not ours.  Subject to applicable laws. we may also receive personal information about you from other organizations, with your consent, such as list vendors who share names and addresses with us to send promotions or product information to the names on the list. We may receive aggregated or anonymous information from third parties.

To help ensure our database addresses remain accurate, we may obtain address information from third party licensed data providers for National Change of Address and other authorized parties.

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It is important to us that you feel confident in sharing your personal information with us.  We respect your privacy concerns and do not share, sell or rent your personal information to unaffiliated third parties for their own independent marketing purposes or use, unless you consent, as required by applicable privacy laws.

Our Service Providers

We may transfer personal information to service providers, suppliers, contractors, professional advisors,  or agents (including our affiliates acting in this capacity) that perform services for us, such as payment processing, mailings, customer service, call campaigns, marketing, information technology, data hosting, network or processing services, or otherwise to collect, use, or process personal, information on our behalf for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Some of these may be located outside of Canada, including in the United States and the Philippines. Specifically, we use service providers in the United States, including our parent Ford Motor Company, to store and process your personal information, for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. We require our service providers who have access to your personal information in connection with its processing or use for us to keep the information confidential and they are not permitted to use your personal information for any other purpose than to carry out the services they are performing for us. Reasonable contractual or other measures we may take to protect your personal information while handled by our service providers are subject to applicable legal requirements in Canada, the United States and other foreign countries, for example, lawful requirements to disclose personal information to governmental authorities in those countries.  By using our products or services or providing information to us, you consent to the transfer of your personal information to countries outside Canada, including the United States. While such information is outside of your country/province of residence, it is subject to the laws of the country/province/state in which it is held and may be subject to disclosure to the governments, courts or law enforcement, or regulatory agencies of such other country/province/state, pursuant to the laws of such country/province/state.

To improve our products and services, we share your name, contact information and vehicle details with third parties who may contact you to conduct market research studies on our behalf or on an industry wide basis and are contractually bound to only use your personal information for that purpose.
 

Payment Processing

We disclose personal information with your consent when you direct us to disclose it to others, as necessary to complete your transaction or provide the product you have requested or authorized. 

If you have signed up for recurring payments, your payment information along with your name and billing details, will be processed and stored by our service provider.
 

Your Dealer(s)

We may share your personal information with Ford or Ford and Lincoln dealers where necessary to provide you with a product or service, such as a test drive or quote, to enable them to meet your needs. We also may share with your Ford or Ford and Lincoln dealer information that you provide to our CRC where necessary to assist you to resolve any issues or concerns you may have and contact information that you have previously provided to your dealer, updated for accuracy, if we have more accurate information. If you have not specified a dealer or do not have a dealer, with your consent, we may provide the Ford or Ford Lincoln dealer who has responsibility for the market area in which you reside, personal information you have provided to us, such as when you enter a contest, so that the dealer may contact you. Collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by dealer(s) is subject to the dealer's privacy policies and terms.
 

Ford Account Identification

You may use the same account identification (e-mail address) for one or more Ford of Canada or Ford Motor Company websites or accounts (including syncmyride.com) or choose to create a new account. To facilitate this, when you provide your email address to us on registration with a Ford of Canada website, we check whether we have an account with this email address and advise you. When you register with a Ford Motor Company website, we share with Ford Motor Company whether a Ford of Canada website account exists for the email address so that Ford Motor Company can advise you whether you may use an existing account.  In addition, for your convenience, when you do a password reset, this password reset will apply to all accounts which share credentials and use the same email address, which may include Ford of Canada, Ford Motor Company and our affiliated companies and Apps (such as FordPass and Lincoln Way) and brands (such as Motor Craft and The Lincoln Motor Company).

Providing You Services and Protecting You and Others

We may also disclose your personal information:

• to our business partners, other companies or organizations, to provide you with requested products or services or where you have asked us or agreed that we can share your personal information with them
• to any law enforcement agency, court, regulator, government authority or other third party where we believe in good faith is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation, or otherwise where permitted by law to protect our rights, the rights of any third party or individuals' personal or public safety, or to detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or safety issues
• in connection with a change in ownership or control of, or the grant of a security interest in, all or a part of Ford of Canada, for example, a sale, merger or joint venture, provided that such party is required to use or disclose your personal information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy, unless you agree otherwise
• to our affiliates to carry out the purposes set out in this Policy.

