A Florida Toyota owner has filed a federal class action accusing Toyota of secretly collecting driving data from his RAV4 and funneling it to Progressive Insurance through a Toyota-affiliated data broker, without his knowledge or consent. The Toyota driving data lawsuit, Siefke v. Toyota Motor North America, Inc., was filed in April 2025 in the Eastern District of Texas and names Toyota, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, and Connected Analytic Services as defendants. In December 2025, a federal judge sent the case to arbitration, but the underlying claims, and the pool of potentially affected owners, remain very much alive.
What the Lawsuit Accuses Toyota of Doing
The complaint alleges that Toyota vehicles built in 2018 or later carry data communication modules that record a detailed picture of how the car is driven: location, speed, acceleration, braking, cornering, direction of travel, and even image and voice data. That data, the suit says, is transmitted to Connected Analytic Services, a Toyota affiliate the automaker itself describes as its “exclusive data aggregator,” which then sells it to insurance companies, marketing agencies, law enforcement, and auto finance companies.
The central allegation is that Toyota, CAS, and Progressive publicly claim they do not share driving data without the owner’s consent, and that those claims are false. The suit says collection happens “regardless of whether any particular car functions are turned on” and often without the driver knowing.
How the Plaintiff Found Out
Philip Siefke bought a 2021 Toyota RAV4 XLE in March 2021. He discovered the data sharing by accident. On January 21, 2025, while signing up for a Progressive policy online, he opted out of Progressive’s “Snapshot” usage-based program. A pop-up then told him Progressive already had his driving data through January 20, 2025.
A Progressive representative confirmed the data came from the telemetry system in his Toyota. A Toyota representative told him he had “unknowingly signed up for a trial” of data sharing when he bought the vehicle and would need to opt out manually. When Siefke checked the Toyota mobile app, his settings already showed him as opted out. On March 31, 2025, he learned Progressive obtained the data through Connected Analytic Services rather than directly from Toyota.
According to CNN’s reporting, Progressive had specifics about Siefke’s driving, including a “hard” braking incident, within 24 hours of it happening. His initial premium of less than $300 per month climbed to over $400 per month at his six-month renewal.
Which Toyota Owners the Case Covers
The proposed class includes anyone in the United States who owned or leased a 2018 or newer Toyota vehicle equipped with the tracking technology. Specific models named in the complaint as capable of sharing data for usage-based insurance include the 2018 Camry, Sienna, and Mirai; the 2019 C-HR, Avalon, Camry, Corolla Hatchback, and RAV4; and the 2020 Corolla Sedan, among others.
The Legal Claims and Damages Sought
The complaint, filed April 21, 2025 as Case No. 4:25-cv-00406, raises three causes of action:
- Violation of the Federal Wiretap Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510 et seq., against all three defendants, for intentionally intercepting, disclosing, and using electronic communications from the vehicles without authorization.
- Violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1030 et seq., against Toyota, for accessing the vehicles’ onboard computers without authorization or beyond what was authorized to obtain private information.
- Common law invasion of privacy under Texas law against all defendants.1ClassAction.org. Siefke v. Toyota Motor North America Inc. et al., Class Action Complaint
Siefke is seeking compensatory and treble damages, an injunction to stop the unauthorized collection, and attorney’s fees. The complaint puts the amount in controversy above $5 million. The plaintiffs are represented by Steckler Wayne & Love PLLC and Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group.
Toyota’s Position and the Consent Question
Toyota has maintained that “telematics data and driver information is shared only at the express request and direction of Toyota customers.” The Connected Services Privacy Notice, updated January 6, 2026, says purchasing or leasing a vehicle with active Connected Services constitutes consent to electronic collection, storage, and use of vehicle data. Owners can opt out through the Toyota App, but doing so disables Connected Services features. For usage-based insurance, the policy says data is shared only with express prior consent.
There is a catch that sits at the center of the lawsuit. If an owner takes no action, Toyota’s policy says it still collects non-precise location, driving, and vehicle health data for “internal research and data analysis.” The complaint alleges that this default state, combined with opaque enrollment in “trials” at the point of sale, means many owners are sharing data without realizing it. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lists CAS as a consumer reporting company that “collects and reports driving behavior data using telematics technology.”
Why the Case Is Now in Arbitration
The case was assigned to Chief District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III. On July 8, 2025, Toyota moved to compel arbitration, pointing to an arbitration clause in Siefke’s vehicle purchase agreement. Siefke asked for limited discovery on whether a valid arbitration agreement had actually been formed. Judge Mazzant allowed narrow discovery on that question, then on December 2, 2025 granted Toyota’s motion and stayed the class action.
The practical effect: the dispute is out of court for now, and any class-wide resolution through Siefke itself is on hold.
What Toyota and Lexus Owners Can Do
Because the class action is stalled in arbitration, several law firms have shifted to a mass arbitration approach, filing individual claims separately but grouping them together. Labaton Keller Sucharow is investigating claims for owners of 2018-and-newer Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with telemetry tracking devices, recruiting clients across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and estimating potential recoveries of $1,000 or more per person depending on state of residence. The firm works on contingency. Its website does not confirm that any individual arbitration claims have been filed or resolved.
Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP is separately seeking information from Toyota owners who saw insurance rate increases or coverage denials.
Owners who want to see what Toyota is currently collecting can check their opt-out status inside the Toyota App. Keep in mind Siefke’s app also showed him as opted out while Progressive was already receiving his data, so the setting alone may not tell the full story.
The Wider Picture on Connected-Car Data
The Toyota case is one piece of a broader push against automaker data practices. In January 2025, the Federal Trade Commission acted against General Motors and OnStar for collecting and sharing geolocation and driving behavior data without adequate notice, alleging misleading enrollment for the “Smart Driver” feature and data sharing as often as every three seconds. GM discontinued Smart Driver. On January 14, 2026, the FTC finalized a consent order banning GM for five years from disclosing consumer geolocation and driver behavior data to consumer reporting agencies, and requiring affirmative express consent for connected-vehicle data collection and sharing for 20 years.
On January 13, 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Allstate and its subsidiary Arity, alleging violations of the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act for collecting data from over 45 million Americans through embedded software in mobile apps like Life360 and GasBuddy. In April 2023, CAS partnered with Arity to bring Toyota and Lexus connected-car data onto Arity’s platform for insurer use, which puts the Toyota pipeline into the same ecosystem at the center of Paxton’s suit. Allstate denied wrongdoing.
Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey urged the FTC in July 2024 to investigate automakers and data brokers after a Senate investigation found Hyundai had shared data from 1.7 million vehicles with data broker Verisk for about 61 cents per car, and Honda had shared data from 97,000 vehicles for about 26 cents per car. The senators identified the use of “dark patterns” to steer consumers into data-sharing programs. Roughly 90% of new cars now collect driving behavior information, according to CNN.
The FTC has not announced any investigation or enforcement action specifically targeting Toyota. The agency’s finalized GM order and its published warnings to the auto industry signal that connected-vehicle data remains an active regulatory focus.