American Honda Motor, Co., Inc. (“Honda”), the distributor of Acura and Honda vehicles in the United States, for a long time has taken most seriously the need to protect consumer privacy. With the growing application of in-vehicle technologies and services that can transmit personally identifiable information to Honda, its service providers, and, potentially, third parties in order to enhance the safety, performance, and driving experience of its customers, Honda has, along with other automakers, made a commitment about how it will collect, use, share, and hold such information. The Consumer Privacy Protection Principles for Vehicle Technologies and Services (the “Privacy Principles”) that are linked below reflect that commitment.
The Privacy Principles provide a framework for how Honda will handle “Covered Information.” Covered Information consists of personally identifiable information collected, generated, recorded, or stored in an electronic format in vehicles as part of vehicle technologies and services that can be retrieved by or on behalf of Honda, or is personal subscription information provided by consumers subscribing to or registering for certain vehicle technologies or services. The Privacy Principles provide additional, heightened protections for the most sensitive types of consumer in-vehicle data, such as geo-location, driver behavior, and biometric data.
Fundamentals of the Privacy Principles:
As part of the commitments under the Privacy Principles, Honda has established this webpage so consumers can access the American Honda Vehicle Data Privacy Notice, which explains how Honda collects, maintains, uses, and discloses Covered Information as part of vehicle technologies and services, and all of the other relevant documents related to Honda programs, technologies and services whereby Covered Information may be collected, used, shared or held by Honda. The applicable documents are linked below:
Thank you for selecting a Honda or Acura vehicle. Your privacy is important to American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (“Honda”, “we”, “our”, “us”). Vehicle data collection varies by product, model and year. Your vehicle (e.g., car, truck, motorcycle) may be equipped with technology that enables you to access and use a variety of connected, wireless, or internet-based functions and services, either directly in the vehicle or through a smart device or a smart device software application that you connect with the vehicle (collectively, “Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services”). Certain of these Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services may also provide us or our service providers with information about your vehicle and your use of the vehicle.
Examples of Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services available on some vehicles include, but are not limited to, HondaLink®, AcuraLink®, incident response and roadside assistance services accessed directly through the vehicle, traffic and weather services, navigation services, vehicle diagnostic tools, vehicle location/locator services, vehicle geo-fencing services, and programs on the vehicle or your smart device that analyze your use of the vehicle or its systems.
This Vehicle Data Privacy Notice (“Vehicle Privacy Notice”) explains how we collect, maintain, use, and disclose the following information related to the Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services (collectively, “Covered Information”):
This Vehicle Privacy Notice also discusses On-Board Data, which is information that the vehicle collects, generates, records, or stores in electronic form that remains on the vehicle and could be retrieved by a person with access to the vehicle, but which is not routinely wirelessly retrieved by us. For example, On-Board Data may include diagnostic information that a dealer’s vehicle service technician or another person can retrieve using a plug-in device or destinations a user programs into the navigation system. However, this Vehicle Privacy Notice does not apply to information recorded on your vehicle’s Supplemental Restraint System Electronic Control Unit (“SRS ECU”) during a crash event. Information stored on the SRS ECU is only accessible via a physical connection with special tools and state and/or federal law restricts who may access such information and how such information may be accessed.
This Vehicle Privacy Notice supplements our Privacy Notice. You should review our Privacy Notice in addition to this Vehicle Privacy Notice.
You accept the terms of this Vehicle Privacy Notice, and consent to our collection, use, storage, and disclosure of information as explained in this Vehicle Privacy Notice, when you:
We collect Covered Information provided to us by you or retrieved by us from your vehicle or smart device (including applications thereon). The categories of Covered Information we collect may include:
Some of the Personal Information listed, including precise geolocation data and account login credentials, also qualify as “Sensitive Personal Information” under applicable privacy laws.
Although the vehicle generates and wirelessly transmits to us much of the Covered Information automatically, we also collect Covered Information when you contact us or our service providers regarding Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, subscribe to the Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, use smart device applications associated with Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, and at times when you provide Covered Information directly to us or our service providers.
For additional information related to On-Board Data, please scroll down to the section titled “On-Board Data.”
Your vehicle may support Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Google built-in and/or Alexa Auto. These services are provided by Apple Inc., Google LLC, and Amazon.com Inc., respectively. If you choose to engage with these services, the Apple Privacy Policy, Google Privacy Policy, Amazon.com Privacy Policy and/or Alexa and Alexa Device Terms govern their collection, use, and disclosure of your data by or in connection with the services. When using these services, your smart device may collect and transmit to Apple, Google, Amazon.com or others information about your vehicle, your use of the vehicle or its systems, your smart device or applications thereon, and information you input into the smart device either directly or via the interface in the vehicle’s infotainment system. We do not endorse or control these services and you use them at your own risk. We are not liable to you for any damages you incur from using these services.