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Each dealership operation is a separate legal entity, independent from Ford of Canada. As such, each dealership has its own privacy policies and practices.  We recommend that you review the privacy policies and practices of the Ford of Canada Dealer(s) with whom you are dealing to ensure that you understand their privacy practices.  When completing a transaction with a Ford of Canada Dealer, such as service of your vehicle, you may be provided with information relating to the Dealer’s privacy policies and practices, including that personal information you provide may be shared with Ford of Canada, referring to this Privacy Policy.  While Ford of Canada encourages its dealers to comply with all applicable privacy laws, Ford of Canada is not responsible for its dealer’s compliance with applicable laws.

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Collection and Use of Personal Information on our Website

There are instances where we request personal information such as name, address, phone number and e-mail address on our site, such as to provide you with a service, coupon, or correspondence, during contests or promotions or where you participate in interactive online activities such as e-newsletter registration.  At times, we conduct voluntary online surveys to obtain your feedback. You may decide to send to us personally identifying information in an email, for example in a message about your Ford product or service. Any personal information collected is used as set out in this Privacy Policy.  Only those individuals with a legitimate business need to access your information for these purposes are granted such access. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not provide us with this personal information through our website.

You may also have the opportunity to contact or request information from your local dealer through website tools such as Build and Price and Request a Quote.  If you choose to provide your personal information to your local dealer, it is collected by FordDirect, a company that assists dealers, and is provided to the dealer you select.  Please review the FordDirect privacy policy located at https://forddirect.com/privacy and your local dealer’s privacy policy to review how they collect, use and disclose any information you provide to them.

Please also keep in mind that if you disclose personal information through a chat room or message board or other public online forum, this information may be collected and used by others.

Online Tracking Information

When you visit this web site, other parties such as third-party advertising partners and analytics providers may collect information about your digital activity over time and across digital platforms. This information may include identifiers that may permit those parties to serve tailored ads to your device(s). For more information about third-party advertising partners’ collection and use of such data for interest-based advertising purposes (and opting out of such use), see “Interest-Based Online/Behavioral Advertising” below.

Through our websites, we collect information from site visitors to perform site metrics and compile aggregate and statistical data to improve the functionality of the website, including by identifying popular features and measuring site activity to better meet user wants and needs.

This information may include unique identifiers such as IP address, device identifiers, types and settings, browser types and settings, network information and information such as tracking site pages visited, time spent on our site or parts of a page, survey responses, clicks, mouse movements, scrolls, page views (URL and page content), screen resolution, referrer URL, visitor type (first time or returning), peak site usage times, language, City, Province, Country, postal code, events (which website tools were used) and layout and design and site click through analysis (using session replay, heat maps, funnel and form analysis, and other related means). This also includes data provided by a third party that surveys site visitors on our behalf.  This website uses Mouseflow, a third party analytics tool to track page content and click/touch movement, scroll and key stroke activity.  For more information on Mouseflow’s privacy practices, go to https://mouseflow.com/privacy/. and https://mouseflow.com/opt-out/   We  may share site metrics, aggregated information, with our affiliated companies, service providers (such as Adobe Analytics, Foresee, Mouseflow) and others.

If you visit a related mobile site or are directed to this site via a QR Code that you scanned, we collect additional information which may include the type/model of the mobile device viewing the site and the mobile device’s service provider and operating system.  If your mobile phone has the capability and the GPS feature on the mobile phone is turned on, you may be able to use certain locator functionalities on the site which may use GPS data to determine your location in order to fulfil your request.

Site visitors that use certain email or text message sharing tools may be directed to first use the Google reCAPTCHA tool so that an integrity check can be performed to ensure a bot is not using the sharing tool.  Google collects hardware and software information such as device and application data in order to perform the integrity checks. Data collected by Google is subject to its privacy policy and we encourage you to review the Google Privacy Policy at http://www.google.com/privacy.html and Google’s How Google Uses data when you use our partner’s site or apps (located at www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/) so that you can understand how the data is collected, used and shared.

