Data processing in the vehicle - A-Class Hatchback March 2022 W177 MBUX Owner's Manual
Electronic control units
Electronic control units are fitted in your vehicle. Control units process data which, for example, they receive from vehicle sensors, generate themselves or exchange between themselves. Some control units are required for the safe operation of your vehicle, some assist you when driving, such as driver assistance systems, while others enable convenience or infotainment functions.
The following provides you with general information regarding data processing in the vehicle. Additional information regarding exactly which data in your vehicle are collected, saved and transmitted to third parties, and for what purpose, can be found in the information directly related to the functional characteristics in question in their respective operating instructions. This information is also available online and, depending on the vehicle equipment, digitally.
Personal data
Every vehicle is identified by a unique vehicle identification number. Depending on the country, this vehicle identification number can be used by, for example, governmental authorities to determine the identity of the owner. There are other possibilities to use data collected from the vehicle to identify the owner or driver, such as the licence plate number.
Therefore, data generated or processed by control units may be attributable to a person or, under certain conditions, become attributable to a person. Depending on which vehicle data are available, it may be possible to make inferences about, for example, your driving behaviour, your location, your route or your use patterns.
Legal requirements regarding the disclosure of data
If legally required to do so, manufacturers are, in individual cases, legally obliged to provide governmental entities, upon request and to the extent required, data stored by the manufacturer. For example, this may be the case during the investigation of a criminal offence.
Governmental entities are themselves, in individual cases and within the applicable legal framework, authorised to read out data from the vehicle. In the case of an accident, information that can help with an investigation can, therefore, be taken from the airbag control unit, for example.
Operational data in the vehicle
This is data regarding the operation of the vehicle, which have been processed by control units.
- vehicle status information such as the speed, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, number of wheel revolutions or the fastened seat belts display
- ambient conditions, such as temperature, rain sensor or distance sensor
This includes the following data, for example:
Generally, the use of these data is temporary; they will not be stored beyond the period of operation and will only be processed within the vehicle itself. Control units often contain data memories for vehicle keys, for example. Their use permits the temporary or permanent documentation of technical information about the vehicle's operating state, component loads, maintenance requirements and technical events or faults.
- operating status of system components, such as fill levels, tyre pressure or battery status
- malfunctions or faults in important system components, such as lights or brakes
- system reactions in special driving situations, such as airbag deployment or the intervention of stability control systems
- information on events leading to vehicle damage
Depending on the vehicle equipment, the following data are stored:
In certain cases, it may be required to store data that would have otherwise been used only temporarily. This may be the case if the vehicle has detected a malfunction, for example.
If you use services, such as repair services and maintenance work, stored operational data as well as the vehicle identification number can be read out and used. They can be read out by service network employees, such as workshops and manufacturers or third parties, such as breakdown services. The same is true in the case of warranty claims and quality assurance measures.
In general, the readout is performed via the legally prescribed port for the diagnostics connection in the vehicle. The operational data that are read out document technical states of the vehicle or of individual components and assist in the diagnosis of malfunctions, compliance with warranty obligations and quality improvement. To that end, these data, in particular information about component loads, technical events, malfunctions and other faults may be transmitted along with the vehicle identification number to the manufacturer. Furthermore, the manufacturer is subject to product liability. For this reason the manufacturer also uses operational data from the vehicle, for example, for recalls. These data can also be used to examine the customer's warranty and guarantee claims.
Fault memories in the vehicle can be reset by a service outlet or at your request as part of repair or maintenance work.
Convenience and infotainment functions
You can store convenience settings and individual settings in the vehicle and change or reset them at any time.
- seat and steering wheel positions
- suspension and climate control settings
- individual settings, such as interior lighting
Depending on the vehicle equipment, this includes the following settings, for example:
Depending on the selected equipment, you can import data into vehicle infotainment functions yourself.
- multimedia data, such as music, films or photos for playback in an integrated multimedia system
- address book data for use in connection with an integrated hands-free system or an integrated navigation system
- entered navigation destinations
- data about the use of Internet services
Depending on the vehicle equipment, this includes the following data, for example:
These data for convenience and infotainment functions may be saved locally in the vehicle or they may be located on a device which you have connected to the vehicle, such as a smartphone, USB flash drive or MP3 player. If you have entered these data yourself, you can delete them at any time.
This data is transmitted from the vehicle to third parties only at your request. This applies, in particular, when you use online services in accordance with the settings that you have selected.
Smartphone integration (e.g. Android Auto or Apple CarPlay®)
If your vehicle is accordingly equipped, you can connect your smartphone or another mobile end device to the vehicle. You can then control them by means of the control elements integrated in the vehicle. Images and audio from the smartphone can be output via the multimedia system. Certain information is simultaneously transferred to your smartphone. Depending on the type and integration, this includes position data, day/night mode and other general vehicle statuses. For more information please consult the Owner's Manual of the vehicle/infotainment system.
This integration allows the use of selected smartphone apps, such as navigation or music player apps. There is no further interaction between the smartphone and the vehicle; in particular, vehicle data is not directly accessible. The type of additional data processing is determined by the provider of the app being used. Which settings you can make, if any, depends on the specific app and the operating system of your smartphone.