2017~2024 TCU recall # SSPC7 for 2021 CE Turbo AWD

Was checking MyMazda app for recalls and this one showed up for my 2021 CE AWD Turbo recently. Anyone know what it is referring to exactly?

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Wow, that is interesting. I just received a call from my dealer to bring in my CX-9 for this update. How long before all human beings are microchipped at birth?
 
Wow, that is interesting. I just received a call from my dealer to bring in my CX-9 for this update. How long before all human beings are microchipped at birth?
You got an actual call from the dealer for this recall? Wow...either it's slow there or Mazda really wants to collect our driving habits (warranty purposes, some internal pilot program?, etc.) The world will never know..hmmm
 

It's nothing, and you'll be accused of wearing a tinfoil hat if you have a problem with any of it.

“Default Data” includes the following:

  • “Location Data”: geo-location coordinates of your Connected Vehicle’s latitude and longitude each time you turn off your Connected Vehicle (“Ignition-Off”);
  • “Driving Data”: driving behavior data, which includes the acceleration and speed at which your Connected Vehicle is driven, travel direction, and use of the steering and braking functions in your Connected Vehicle (Driving Data is collected for each driving trip and transmitted at each Ignition Off); and
  • “Vehicle Health Data”: includes Vehicle Identification Number (VIN); odometer, fuel level, and oil life readings; Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs); and data from the Connected Vehicle’s OBD system (“OBD Data”). OBD Data includes, but is not limited to, engine coolant temperature, fuel injection volume, engine Rotation Per Minute (RPM), and the status of doors, hood, trunk, and hazard lights (Vehicle Health Data is transmitted at each Ignition-Off).
Cheekstar, I believe the primary reason Mazda wants to collect all this data is for legal defense for when they are sued. Also, if you were to make a claim that there is a certain mechanical defect, they can say, we have different data. It is a lot of data. This does not include the information sharing section which basically allows Mazda to share the data (including your location data) with absolutely anyone.

A TCU is pretty much mandatory in an electric car for live information on charging stations, but not at all necessary for a gasoline or diesel car. If you have a 20+, you should really opt out if you value your privacy.
 
Cheekstar, I believe the primary reason Mazda wants to collect all this data is for legal defense for when they are sued. Also, if you were to make a claim that there is a certain mechanical defect, they can say, we have different data. It is a lot of data. This does not include the information sharing section which basically allows Mazda to share the data (including your location data) with absolutely anyone.
Sued for what? It's not a black box. That's already in vehicles regardless, mandated in the US by the NHTSA since 2014. Other countries may vary. I'd like to hear one instance of a warranty claim denied on the basis of this telematic data. Just one would suffice. I would say your concerns range somewhere between extremely remote and non-existent.

If they collect the data for product improvement, good for them and Mazda buyers. Maybe. It's likely just a pile of Big Data most of which they have not yet figured out how to use and maybe never will. If some is collected for marketing purposes I could care less.

Of course, criminals always need to be concerned about anybody who captures geolocation data. Don't use the Mazda as a getaway car. Use a burner phone while you're at it.

As for data collection in general, I'm going to get spam, robocalls, junk calls, junk texts, junk mail and pup-up adds regardless. Phone numbers, addresses, email addresses are out there. There's no getting them back and you can't sign up for anything without giving away that basic data anyway. If a marketer has some data that gives them a fair chance of showing something relevant to me it's better than nothing, the typical defense for collecting it. So far, marketers have not been able to do that with anything but the most rudimentary understanding of what I might need or want. They don't know who I am and never will, nor do they care. They know me as an object of consumption, they're only concern, and they don't understand even that very well.

If Amazon sends me an email saying I'll be taking a dump in exactly 46 hours and they can have TP delivered in 24, and their timing turns out to be accurate, then I'll be concerned, LOL. Of course I might then get an email saying the delivery will be a day late.
 
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I'm well aware of vehicle black boxes, those are nothing new and have been around for decades. Only in certain specific circumstances does the manufacturer get their hands on that specific data, which requires the manufacturer (not a dealership) physical access to the vehicle. The TCU collects (and transmits, wirelessly, direct to Mazda) far, far more data than a black box.

I don't care about how Mazda could use it for marketing purposes. I do care about my privacy and protecting myself. A vehicle black box does not transmit speed, acceleration, complete location data, and all other vehicle data to the manufacturer after every single drive, does it? No, it doesn't. Mazda has my name, VIN, and email, they don't have a record of every single time I've gone over the speed limit, though. They would with a TCU.