We use this information for the purpose of performing analytics on user experience while visiting the site. This analysis:

• Is performed on an aggregate level
• May involve the use of a third party vendor acting on our behalf
• May be combined with data collected by third parties on other sites and apps and across devices
• Is performed in order to improve our website and the user experience
• May include the use of session and/or persistent cookies to track user movement across this and other Ford Motor Company websites or to track other events within or across this and other Ford Motor Company websites

Social Sharing / Liking

We may provide functionality on this website if you “like” or share content via our social sharing capability, that you will be connecting to a third-party social media server (i.e. Facebook.com, Twitter.com). Ford of Canada may track on an aggregate level, the number of items "liked" or items on this website that you choose to share with the third-party social media site.

If you have opted in to Ford communications, we may share hashed emails with social media advertising partners such as Facebook and Google so that they can create Custom Audiences and Customer Match and deliver advertisements on our behalf to their members. Members are identifiable when the social media partner matches our hashed data to its hashed data of its members.

Cookies, Web Beacons and Advertisements

Our website may use session and persistent “cookies,” session logs, client side storage,survey tools, spot light ads/web beacons/GIF/pixel tags, banner ads or links, third party networks that serve user-requested emails (e.g., a third party email service provider for Tell-a-Friend user-customized emails where the email addresses collected are used solely for the purpose of forwarding to your intended recipient), and third-party click tracking analytics tools (such as Adobe, DoubleClick, Efficient Frontier, Keynote, Google Analytics, Mouseflow, and iPerceptions and these companies may also use such tools).

A “cookie” is a small text file that helps us in many ways to make your visit to our website more enjoyable and meaningful to you. For example, cookies avoid you having to enter your postal code every time you come back to one of our websites. They also allow us to tailor a website or advertisement to better match your interests and preferences. There are a couple different types of cookies.

A “session” cookie is stored only in your computer's working memory (RAM) and only lasts for your browsing session. When you close all your browser's windows, or when you shut down your computer, the session cookie disappears forever.

A “persistent” cookie is stored on your computer's hard drive until a specified date, which could be tomorrow, next week, or 10 years from now. Persistent cookies stay on your computer until either a) they expire, b) they are overwritten with newer cookies, or c) you manually remove them. Most browsers can be configured not to accept cookies, however, this may prevent you from having access to some site functions or features.

This site may use a third party to activate and/or deliver a service, or deliver site functionality such as fulfilling your request for a product or service. In performing this function the third party may place a persistent cookie on your computer or have to gather personal information from you in order to activate and deliver the product or service.

This site may use third-party click tracking analytics tool (such as Adobe, DoubleClick, Efficient Frontier, Keynote, Google Analytics and Mouseflow) to capture clickthrough statistics.  These parties may collect information about your use of the site and across different sites and mobile aps and across devices over time.

This website may use spotlight ads/web beacons/GIF/pixel tags which are site instrumentation tools that help us to determine, for instance, whether a page has been viewed or not and, if so, how many times. Emails or electronic newsletters we send may use tools (e.g., pixel tags or web beacons) to gather email metrics and information to improve the reader’s experience such as how many of the emails are opened, if they were printed or forwarded, the type of device (e.g., mobile or PC) from which they were opened, and the city, province, and county associated with the applicable IP address. In general, any electronic image viewed as part of a webpage, including an ad banner, can act as a web beacon.

This website may generate a “session log” when you visit the site.  We use session logs to help us determine how people travel through our site. In this way, we can structure our pages so that the information most frequently visited is easier to find. By tracking page visits, we can also determine if the information we're providing is being used. The only data gathered is the Internet Protocol (IP) address from which you came, the website that referred you, the pages you visited and the date and time of those visits.

Users may be provided the opportunity to integrate with third-party social media sites, and we may track such things as the number of items “liked” on this site, or items on this site that you choose to share with a third-party social media site.

Users may be directed to our site via banner ads, site links or QR Codes. Ads, site links or QR Codes may use tools such as cookies or web beacons to deliver metrics on the effectiveness of the ads or links.

Interest-Based/Online Behavioural Advertising

On some pages of our site we may allow third-party advertising partners to set web tracking and storage technology tools (e.g., cookies, web beacons, pixels) to collect anonymous, non-personal information regarding your activities on those pages (e.g., your IP address, page(s) visited, time of day). We may also share such information we have collected with third-party advertising partners. These advertising partners may use this information (and combine it with information collected from other websites, apps or other digital services) for purposes of delivering future targeted advertisements to you when you visit other (non-Ford) sites, mobile apps or digital services within their networks and to provide measurement services. This practice is commonly referred to as "interest-based advertising" or "online behavioural advertising."