You agree and understand that we and our service providers may monitor and record any communications you have with us and our service providers, including via in-vehicle technologies, smart devices, smart device applications, telephone calls, text messages, email, chat, and mail. If you communicate with us using a method that may record a third party, such as a vehicle occupant, you will advise the third party of the potential for monitoring and recording and obtain that third party’s permission prior to communicating with us. Neither we nor our service providers will monitor, record, or otherwise access any audio from your vehicle or connected smart device unless:
We do not monitor, record, or otherwise access any video from your vehicle or connected smart device.
We use Covered Information for the following purposes:
We cooperate with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We may use and disclose Covered Information and any other information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties if, in our discretion, we believe it is necessary or appropriate to respond to legal requests (including court orders, investigative demands and subpoenas), to protect the safety, property, or rights of ourselves, consumers, or any other third party, to prevent or stop any illegal, unethical, or legally actionable activity, or to comply with law.
We may use and disclose Covered Information with businesses controlling, controlled by, or under common control with us. If we are merged, acquired or sold, or in the event of a transfer of some or all of our assets, we may disclose or transfer Covered Information in connection with such transaction.
Covered Information that has been aggregated or deidentified such that it is no longer reasonably capable of being associated with any person or vehicle may be used or disclosed by us without limitation or restriction, subject to applicable law.
We use geolocation Information for limited purposes, including:
We will not use Geolocation Information for our own marketing purposes or disclose identifiable Geolocation Information with third parties (except our service providers) without your consent.
We disclose Covered Information to companies that provide services to us or provide services to others on our behalf. Our service providers who may receive Covered Information include:
We provide our service providers the Covered Information that we believe is reasonably necessary for them to perform their services for us or on our behalf, including for them to improve their services.
We disclose Covered Information to third parties who provide goods or services that may benefit vehicle owners, including insurance companies, Honda/Acura dealerships, and consumer goods or services companies, such as satellite radio providers and connected vehicle data services and analytics platforms. These companies may use Covered Information for their everyday business purposes, including marketing, customer service, fulfillment and related purposes. These disclosures may qualify as a sale under certain state privacy laws.
We may share Covered Information with Honda affiliates such as American Honda Finance Corporation. Although we do not directly monetize Covered Information, this disclosure may qualify as a sale under certain privacy laws. In limited instances, we disclose Covered Information with third parties with whom we have a relationship to facilitate research and development of products, services, infrastructure, and other technologies for ourselves or others.
Covered Information disclosed with Third Parties may include all or some of the following:
For specific information regarding the in-vehicle and smart device-based switches or settings that facilitate your choices, please consult your owner’s manual and the help sections of the smart device applications you use in connection with Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services.
You can control our collection of certain types of Covered Information.
Depending on the state in which you reside, you may also exercise certain rights related to our collection, use, and disclosure of Covered Information that qualifies as “personal information.” For more information on these rights and how to exercise them, please review our Privacy Notice.
We use commercially reasonably administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect Covered Information from unauthorized access, disclosure, and use. We require our service providers to keep confidential and use reasonable safeguards to protect Covered Information to which they are given access, and to only use Covered Information for provision of their services or as required by law. We retain Covered Information for as long as reasonably necessary for fulfillment of our business purposes. Even with these safeguards, no data transmission or storage can be guaranteed 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect Covered Information, you provide or authorize collection of Covered Information by us or our service providers at your own risk.
We may store or process Covered Information in the United States and in foreign countries. In some countries, applicable laws may allow the government to more easily demand access to your Covered Information.
On-Board Data is collected and stored on your vehicle. We generally do not receive On-Board Data (except when transmitted to us, in which case it becomes Covered Information); however, third parties with access to the vehicle, such as service technicians, a person to whom you sell the vehicle, valets, or temporary operators of the vehicle, may be able to retrieve this data. Although not Covered Information, we want to provide you with information about On-Board Data so that you can make informed choices about how to use the vehicle and what access to provide others.
The vehicle may generate and store as On-Board Data some or all of the following categories of information:
On-Board Data is generated by the vehicle’s telematics and diagnostics systems, automatically retrieved from connected devices, and created by user input (such as when you enter a navigation destination, program a favorite radio station, dial a phone number, or upload content).