  • “Location Data”: geo-location coordinates of your Connected Vehicle’s latitude and longitude each time you turn off your Connected Vehicle (“Ignition-Off”);
  • “Driving Data”: driving behavior data, which includes the acceleration and speed at which your Connected Vehicle is driven, travel direction, and use of the steering and braking functions in your Connected Vehicle (Driving Data is collected for each driving trip and transmitted at each Ignition Off); and
  • “Vehicle Health Data”: includes Vehicle Identification Number (VIN); odometer, fuel level, and oil life readings; Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs); and data from the Connected Vehicle’s OBD system (“OBD Data”). OBD Data includes, but is not limited to, engine coolant temperature, fuel injection volume, engine Rotation Per Minute (RPM), and the status of doors, hood, trunk, and hazard lights (Vehicle Health Data is transmitted at each Ignition-Off).
Mazda even says they can use and share the data (literally all of your driving habits, every time you have exceeded the speed limit, and location data) for any reason whatsoever, to anyone and everyone. If you're cool with that, cool.
 
dunhillmc is correct, here are some PDF's regarding this issue.
 

Attachments

  • SA-45-21.pdf
    1 MB · Views: 401
  • TCU Concern.pdf
    434.5 KB · Views: 511
Excellent info. Just curious- has anyone opted out? Further, if one did, would any functionality in the phone app be lost?
 
LO
I'm well aware of vehicle black boxes, those are nothing new and have been around for decades. Only in certain specific circumstances does the manufacturer get their hands on that specific data, which requires the manufacturer (not a dealership) physical access to the vehicle. The TCU collects (and transmits, wirelessly, direct to Mazda) far, far more data than a black box.

I don't care about how Mazda could use it for marketing purposes. I do care about my privacy and protecting myself. A vehicle black box does not transmit speed, acceleration, complete location data, and all other vehicle data to the manufacturer after every single drive, does it? No, it doesn't. Mazda has my name, VIN, and email, they don't have a record of every single time I've gone over the speed limit, though. They would with a TCU.

  • “Location Data”: geo-location coordinates of your Connected Vehicle’s latitude and longitude each time you turn off your Connected Vehicle (“Ignition-Off”);
  • “Driving Data”: driving behavior data, which includes the acceleration and speed at which your Connected Vehicle is driven, travel direction, and use of the steering and braking functions in your Connected Vehicle (Driving Data is collected for each driving trip and transmitted at each Ignition Off); and
  • “Vehicle Health Data”: includes Vehicle Identification Number (VIN); odometer, fuel level, and oil life readings; Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs); and data from the Connected Vehicle’s OBD system (“OBD Data”). OBD Data includes, but is not limited to, engine coolant temperature, fuel injection volume, engine Rotation Per Minute (RPM), and the status of doors, hood, trunk, and hazard lights (Vehicle Health Data is transmitted at each Ignition-Off).
Mazda even says they can use and share the data (literally all of your driving habits, every time you have exceeded the speed limit, and location data) for any reason whatsoever, to anyone andit everyone. If you're cool with that, cool.
First you mentioned that Mazda might use the data in defending a law suit. Well, if you sued them for brake failure when in fact were you doing 30 over the limit and the brakes were not applied, then you might have a problem. But that data would be in the black box anyway. Warranty claim denial based on this data? I'll wait to hear of a single instance.

Now, we have a concern about a driver's record of speeding captured in the data. Paint me a scenario of how that would come back to bite you. If you read the privacy policy again, Mazda cannot just turn over the data unilaterally to an insurance company nor could they provide it if asked, if that's the concern. When and if a Mazda auto insurance subsidiary wants to sell you a policy then look elsewhere. Otherwise, you could sue their pants off if they shared that data, and they know it.

Then there's law enforcement. Read it again. That would require either (1) suspicion of a crime, probable cause, and a subpoena or (2) "we have a good faith belief it is necessary to do so to prevent harm, injury, or loss..." That second item is the ultimate CYA with a near infinitely high bar--they would have to divine from this data that you are conspiring to commit crime, LOL. The cops cannot just call up and say give me somebody's speeding record nor is Mazda going to unilaterally provide it.

Hair on fire over data privacy these days ranges somewhere between an exaggerated sense of self-importance and deep state paranoia unless, of course., you're a criminal or fraudster. Corporations don't care about you or your data beyond how it might help sell you something. If they sell the data it's to somebody else who wants to sell you something. Or in this case, it might or might not lead to a product improvement which might help in selling you the next vehicle. But they know everything about me! You'd have to be a pretty shallow person to think that.