Pages of our website that collect information that may be used by such advertising partners for interest-based advertising purposes are identified by a link to AdChoices in the footer of the page.

Opting out (site pages). If you do not want your online browsing while on such pages to be used for interest-based advertising purposes, you may click on the AdChoices link in the footer to opt-out of such uses by the listed advertising partner(s). An opt-out applies only to the device and browser in use at the time of opting out.  If you clear your browser cookies and wish to remain opted out of interest-based advertising, you must opt out again.  See below to learn more about how opting out works.  Even if you opt-out through this service, we may still collect non-personal information regarding your site activities and use it for non-interest-based advertising purposes as described in this privacy policy.

Opting out (advertisements). Advertisements on third-party sites that contain the AdChoices link and that link to this privacy policy may have been directed to you based on anonymous, non-personal information collected by advertising partners over time and across websites. These advertisements provide a mechanism to opt-out of the advertising partners' use of this information for interest-based advertising purposes. Even if you opt-out through this service, we may still collect and use information from the advertisements for non-interest based advertising purposes, such as to determine the effectiveness of the advertisements.

Opting out (Apps).  iOS and Android mobile device users, and possibly users of other mobile devices, may control in app advertisements by disabling or resetting the mobile device advertiser ID.  Below are links to instructions for controlling advertising IDs on iOS and Android devices:

iOS – click here – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202074

Android – click here – https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/3405269

See the Opting out (site pages) above for opting out of interest based advertising related to your mobile phone’s browser.

Opting out (interest-based advertisements on other digital services).  Users of other digital services may be able to opt out of interest based advertising through the provider of the digital service.  We encourage you to review the privacy policy of your digital service provider to determine if they engage in interest based advertising and if so, how to opt out.

Opt-out Compliance Service. This site and advertisements on third-party sites that link to this privacy statement use the Ghostery assurance service to comply with the cross-industry Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioural Advertising (now generally known as interest based advertising) managed by the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC) (www.youradchoices.ca). When you opt-out on site pages or through such advertisements, Ghostery conveys your opt-out election(s) to the applicable advertising partner(s), which then know to place a cookie on your specific computer and browser (and only the specific computer and browser from which you opt out) indicating that you have opted out. If you clear your browser cookies and wish to remain opted out of interest-based advertising, you must opt-out again. The list of our advertising partners that place cookies on this website may be updated from time to time. To opt-out of internet-based advertising by all DAAC-participating companies, visit www.youradchoices.ca/

Links to other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. We encourage you to review the privacy statements of all sites which you visit, including those whose links are provided, so that you can understand how those sites collect, use and share your information. We are not responsible for the privacy statements, content or data handling practices on other websites.

Parts of this site may provide dealer and vehicle locator services which are provided by a third party vendor.  In order to provide you with the closest dealers, we may need to collect your IP address to determine your general location or we may ask you to provide location information such as postal code or City and Province.  In instances where we use a third party vendor to provide dealer locator services, we provide them a postal code.

If you use available mapping functionality on this website, you agree to be bound by the mapping service’s terms and conditions and privacy policy.  For example, if you use Bing, you agree to be bound by the Microsoft Service Agreement and Microsoft Online Privacy Statement.  In addition, if you are on an associated mobile site and the GPS feature on the mobile phone is turned on (if it has such capability), the GPS data may be used by the mapping service to determine your location in order to fulfill your request for location services.  If  Google Street View functionality is made available on this website and you choose to use this functionality, you agree to be bound by Google’s Terms of Use and Google’s Privacy Policy.

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Vehicle Data Recorders

Your vehicle has electronic control units that have data recording functionality and the ability to permanently or temporarily store data.  This data could include information on the condition and status of your vehicle, vehicle maintenance requirements, events and malfunctions.  The types of data that can be recorded are described below.  Some of the data recorded is stored in event logs or error logs.   We recommend you do not connect wireless plug-in devices to the data link connector as unauthorized third parties could gain access to vehicle data and impair the performance of safety related systems.

Data recorded includes, for example:

• Operating status of system components, for example fuel level, tire pressure and battery charge level
• Vehicle and component status, for example, wheel speed, deceleration, lateral acceleration and seat belt status
• Events or errors in essential systems, for example headlamps and brakes
• System responses to driving situations, for example air bag deployment and stability control
• Environmental conditions, for example temperature

Some of this data, when used in combination with other information, for example, an accident report, damage to a vehicle or eyewitness statements, could be associated with a specific person.

