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I recently purchased a new vehicle. For reference it is a 2023 Mazda CX-5.

This vehicle comes equipped with a Telematics Control Unit. More details on how to confirm the TCU are at this page.

There is an option to disable this in software, however I am still concerned about the privacy implications of data being collected and transmitted without my consent.

Are there general instructions on how to physically remove the TCU from a vehicle? The general advice is "just pull the fuse", however the service manual is not clear which fuse correlates to the TCU.

I understand that disabling the TCU will also disable the auto-start feature, location feature, and other features used by the iOS and Android applications. I am OK with that.

Mr. C
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I found this thread which mentions that the unit is "a small computer under the dash, with a cellular phone signal that allows Mazda's remote computers into your car's CAN bus." So if you can isolate that computer and wrap it in a material which blocks signal, you can be reasonably sure.

There is also a phone tag game you can play with customer service to have them send a disable code which permanently deactivates it. Even if they are lying or creatively telling the truth, probably worth doing.

Oh! I think I found an official guide for install/removal.

Let me know if you have success. I'm going to need a new vehicle soon and I want to do the same thing.

Carson Wilcox
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