Here's what you should worry about:

1) Hackers getting your account data and stealing your money or getting enough data to open a credit card in your name.

2) If you have a chronic health condition that you'd prefer to keep secret when applying for a job or a life insurance policy.

Maybe someday the US, or wherever country where you live, falls into some dictatorial police state, then data that pegs you as an enemy of the state would be problematic, though speeding would be the least of their concerns.
 
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Interesting discussion. I just prefer my privacy.

I have been a victim of credit card fraud once, which is one reason I don't put my personal information out there.
 
I have been a victim of credit card fraud, once, which is one reason I don't put my personal information out there.
I noted that as one of the instances where data privacy is critical. Nobody can set up an account in your name in the US of A without your Social Security Number. That's the critical piece. For a few bucks somebody can hit up one those web sites that scrapes data from public records to get the other data. If the name and SSN don't match up, the credit card company can go jump.

There's data to worry about and then there's the other kind. It is important to distinguish between the two. Add login IDs and passwords to financial accounts in the former category. Then there's medical records in the cases I cited, though that involves a dishonesty at best and a fraud at worst.

I don't let more than a couple of days pass without spot checking the balances in on-line accounts--bank, investment and credit cards. It just takes a couple of minutes. And frankly I'm at least as concerned about somebody hacking a financial institution than an ID and password getting out in the wild through my own inattentiveness. By the way, do not type or tap such critical information while on public WiFi.

As regards Mazda, or anybody else, my chief concern wouldn't be the optional data you can opt of. It's the mandatory data, like SSN, that's required to be provided to even conduct business. The odds of the telematic data coming home to roost is a lot lower than, say, somebody hacking Mazda's corporate data which includes your SSN if financed through the dealer.

There's a pandemic of ransomware attacks against corporations. For every instance that makes the news there are many, many more that do not. Hackers that encrypt a data file held for ransom might just keep a copy for themselves or sell it on the dark web. SSNs and account access data--that's the data to be concerned about. Capturing the fact I was speeding is not on my radar, pun intended.

On the other hand. with the swamp of Big Data (the swampiness being the reason that term has fallen out of use), maybe Mazda makes some incremental improvement in vehicles going forward. Questionable, but possible I suppose. And if you were driving the speed limit and the brakes failed, your lawyer could require the telematics be disclosed in discovery to support your case.
 
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I don’t see a notice in my Mazda app. The other day my infotainment screen went blank and the stereo stayed on after I turned the car off.
 
I was joking about Mazda selling telematics-based auto insurance until I watched Mary Barra, GM's CEO, discussing this very thing this morning on Bloomberg--telematics-to-come in their electric vehicles with Tesla-like data gathering and vehicle updates via 5G along with selling auto insurance at the point of sale.

Many auto insurers offer a telematic-base option through a dongle to discount or upcharge the insurance premium based on miles driven and, presumably, acceleration and speed recordings. If that's a concern, don't buy that kind of insurance from an insurer or auto dealer to come..

In looking into this, I ran across the following link. Of particular note is the comment on the porous security of the Progressive dongle, at least as of about 3 years ago:


"The [Progressive] dongle doesn't use any kind of network authentication to encrypt the data, the firmware isn't signed or validated, and it uses the infamously insecure FTP – the same protocol to upload and download files from your home server – to keep the bits flowing."

So for the truly paranoid, you could jump through mental hoops and envision a ransomware attack on the vehicle. You pull into a Walmart parking lot, turn off the vehicle thereby activating the telematics, a hacker nearby accesses the ECM preventing the car from starting when you return, and he sends you a text or email demanding a crypto payment.

That would require getting from a license plate number to your phone number or email address, no mean feat since he'd first have to hack the DMV database, while also having knowledge of that particular vehicles ECM code.

It's way easier to just buy a bunch of email addresses on the dark web and fire off a bunch of phishing emails.

This begs the question: If the telematics networking is porous, why care? What is a hacker going to do to you if all he can easily scrape is your mileage and speed data? Frankly, with telematics being out there for quite a while in a ton of vehicles I've yet to hear of a report of a vehicle being hacked.
 
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Ive booked an appointment with my local dealer to get this recall completed for the sole purpose I am concerned about potential battery drain if not done. I run a dashcam that has parking mode and last thing I want is the dealer blaming any electrical issue (if it arises), on that.
 
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