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Service data recorders in your vehicle are capable of collecting and storing diagnostic information about your vehicle. This potentially includes information about the performance or status of various systems and modules in the vehicle, such as engine, throttle, steering or brake systems. In order to properly diagnose and service your vehicle, Ford Motor Company, Ford of Canada and service and repair facilities may access or share vehicle diagnostic information received through a direct connection to your vehicle when diagnosing or servicing your vehicle.  Ford of Canada may use vehicle diagnostic information for purposes set out in this Policy.

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Your vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations such as an air bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle; this data will assist in understanding how a vehicle's systems performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in the vehicle is designed to record such data as:

• how various systems in your vehicle were operating;
• whether or not the driver and passenger seatbelts were buckled/fastened;
• how far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or the brake pedal;
• how fast the vehicle was traveling; and
• where the driver was positioning the steering wheel.

This data can help provide a better understanding of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur. Note: EDR data is recorded by your vehicle only if a nontrivial crash situation occurs; no data is recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data or information (e.g. name, gender, age, and crash location) is recorded (see limitations regarding 911 Assist below). However, parties such as law enforcement could combine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routinely acquired during a crash investigation.

To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law enforcement, that have such special equipment, can read the information if they have access to the vehicle or the EDR. We do not access EDR information without obtaining consent, unless pursuant to court order or where required by law enforcement, other government authorities or other third parties acting with lawful authority. Other parties may seek to access the information independently of us.

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Your vehicle has electronic control units that have the ability to store data based on your settings. The data is stored locally in the vehicle or on devices that you connect to it, for example, a USB drive or digital music player. You can delete some of this data and also choose whether to share it through the services to which you subscribe.  For more information, please see Settings in your Owner’s Manual.

Comfort and convenience data recorded includes, for example:

• Seat and steering wheel position
• Climate control settings
• Radio presets.

Entertainment data recorded includes, for example:

• Music, videos or album art
• Contacts and corresponding address book entries
• Navigation destinations

911 Assist (if equipped)

911 Assist (if equipped and active) may, through any paired and connected cell phone, disclose to emergency services that the vehicle has been in a crash involving the deployment of an airbag or, in certain vehicles, the activation of the fuel pump shut-off. Certain versions or updates to 911 Assist may also be capable of being used to electronically or verbally provide to 911 operators the vehicle location (such as latitude and longitude) and/or other details about the vehicle or crash or personal information about the occupants to assist 911 operators to provide the most appropriate emergency services. If you do not want to disclose this information, do not activate the 911 Assist feature.  If any user sets 911 Assist to on or off, that setting applies for all paired phones.  To switch 911 Assist on and off or for more information, please see your Owner’s Manual (SYNC©  and Settings). Note: Vehicles equipped with the MyKey feature may be capable of overriding the 911 Assist settings and turning 911 Assist ON, even if it was previously set to Off. If you do not want to disclose this information, do not enable MyKey.

Vehicles with SYNC© or SYNC© 3 (if equipped)

If you connect a mobile device to your vehicle, you can display data from your device on the touchscreen for example, music and album art.  You can share your vehicle data with mobile applications on your device through AppLink.  See further information about AppLink below.

If you connect a cell phone to SYNC or SYNC 3, the system creates a profile that links to that cell phone. This profile enables more mobile features and efficient operation. This profile contains, for example, data from your cell phone book, text messages (read and unread), and call history, including history of calls when your cell phone was not connected to the system. If you connect a media device, the system also creates and retains an index of supported media content and a short diagnostic log of approximately 10 minutes of all recent system activity. The profile, media device index and other system data may be used to improve the system and help diagnose any problems that may occur and for the purposes set out in this Policy. The cellular profile, media device index, and diagnostic log remain in the vehicle unless you delete them and are generally accessible only in the vehicle when the cellular phone or media player is connected or with special equipment and access to the vehicle’s SYNC module. If you no longer plan to use the system or the vehicle, we recommend you perform a master reset to erase the stored information. You can find more information about the Master Reset in your Owner’s Manual in Settings.