Like with Covered Information, you may make certain choices regarding the types of On-Board Data generated or collected by the vehicle:
To reduce the amount of On-Board Data stored on the vehicle prior to sale or turning it in at the end of a lease, you should perform a data reset of the audio and navigation systems. Instructions for performing a data reset of the audio and navigation systems may be found in your owner’s manual and/or navigation manual.
We may modify this Vehicle Privacy Notice at any time, without notice or obligation to you. We will post the modified Vehicle Privacy Notice on our website (www.honda.com) and you should regularly review this Vehicle Privacy Notice for changes. If you are a current owner/lessee and a registered user of Connected Vehicle Technologies and Services, and the modifications to the Vehicle Privacy Notice materially expand our collection, maintenance, use, or disclosure of your Covered Information, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to notify you and, if the modifications materially expand our use or disclosure of your Covered Information, obtain your consent prior to the effective date of the modified Vehicle Privacy Notice.
Although not a part of this Vehicle Privacy Notice, there are several other privacy resources you may find informative and helpful. The links below are provided as a courtesy only.
If you have any questions regarding this Vehicle Privacy Notice, would like to update your personal information on file with us, or want to learn more about how to exercise your choices with regard to Covered Information and On-Board Data, please call us at 1-888-528-7876.
HondaLink Assist
Statement regarding HondaLink® Assist Automatic Collision Notification & Assistance Request (“HondaLink® Assist Services”).
When Honda’s Third Party Provider receives a crash notification and/or request for assistance from your connected Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® phone, it will first attempt to verify your request, and then, if appropriate, contact third party responders to respond to your incident. You understand that neither Honda nor its Third Party Provider can assure you, or make any guarantees, about the manner or timeliness of such third party response or whether third party responders will respond to your incident in a timely manner or at all. YOUR VEHICLE HAS TO HAVE HONDALINK® ASSIST SERVICES, A WORKING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (INCLUDING ADEQUATE BATTERY POWER), A BLUETOOTH® HANDSFREELINK® PHONE THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE VEHICLE, AN ACTIVE CELLULAR SERVICE ACCOUNT FOR YOUR BLUETOOTH® HANDSFREELINK® PHONE, AND CONNECTION TO THE CELLULAR SERVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION NOTIFICATION AND REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE FEATURES TO OPERATE.
The HondaLink® Assist Services are dependent upon cellular connection availability, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® phone connectivity with the vehicle, and GPS satellite signal reception, each of which can limit the ability to reach either the HondaLink® customer care center or to receive support.
The HondaLink® Assist Services are not a service of your wireless carrier. If you use the HondaLink® Assist Services, it may require your wireless carrier to disclose your customer information, including location information, to Honda’s telematics service provider, its subcontractors engaged in providing the HondaLink® Assist Services, or other third parties. By using the HondaLink® Assist Services, you authorize your wireless carrier to disclose your information to third parties to enable the HondaLink® Assist Services. If you aren’t comfortable with the HondaLink® Assist terms, don’t use it. By using the HondaLink® Assist Services, you acknowledge and agree that (1) your relationship with Honda is separate from your relationship with your wireless carrier; (2) your wireless carrier is not responsible for the HondaLink® Assist Services; and (3) you will hold harmless your wireless carrier and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, successors and assigns from any judgments, claims, actions, losses, liabilities or expenses arising from or attributable to the HondaLink® Assist Services or the acts or omissions of Honda or its subcontractors providing the HondaLink® Assist Services.
Honda reserves the right to terminate HondaLink® Assist services at any time or for any reason, and in the future may not be able to provide services due to changes in or obsolescence of technology integral to the service or changes in governmental regulation.
Statement re: Event Data Recorder Operations
Event Data Recorder Disclosure Statement
While American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (“Honda”) cannot (and therefore does not) retrieve data from an event data recorder without physical access to the vehicle, and thus no such data is transmitted to Honda while a vehicle is in normal use, because there often is confusion about what event data recorders are used for and whether automakers can access the data, Honda believes that it is important to include a copy of the Event Data Recorder Disclosure Statement including in its vehicles’ Owner’s Guides and Owner’s Manuals on this webpage. The statement is as follows:
“This 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, data that 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 this vehicle is designed to record such data as:
These data can help provide a better understanding of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) are recorded. However, other 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 the special equipment, can read the information if they have access to the vehicle or the EDR.”