HACKER Q&A
📣 sky2224

Where to begin in removing "safety" features from new cars?


I'm looking at buying a new car, and I'm noticing the ones that fit my needs (mainly Subarus and Toyotas for their AWD) have ridiculously intrusive and finnicky "safety" features that involves a camera and collecting a ton of data I don't want them collecting.

I'm aware that these systems are pretty integrated, so it's not just a matter of pulling a fuse, but doing some type of reverse engineering to take control over how things internally work. I'm doing the research and am willing to put a lot of time in to make this happen, but I'm curious to know if anyone has explored this themselves already and to hear about their own findings.

  👤 Bender Accepted Answer ✓
Just me personally, I would start with older trucks and take it to a mod shop to get it tuned up, tricked out and not add any of the undesirable features. Not cheap but I would get the end result I wanted.
👤 stop50
Try the can bus. It is often used for tge communication between components and for last resort access.
👤 dlcarrier
You can eliminate most downsides by disconnecting the cellular modem. You might even be able to pull out a SIM card and be done with it.
👤 ungreased0675
You are looking for a DCM bypass.

As for the rest, I’m not sure why you want to disable things like automatic emergency braking or lane centering assistance. What exactly is the downside with those features?