Location and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) (if equipped)

Your vehicle may contain a global positioning system (GPS) or may utilize the GPS in your connected wireless device in some instances. GPS may be used to determine your vehicle’s physical location, travel direction, and speed, and to record this information over time to provide GPS-based services. This information may be recorded in your vehicle and may be accessed by Ford of Canada or Ford Motor Company to provide services you request, with your consent, or in accordance with a court order or where required by law enforcement, other government authorities, or other third parties acting with lawful authority. Other parties may seek to access the information independently of Ford Motor Company and Ford of Canada.

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If you have a connected vehicle, depending how it is equipped and enabled, your vehicle may be able to communicate wirelessly with apps on your mobile device and with us, our service providers and others.  Your vehicle may be connected through FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect, WiFi Hotspot, SYNC WiFi, our Apps, or AppLink technologies.  You may be able to set certain preferences for Connected Vehicle Information, see What is Connected Vehicle Information below, through the infotainment settings in your vehicle, if equipped.  See your Owner’s Manual or contact the CRC to learn about options available to you.

Please note that disconnecting the vehicle, or making changes to data sharing settings may impact the quality or availability of certain services.

Please don’t forget to do a Master Reset if you sell your Connected Vehicle or buy a used Connected Vehicle.  The Connected Vehicle may store your connectivity preferences and data you import, like your address book, and may have associated FordPass or Lincoln Way accounts, or remember your mobile device or the networks you connect to.  See the Owner’s Manual for how to perform a Master Reset.

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How Your Vehicle Is Connected

FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect (if equipped)

FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect is a cellular modem that enables your vehicle to connect to a network, much like a mobile device with a SIM card.  Like other vehicle parts, the modem and its SIM are fitted at the factory.  Your vehicle modem sends periodic messages to us through our network provider. These messages contain a unique number which identifies your vehicle modem’s SIM, your vehicle's VIN, and the electronic serial number of its modem.  Just like in a mobile cellular device/mobile phone, these messages help enable you to have a fast and seamless experience when you’re ready to connect your vehicle using the FordPass or Lincoln Way App, see Our Apps, below.  The network provider may associate the vehicle modem’s SIM to additional information such as cellular network tower identification.  The modem will communicate with the network provider unless you have the modem deactivated.  Contact the CRC for more information.

FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect may enable Connected Vehicle Information (see definition below) to be sent to us from your vehicle, depending on the vehicle settings you have selected,  and enable Ford Motor Company to conduct over-the-air updates to the vehicle's software and systems to update your systems, including security updates.

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For certain vehicles equipped with FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect, you can sign-up with a wireless provider (WSP) for Wi-Fi Hotspot service in the vehicle. To enable the activation of Wi-Fi Hotspot, certain information, including your vehicle's VIN and the SIM identifier is provided to the WSP. You can find out how the WSP uses your personal information in its privacy policy, available when you create your account with the WSP for Wi-Fi Hotspot.  Although the WSP provides the Wi-Fi Hotspot and manages your subscription, it will inform us when certain data use thresholds are met so that if you have paired FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect to the FordPass or Lincoln Way App, you can view approximate data plan usage amounts within the App and in your vehicle.  Remember to remove your vehicle from your account with your WSP if your vehicle is sold or ownership transferred.

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Connecting your home Wi-Fi or other Wi-Fi network to your SYNC infotainment system may enable you to get updates to SYNC 3.  Please use trusted networks and data charges may apply to downloading updates.

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You may be able to use AppLink, if equipped, to connect your mobile apps with SYNC 3 to use in a hands-free, convenient way while driving. Your mobile device provides the data connection (so data charges will apply) and SYNC 3 provides the infotainment integration, including voice controls. In order to enable apps, SYNC 3 requires user consent to send and receive app authorization information and updates, using the data plan associated with the connected device.  The connected device sends encrypted data including your VIN, SYNC 3 module serial number, odometer, enabled apps, usage statistics and debugging information to Ford Motor Company in the United States which may be used to troubleshoot, for continuous improvement, and for the other purposes set out in this Policy.  The system organizes app permissions into groups.  You may be able to grant these group permissions individually, change a permission group status any time when not driving by using the settings menu, and see the data included in each group, if equipped.  When you launch an app using SYNC 3, the system may ask you to grant certain permissions, for example, information about your vehicle, driving characteristics, GPS, speed and/or push notifications.  You can enable all groups or none of them during the initial app permissions prompts.  See your Settings or Owner’s Manual for more information.  Please note that you are only prompted to grant permissions the first time you use an app with SYNC 3.  We recommend you review the terms and conditions and privacy policies for any third party app or service to which you subscribe. Ford of Canada takes no responsibility for apps or services provided by any third party, including their use of any data.

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What is Connected Vehicle Information and How Is it Used

Connected Vehicle Information includes:

• Information about your vehicle, its components and parts, including their status and performance and diagnostics of vehicle systems (eg. VIN, hardware model and part numbers, odometer, tire pressure, fuel and fluid levels, battery and lock status, trouble codes, warning indicators and alerts); 
• Driving characteristics and behaviour, including information about how the vehicle is operated and used (eg. speed, use of accelerator, brakes, steering and seat belts);
• In-vehicle services information about the performance and use of vehicle services, systems and technology, such as navigation and infotainment systems (eg. WiFi and mobile network connection, hardware and software information such as version numbers, seat positions, phone/blue tooth pairings, climate controls, connectivity settings); 
•  Precise GPS location information about your vehicle, including its current location (latitude and longitude in real time), travel direction and speed; 
•  Connection status alerts sent by the modem to stay connected to the network consisting of VIN, SIM and electronic serial number of the modem;  and
• Over the air update information such as version of FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) or Lincoln Connect and other technical specifications associated with a specific modem.  

Based on the level of connectivity you choose for your vehicle, not all categories of Connected Vehicle Information may be collected.

When associated with your vehicle’s VIN or a component identifier, Connected Vehicle Information may be linked to you as an owner or lessee.   Please read Why We Collect and How We May Use Customer Information and Your Choices, above. Please also see How We Share Customer Information, above, for how we share Connected Vehicle Information.

Sharing your Connected Vehicle or Driving a Shared Connected Vehicle

If you share your Connected Vehicle with others, please tell them about your connectivity settings. For example, let them know where they can find the information needed to connect to the vehicle's Wi-Fi Hotspot and where they may turn off location and other data sharing, if equipped.

Multiple accounts can be created on the FordPass, Lincoln Way or other Ford Apps, and more than one account can be connected to a single vehicle. If you are driving a vehicle with more than one account connected to it, the user(s) of each account will have access to:

• the vehicle's location;
• services which allow the vehicle to be remotely started, locked and unlocked; and
• services which show information about the vehicle's status (for example, its fuel level).

Similarly, if you are driving a vehicle with the App connected to it, these user(s) of the App will have access to this information and these services.

If you chose to connect an account on the App to a vehicle which has already been connected to another account, your name and the fact that you have requested this connection will be shared, via the App, with user(s) who connected to the vehicle before you. This user or users will be given the opportunity to allow or refuse your connection to the vehicle.

You can find out more, including how to turn off sending data associated to your FordPass/Lincoln Way account by performing a Master Reset in the App Terms and Privacy Policy.  

If equipped, the vehicle may have in-vehicle notifications alerting drivers of connectivity, as set out in the section above.  Drivers with an unrecognized mobile device may see a pop up displayed in vehicle alerting them to the current data or location sharing settings.  A mobile device is “recognized” if if has been paired with an infotainment system, like SYNC.  This way if someone is new to your vehicle or not driving it enough to pair their mobile device, the system may notify them of its current data sharing settings.  So, don’t forget, when putting back your seat position or adjusting your mirrors, you might also need to reset your data settings.  Please note that disconnecting the vehicle or changing data settings, may impact the quality or availability of certain services.

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Your vehicle, like your smartphone or computer, may store data which can be obtained through access to the vehicle, such as call history and networks you have used.  FordPass Connect (SYNC Connect) and Lincoln Connect, if equipped and activated, may send Ford of Canada certain Connected Vehicle Information and may have associated multiple accounts which may allow the account user to access vehicle location and services, such as remote start, lock and unlock, and information about vehicle status, such as fuel level.

Please don’t forget to do a Master Reset if you sell your vehicle or buy a used vehicle to reset the vehicle.  See the Owner’s Manual for how to perform a Master Reset.

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We have developed a number of Apps that you may download to your mobile device.  Each of our Apps will have a Privacy Policy that will outline personal information collected and how it is used.

You may be required to have an account to use these Apps.  If you create an account, information, such as your name, address, email address, telephone number and VIN, may be collected during the registration process or during your use of the App.  We also collect data relating to your use of the App (eg. pages visited, use of features, preferred dealer, and when you contact us) and information relating to your mobile device (eg. device type, device identifiers, IP address, mobile phone number, network information, and location when enabled) to provide App functionality.

You may be able to connect to your vehicle, if equipped, using a Ford App, such as FordPass or LincolnWay or MyFord Mobile.  If you associate your vehicle to your Ford App account or you connect to your vehicle using AppLink, your vehicle may send certain Connected Vehicle Information, including location information, to Ford of Canada.  Please see the App Terms and Privacy Policy for more information about the information we collect and how it is used.

To turn off sending data associated to your account, perform a Master Reset.

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Safeguarding your personal information is important to us. While no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, we and our service providers take data and cyber security very seriously.  Please immediately notify our CRC if you believe that the security of your vehicle or account with us has been compromised.

We use a variety of technical, administrative and physical security measures to help protect and maintain the security and integrity of customer personal information, including Connected Vehicle information, such as access controls to limit unnecessary or unauthorized access to customer personal information and cyber security measures such as hashing and encrypting data. When you send personal information to our website, we use technology such as "Secure Socket Layers" (SSL) or “Transport Layer Security” (TLS) to protect your data. SSL and TLS are encryption technology that helps safeguard your personal information against misuse by unauthorized individuals.

Ford has a connected vehicle cyber security team and actively participates in several joint industry forums focused on how to approach these complicated technical issues.  We also work with organizations within the community of cybersecurity professionals, including the BITS Information Systems Audit and Control and Manufacturing work group and apply these broader best practices to vehicles, where appropriate.  Ford is proud to be a founding participant in an industry-wide effort to address emerging issues through the Automotive Information Sharing Analysis Centre (the Auto-ISAC).  The Auto ISAC serves as a central point for automakers, suppliers and other stakeholders to share cyber intelligence, coordinate, and respond to vehicle electronic cyber threats.

We make reasonable efforts to keep your information up to date and accurate such as by using third party licensed data providers for National Change of Address. We encourage you, however, to contact our CRC at 1-800-565-FORD (3673) as often as necessary to keep your name, address and vehicle ownership information up to date.

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Personal information is retained in identifiable form for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. Where information is used for more than one purpose, we will retain it until the purpose with the longest retention period expires.  We have established retention policies and procedures to ensure that when the retention period expires, your personal information will either be irreversibly anonymized or destroyed in a secure manner.

When determining the retention period, we consider criteria including:

• if your information is reasonably required to satisfy the purposes for which you provided or we collected the information, including the services provided to you and any impact on those services;
• our relationship with you and whether the information is reasonably required to protect our rights or property;
• retention periods required by law.

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You may contact us in writing to review, correct, or update certain of your personal information which is easily accessible to our service representatives at the CRC. The information which may be accessible to our service representatives includes your name, address, current or past Ford or Lincoln vehicle ownership, vehicle information such as recalls, and previous contacts to the CRC

As required or permitted by law, you may be entitled to additional rights, including: (i) the right to control the dissemination of your personal information; (ii) the right to receive computerized personal information collected from you in a structured, commonly used and technological format and to have this information transferred directly to another organization; (iii) the right to be informed of and submit observations regarding automated decision-making; (iv) the right to request information about data processing; and (v) withdraw your consent.

If you wish us to exercise any of your rights, have questions regarding this Privacy Policy, or any other queries, complaints or concerns regarding your personal information,  you may contact us in writing:

By email at: pcanada@ford.com

By mail at:

Attention: Privacy Officer

Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited

P.O Box 2000

Oakville, ON, L6J 5E4

You will be asked for sufficient personal information for us to verify your identity and the details about the personal information you are interested in prior to us processing your request. Information which may be accessible includes your contact information, demographic information, information about your current or past Ford or Lincoln vehicle ownership or service, vehicle information including recalls and owner notifications, FordPass or Lincoln Way account information, financial and credit information about you shared with us by Ford Credit when you have provided your consent, and other information you may have provided to us. We will be unable to provide you with information exempt from disclosure, such as personal information about another person, privileged information or confidential commercial information.

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This Privacy Policy is effective April 1, 2025. Occasionally we may update this Privacy Policy. We will notify you before we make material changes to this Privacy Policy.

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